Newsletter

Last month we asked you how you felt about the graduate job crunch. Our online poll found that 81% of you are worried, as you think there just aren't any jobs out there. You're bound to be hearing loads in the media about the recession and how this year will be a tough year to graduate and get a job. So here's our advice on the job crunch and a few tips if you'll be graduating this year.

Firstly, we're not going to lie to you. The job market's tough and you may need to be prepared to be more flexible in your approach to finding a job and more compromising about what you are willing to accept.

Be smart. Start job hunting as early as possible, pop along to your careers centre for tailored careers advice and to get your CV checked, and find out what the state of play is in the industry you want to work for. Some industries have been affected more than others and if you're aware of the market conditions you will be in a better position to judge what might be your best course of action.

Be willing to compromise on salary, benefits, where you're willing to work and who you're willing to work for. Once you're in employment you will start gaining real work experience which is invaluable (as well as be earning money).  Remember, your first role is just the first step on the ladder and you never know where it may lead.

Consider your options carefully. If you're thinking about further study make sure you will actually come out the other side more employable. If you fancy taking time out to travel or volunteer, think about how you can show future employers how it has helped you develop and don't forget that when you come back from seeing the world you may be competing against a fresh batch of graduates for jobs and you may find the job market even tougher.

With the recession taking a firm grip on the UK's economy and many blue chip recruiters taking the brunt of the blow, many of this year's graduates are looking to public sector roles with applications for teaching courses at an all time high.

However, don't be misled in to thinking the larger corporates aren't recruiting because of what you've seen in the press. Knowledge is a powerful asset and recruiters in the past have paid the price for disregarding graduate recruitment as an indulgence rather than a necessity. That's why most graduate recruitment schemes are still on the lookout for talented graduates to fuel their business.

Global finance specialists PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (PwC) with offices throughout Yorkshire are one of the regions biggest graduate recruiters and will be boosting their graduate talent hunt in 2009, taking on 1,000 new graduates throughout the UK this year.

In Yorkshire, they are actually increasing graduate numbers and are looking to recruit 55 new graduates in April and September, 5 more than last year.

Graduate opportunities with PricewaterhouseCoopers include roles in Forensics, Risk Assurance Services, Public Services Assurance & Data Assurance in their Leeds office, Assurance in Hull and Assurance and Public Services roles in Sheffield .

The company has been voted the top graduate employer in the UK for five consecutive years and considers graduates from any degree, whether its art or science, with a 2.1 or above (and 280 UCAS points) who are interested in finance and keen to train and develop into business leaders in a breadth of career opportunities throughout the company.

Find out more about opportunities with PricewaterhouseCoopers here.

Students at the University of Sheffield will be battling it out this month in an apprentice style contest to land an exclusive summer internship.

"The Intern", sponsored by Graduates Yorkshire, will see 100 students being whittled down to 2, with the winner spending the summer on an internship with Royal Mail and the runner up a 10-day placement with former BBC Den Dragon Rachel Elnaugh.

Just like the BBC's Apprentice, competitors will go head to head in a number of challenges where they will have to trade, negotiate, sell and blag their way to success and immunity from elimination from the competition.

"The competition is a real opportunity for students to apply knowledge and learning to real business activities and have something to tell future employers about when they come to look for a graduate job," says event organiser Helen Gammons. "The idea for the competition came from the fact that, especially in the current economic climate, job hunting can be tough and being able to evidence instances when you have gone the extra mile and put knowledge to practice will be crucial to staying ahead of your competitors."

The competition kicked off with a Flea Market in Devonshire Quarter where competitors made milkshakes, short video clips and ran a number of raffles and games for small prizes in a bid to raise the most cash for Comic Releif. Other tasks include negotiating the best prices for a list of items and promoting a meal deal within a local restaurant.

The final 5 candidates in the competition will then be interviewed by a panel of judges, including former apprentice Jennifer Celerier, and the winner announced on the 6^th May.

If you've already graduated or will be graduating soon and you're considering your options, these careers events could be exactly what you're looking for!

If you're looking for that first job, The Sheffield Spring into Jobs Fair attracts some of the countries top employers and welcomes students and graduates from across Yorkshire. There's even a shuttle bus to the event running from the bus and railway station during the day to make visiting students and graduates feel welcome. Pop along to the University of Sheffield, April 29^th, 10.30am - 4.00pm, or visit the SURF website to find out more.

If you're considering post graduate study instead, get yourself down to Leeds Met's "Invest in Your Future" event, April 20^th, The Rose Bowl, Leeds, 2pm - 5pm.

Drop in to chat with course leaders and representatives from professional bodies about the postgraduate options open to you, and sit in on information sessions about everything from applying for postgraduate study to what a Masters is really like.

Book your place here: www.leedsmet.ac.uk/lbs/pgopendayapril

At Graduates Yorkshire, we're really keen to make our website the very best place to come for top graduate careers advice and information. That's why we want to fill it full of hints and tips to make job hunting easier and information about what it's really like to live, work and study in Yorkshire.

But we don't just want it to be a place for students and graduates; we want it to be a place created by you too! We think you guys are a talented bunch so we're giving you the opportunity to show off your skills through us.

Want the chance to get your work published or viewed by thousands? Want to work towards creative briefs, for a client, to build your portfolio? Need a client to be part of a University project? Then why not get in touch.

We're looking for students and graduates to:

• Produce articles for our website and newsletters
• Produce informative podcasts and videos
• Film events
• Create online marketing campaigns and viral campaigns
• Take pictures for promotional materials

Interested? Contact Imogen in the marketing department:

imogen.hesp@graduatesyorkshire.co.uk

If you're not Tweeting yet, why not? Not only is Twitter the new "big thing" in social media but you might even find yourself a job. TwitterJobSearch is a clever device that reads every newsfeed on Twitter and indentifies which ones are jobs. You can then search around 30,000 live jobs posted by recruitment agencies and job sites (including us) for key words such as industry and location.

What's more, by following us on Twitter you'll be kept up to date on all the top stories on graduate recruitment and careers, what's going on in Yorkshire and what it's really like in the Graduates Yorkshire office.

Follow us here or find us by searching for GradYorks.

On Facebook? Become a fan of Graduates Yorkshire now!

We're looking for a graphic design student or graduate to work on a one off project for Graduates Yorkshire.

We're looking for a talented designer to produce promotional materials for the online marketing of our 'Question Time' event.

The event, to be held on the 6th May in Sheffield, will feature a panel of local employers who students and graduates will be invited along to pose their questions to.

If you have access to a graphic design suite and can produce web banners and flyers to a creative brief we would love to hear from you.

Although we are unable to offer cash in return for working on this project, we will reward the work with £100 Amazon Vouchers. It is also a great opportunity to gain some valuable work experience, a reference for your work, as well as an opportunity to build your portfolio.

This project may also lead to further work with Graduates Yorkshire.

If you're interested please send an email with a covering letter and an attached CV and examples of your work to:

imogen.hesp@graduatesyorkshire.co.uk