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The autumn recruitment fair season kicks off in late September.  Thousands of wannabe graduates will be flocking to each event with high hopes of making a great first impression with their dream employer. But what is it that exhibitors look for in students and graduates that really sparks their interest?

Diane Hartley, Graduate Scheme Manager at HBOS plc tells us what really makes applicants stand out from the crowd.

"I've met thousands of students and graduates at fairs, presentations, lecture groups and assessment centres.  Out of these, you often see a few notable candidates that you, along with the rest of the employers, would want to take on."  So what have they done to be noticeable?

"These are the students who get actively involved in extra activity at university, such as Bright Futures or the Union.  One of our interns looked after finance for his university's Real Ale Society.  At first glance it doesn't seem very business-focused, but he had fantastic examples of what he had done and was able to relate these to the working environment."

"They also show an active interest in life outside University, with summer placements, internships or volunteering.  Real work experience helps employers know whether candidates are serious about their chosen field.

"Students who turn up to the fair in smart clothes and have actively sought us out on the day with real questions about the business show how serious they are about that particular line of work.  Having to talk about the credit crunch isn't always fun, but at least they're displaying awareness of the real world.

"I'm still amazed by the number of students who don't know what they want to do by the time they get to their final year.  They have no real awareness of what's available or what it looks like, let alone what they need to do to get it.

"It's always great to see graduates who know what they want from the outset and have thought about what an employer would want from them.  It doesn't mean that they will get the job, but it will certainly create the right impression, which is crucial.  I know it works, as I'll be seeing a couple of our new graduate hires at our Welcome Conference who I first met at presentations and fairs."

To get a better idea of where you picture yourself after graduation visit our Careers Sector Information section here.

Leeds based SportsAid Yorkshire & Humberside is a small charity that provides funding for talented sporting youngsters in the region. With team GB's recent success at the Beijing Olympics, Britain's greater investments in areas such as cycling have been highlighted as a major factor in helping our athletes to raise their game.

It's organisations like SportsAid that are helping the sports stars of tomorrow to reach their potential. They award grants to young sportsmen and women and are the only major organisation to provide funding to emerging talented athletes in the UK.

Rob Clarke was recruited by SportsAid several years ago as an admin officer through the Graduates Yorkshire service. He has since risen through the ranks to a become a Regional Development Manager for the charity.

Rob's really been able to benefit from working for a small employer. "It's been a great start to my career" he says. "It's very personal and you get to be involved in all parts of the organisation which has been great experience.

"The organisation is relaxed and encouraging and you feel that there is opportunity for you to voice opinions and ideas. I really like the fact that I've not only been able to develop my own skills but have really been able to make an impact on the organisation."

He also believes Yorkshires a great place to live and work.

"There are a lot of open doors here and the community as a whole is very welcoming. It's a really vibrant and diverse place to live and can offer just about any vocation imaginable to a graduate."

Read more graduate success stories here.

This means the interest rate on your student loan will fall from 4.8% variable APR to 3.8% variable APR.

The new rate comes into affect on 1^st September 2008 and means a saving of £10 for every £1000 you owe for the coming year compared with last!

You've probably heard the hype about future employers checking out candidates on the internet. But have you really thought about what the net could say about you?

1 in 5 employers admit to checking social networking sites during their recruitment process. Two thirds of those who did say that it influenced their final employment decision. If you're job hunting then take a look through our quick checklist of web do's and don'ts to make sure you're not leaving yourself open to unfair judgements about your credibility.

• Do assume that whatever is out there on the net could be seen by future employers.
• Do tighten your security settings so only the people you want to see your personal information can.
• Don't forget about your profile picture. A Facebook search of your name is likely to bring it up and that really funny picture of you at your friends stag do might not go down as well with a future employer as it does with your mates.
• Although discrimination in the work place is against the law, it does happen. Do avoid expressing extreme political or religious views or overt expressions of your sexuality.
• Don't forget about YouTube. Once a video of you is uploaded and tagged with your name virtually anyone can see it.
• Do use social networking sites to your advantage. Make sure any info on the web says exactly what you want it to say about you and take advantage of professional networking sites such as Linked-In

Fancy bagging yourself a Nintendo Wii and Wii sports? We're currently running a survey on behalf of Local Government Yorkshire and Humber. They're interested in what you think about working in Local Authorities. All you have to do to be in with winning a Wii is answer our short questionnaire here .

We recently ran a survey in conjunction with Yorkshire Universities called 3 Years On. We wanted to know all about where students from our region's universities end up 3 years after graduation. The lucky winners from participants in this survey are as follows:

Ipod Winner :

Amy Grange, Sheffield Hallam University

£50 Amazon vouchers:

Louis Montagu-Smith, Leeds University

Kim Heeramun, York St John University

It's nearly time for our busiest time of year! September and October are traditionally peak times in the recruitment industry and to make sure you're making the most of Graduates Yorkshire's recruitment services you need to make sure your CV is uploaded to our database.

Adding your CV to our database means that prospective employers can contact you about suitable roles in their company they think you would be perfect for. Employers will only contact you about roles in careers sectors you have told us you're interested in working and we don't allow any third parties to get hold of your data either.

Log into your account here and upload your CV now!

Did you graduate from a Yorkshire University? Did you get your first graduate job through Graduates Yorkshire? If yes then we'd love to hear from you!

We're looking for graduates from across the region who found success through the Graduates Yorkshire service to participate in case studies. By getting involved you can help spread the word about Graduates Yorkshire to students and graduate from your old University.

We'll even throw in a Graduates Yorkshire goody bag in return for your help including a latte mug and sought after "made in Yorkshire" T-shirt! Simply email your details to info@graduatesyorkshire.co.uk and our marketing department will get in touch.

If you've ever bumped into the Graduates Yorkshire Team out and about we're sure you'll have admired our T-shirts. Wherever we go people always ask us where we got them from and if they can get one too! Well now you can.

Priced at a bargain £12 + p&p our t-shirts are top quality and come in a range of colours and styles. Find out how you can get your hands on one here.