What employers really wantJamie Armstrong & Chris Houldey

4th November 2011

University of Leeds

Who Are We? TARGETjobs- The leading graduate recruitment company in the UK

- Not an agency – media company

- Range of websites and publications

- Act as middle man

- Advice and guidance for students

Who Are We?

targetjobsengineering.co.uk- ‘Super sector’

- Stand alone website dedicated to all engineering sectors

- Largest site of its kind, full of advice for students like you

- Hundreds of graduate jobs, schemes, internships, placements

- Key element in the graduate recruitment campaign of many leading engineering firms inc;

- Our clients tell us what they are looking for- Nearly always the same!- The good news – they want you!- Due to the recession, now more targeted

- Conduct surveys, hold events and discussions

The Student & Graduate Survey

• Over 1,200 responses

• Current undergraduates studying engineering or related degrees

• Recent graduates in graduate engineering roles

• Some interesting differences!

Students: Do you think your degree prepares you for work in terms of technical/engineering skills?

89%

11%

Yes

No

Students: Do you think your degree prepares you for work in terms of ‘soft’ skills?

95%

5%

Yes

No

Graduates: How well did your university degree prepare you for working life?

28%

62%

10%

Very well

Only to an extent

Not very well

Graduates: Are there any personal skills thatyou need at work that weren’t

developed at university?

Presentation skillsBusiness/commercial skills

Negotiation skills

Knowing what you know now, how could your course have prepared you better?

• More emphasis on interpersonal skills• Business fundamentals/professional skills• Liaise with industry more• More practical course work• Interview training

But…graduates also said…- The courses should not be changed.

- Tailoring an undergraduate course towards the desires of companies will dilute the generic content that is provided at a university.

- The university is tasked with providing a graduate with a good knowledge of many aspects of engineering and it is the employers task to impart specific knowledge onto the graduate.

So how do you prepare?- Do whatever you can to prepare yourself for work

- Don’t rely on the university to do it for you

- It is a competitive job market and you need to take responsibility for your career

- Two ways you can do this:1. Direct careers events, training, guidance2. Do things other than studying and drinking!

Direct careers events, training etc- Careers Fairs

- Employer presentations & seminars (a good start!)

- Careers workshops

- Apply for placements, internships and employer events

- USE YOUR CAREERS SERVICE

Don’t just study and drink!- Get involved with societies- Fundraising- Volunteering- Part-time jobs- Read about your industry- Join professional bodies- Attend conferences- Add strings to your own bow

The deep end!• You are thrown in the deep end and how well you do is based

upon how much effort you put in, e.g. you need to approach people, you need to schedule progress meetings etc.

• From a fairly structured university environment, industry threw many different factors that lead to complex goal setting and trying to meet the needs of several stakeholders.

• That I was thrown straight into working on real projects with end results.

What advice would you offer to someone starting an engineering degree about planning their career?

• Understand the technical aspects but bear in mind thecommercial context

• Stay informed of industry news.

• Engineers are not just the technical people, they are required to help make a company profit!

• Be wary of becoming too technical. You are of more value to an employer if you can stay well rounded and understand the business context.

What advice would you offer to someone starting an engineering degree about planning their career?

• Try to get some work experience during your summer placements

• Use your time at university to build your CV, practice interviews and leading teams in group work

• Use the university careers service as much as possible as they have great advice to offer!

• Speak to as many people as possible at careers fairs, keep an open mind as to where you apply

How confident are you in finding an engineering internship/job this year?

Not confident at all Fairly confident Very confident/already have an internship/job

0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

Work Experience and Internships

• We know that it is a major concern for students

• However, based on what employers tell us, the most important thing is to have any work experience

• Any kind of work gives you transferable skills which are attractive to employers

• You should think about the skills you learn in any job and how these can be useful in other, graduate roles.

What advice would you offer to someone starting an engineering degree about planning their career?

• One major employer aims for 90% of its graduates to have done a placement with them. However, the majority of their candidates don’t have work experience. The most important thing is for candidates to have something worth talking about that they’ve done whilst a student.

• With another employer applicants don’t even score any extra points for having work experience.

• And another…applicants do receive extra ‘credits’ for having work experience; however, also gives extra credits for those with ‘life experience’.

Easy mistakes to make/Easy mistakes to rectify

• CV Writing and Covering Letters

• Take Care

• Tailor for individual companies and jobs – don’t copy and paste

• Know you CV inside out

Interview Preparation• When you walk in the door the recruiter wants to hire you

• Think about questions the recruiter will ask

• “What do you know about the company”?

• “Tell me about yourself”?

You need to have the answers ready!

Interview Preparation

Think about questions you can ask – not just about the jobbut research the company e.g. latest company news,market news, sector news.

This shows you are interested in the company, helps you engage with the interviewer and shows you understand thebigger picture

Practical Questions and the real worldAcademic Culture – ‘you must have the right answer’

This isn't always the case in the real world

It may be there is no right or wrong answer or you can notreach that answer within the interview

The recruiters ask this question to see your logicalthought process and see how you would suggest steps in theright direction

What else….• Interested• Engaged• Motivated• Passionate• Enthusiastic• They need to have confidence in you!

• Deadlines

How we can help..• targetjobsengineering.co.uk

• Hundreds of engineering grad schemes• Internships• Placements• Register to receive them via email• Loads of advice on everything we have talked about

Employer Insights

• Independent reviews of employers• How many vacancies• What stages you go through• Latest company news and related news stories• Existing graduate employee views• The perfect interview preparation

Questions?

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