Jobs After Graduating
Here are a list of useful links:
- Chichester's jobs database
- Sources of vacancies
- Local opportunities
- Graduate schemes
- Small and medium sized enterprises
- Agencies
- Professional associations
- Graduate fairs
- Labour market information
This page covers sources of advertised vacancies. You may also find it useful to look at the creative job hunting page as advertised vacancies are only one way to find employment.
Jobs database
We advertise details of job opportunities that have been notified to us on our online vacancy system (a link is below). Over time we hope to develop this into a good source of local and national vacancies for final year students and graduates:
Other local universities have job pages that can be accessed without needing to register:
University of Brighton:
http://student.bton.ac.uk/studserv/Careers/outline.htm
University of Portsmouth:
www.port.prospects.ac.uk/casa/servlet/casa.jobseeker.JSVacServlet?mode=menu
Scroll down the screen to access the vacancies without registering.
Southampton Solent University:
www.solent.ac.uk/careers/students/
The University of London's database of jobs for after graduating is also accessible at:
www.careers.lon.ac.uk/output/Page22.asp
Graduate Jobs Southampton - vacancies mainly in small to medium enterprises (SMEs) in the Southampton area. The project is coordinated by the careers services at Southampton Solent University and the University of Southampton and is for all graduates: www.graduatejobssouthampton.co.uk.
General vacancy sources
www.prospects.ac.uk/links/jobvacs vacancy pages from Prospects with company profiles available from: www.prospects.ac.uk/links/coprofiles. We recommend that graduates looking for full time jobs also register with Graduate Prospects through: www.prospects.ac.uk/links/jobvacs.
www.careerjet.co.uk a site that searches jobs pages from company websites, recruitment agencies and specialist recruitment sites. Finds a good number of vacancies and has good search options.
www.charityjob.co.uk site for paid and unpaid charity jobs and third sector jobs
www.check4jobs.com offering advice for a graduate job search as well as a large selection of graduate jobs.
http://www.direct.gov.uk/graduates advice and guidance for options after graduation from direct.gov including:
http://graduatetalentpool.dius.gov.uk a site dedicated to finding and placing graduates in internships.
www.e4s.co.uk featuring part-time jobs, internships and graduate jobs.
www.fish4jobs.co.uk search by sector or location. There’s no facility to search for all jobs so you need to know which sector you’re looking at.
www.gradfutures.com a graduate recruitment company which aims to match graduates with an internship, placement or scheme
www.gradplus.com has a directory of graduate employers and the latest graduate jobs
www.graduate-jobs.com a site set up by graduates, where employers are specifically looking for graduates. It includes a useful section of recent news from each sector, click on 'jobs by sector' and go to the bottom of the page on your chosen sector. There is a facility to set up an account that matches your academic subject.
www.grb.uk.com a useful site specialising in finding hidden graduate jobs, as well as offering general advice and information on job hunting.
www.indeed.co.uk job search engine giving access to jobs and internships advertised on jobs boards, in newspaper classifieds and company websites
www.insidecareers.co.uk concentrates on particular professions including IT, management consultancy, logistics and accountancy
www.jobijoba.co.uk has a good selection of jobs in the local area and nationwide, it also was particularly good for teaching jobs
www.jobs1.co.uk is a collection of links to sites advertising work (recruitment agencies and work related sites). It includes a local jobs section
http://jobsno1.co.uk search by profession and/or location, the site offers a comprehensive list of current jobs available from company websites, recruitment agencies and specialist recruitment sites. It also offers a good choice of part-time jobs available from http://parttimejobs1.co.uk.
www.jobssw.co.uk a job board for vacancies in South West England.
www.1job.co.uk 300,000+ UK & Ireland Jobs from Employment Recruitment Agencies and Employers
www.jobsite.co.uk/jobs/graduate - find Graduate jobs in the UK. Refine your search by job location and specialism. With full job descriptions to read through you can get a good idea if the Graduate job in question is the one for you.
www.jobs.uk.bigrecruiters.net holds vacancies of some of the biggest companies in the UK.
http://jobs.thirdsector.co.uk a great site for vacancies within the charity sector nationally, you can narrow your search by field and location.
www.london.gov.uk/graduates aimed at graduates in the South East, a unique feature is an “ideas generator” based on the experience of recent graduates who have started work in the region.
www.monster.co.uk as well as jobs in the UK, Monster includes facilities to search for jobs in Europe and worldwide
www.stepstone.com is a recruitment site for Europe. The UK section links to www.totaljobs.com
www.thebigchoice.com a site advertising graduate jobs with the facility to search for vacancies in fairly specific locations. There’s no need to register to view the vacancies
www.totalprofessions.com a website providing careers information, featuring 270 professional bodies across 34 different job sectors. Includes details of sector summarises, routes of entry, graduate schemes and a job search.
Newspaper sites
http://jobs.guardian.co.uk/ jobs site from the Guardian
http://jobs.independent.co.uk/ The Independent’s job pages
www.jobs.telegraph.co.uk jobs pages from The Telegraph
www.timesonline.co.uk The Times’ website. Click on the 'style and life' link and the 'jobs and career'
www.londonjobs.co.uk is the job site of The Evening Standard. Most jobs are around London but some extend to home counties. Try the Graduate Channel.
Public sector and higher education
www.socialcare.co.uk social care, social work and social housing jobs.
www.lgcareers.com information and advice on local government careers, with a linked site for vacancies: www.lgjobs.com
www.jobsgopublic.com wide range of public and not for profit vacancies.
www.publicsectorcareers.org a new site advertising public sector jobs.
www.opportunities.co.uk advertising local authority jobs as well as some vacancies for charities.
www.nhs.uk/careers information about working for the NHS, about specific careers and a section for advertised vacancies
www.greatsocialcare.co.uk a nationwide job-board promoting careers in social work, residential care, and social housing
www.jobs.ac.uk vacancies in higher education. Includes research, science, academic and related professions. Also has public sector and commercial vacancies.
www.scit.wlv.ac.uk/ukinfo/uk.map.html an interactive map of UK higher education institutions. Once in a university website find your way to the careers pages. Most have vacancy listings that do not require registration.
Local opportunities (Sussex, Surrey and Kent)
The Local Jobs website groups jobs according to location.
Other local job sites are:
www.jobsforkent.co.uk and www.jobsinkent.com
Another resource is www.jobstoday.co.uk/?sitecode=SEJ. It has many good vacancies for East and West Sussex but the search facility is based on key word prompts. It’s fine if you know what you’re looking for but not so useful for browsing.
Jobs on these websites can be mainly from recruitment companies.
Specific local companies
The companies below are all based in the local area:
The Body Shop - manufacture and retail beauty and cosmetics. Their head office is at Littlehampton. Vacancies are advertised at: http://www.thebodyshop.com/_en/_ww/services/aboutus_careers.aspx
Goodwood Estate - tourism, hospitality and sporting events. Vacancies are advertised at: http://www.goodwood.co.uk/careers/careers.aspx.
Matchtech – a recruitment consultancy for the engineering, construction, IT and scientific sectors. Trainee recruitment consultants are employed from a variety of academic backgrounds - from arts to sport to humanities. The company is based in Whiteley, near Fareham, Hampshire. See www.matchtech.com/recruitment-careers/ for more details.
Mercer – global human resource consulting business with offices in Chichester. Information about joining Mercer is at www.mercerhr.com (this covers recruitment throughout Britain). They also advertise in the local press.
Tennyson – a sales outsourcing organisation offering structured sales and account management services to clients such as Cable & Wireless, Nuffield Hospital and Royal Mail: www.tennyson.uk.com/career.shtml.
Thomas Eggar – a large legal practice based in the South East with opportunities in Chichester. They will consider graduates from any discipline but are looking for applicants with a 2:1 degree. Also run a summer placement scheme: www.thomaseggar.com/careers/graduates.htm.
Wiley - international publishers who have offices in Chichester and Bognor Regis. Their work includes publishing: scientific, technical and medical information; educational materials; and professional/trade work. The home page is at www.wiley.com. You can search for job vacancies at:
Graduate schemes
Graduate schemes are just one element of graduate employment. Under 5% of total graduates are employed on a graduate track programme each year. With approximately 20% of these employed on accountancy schemes (Brown and Hesketh). A minority of graduates find employment on a graduate scheme.
Graduate schemes tend to be run by larger companies or organisations. Many will advertise them on their websites and will encourage online applications. The recruitment process usually begins early in the academic year, and deadlines for applications can be equally early. Some graduate schemes will also take A’ level or equivalent grades into account in their entry requirements.
Free copies of Hobsons and Prospects graduate directories are available from Careers while stocks last.
The NHS Graduate Management Training Scheme:
www.come2life.nhs.uk
Cancer Research Graduate Scheme: graduates.cancerresearchuk.org
Small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs)
SMEs can be defined as organisations having up to 250 employees. They are a major employer of graduates - Prospects quote the Department for Trade and Industry’s estimate that just over half of all UK employment is in SMEs. For more information about SMEs in general see: www.prospects.ac.uk/links/SMESB
Vacancies in SMEs may be advertised on the sites listed in the general vacancy section of this page. Alternatively, they may rely on more informal recruitment. Have a look at the creative job hunting page for more ideas on how to contact employers, including using online directories.
Agencies
Recruitment agencies can be a useful source of vacancies. The Recruitment Employment Confederation (REC) represents the recruitment industry. Members agree to a code of practice. A list of members can be found on their website: www.rec.uk.com. You can search by specialism and location.
When using agencies bear in mind that:
- Most companies specialise – find the appropriate one/s for your needs. Research the sector to find out if recruitment agencies are used, and, if they are, which ones are popular
- Recruitment companies can’t charge you to use them (there are a few exceptions, mainly for the entertainments industries). They can charge for additional services however, so check what you are being offered
- Treat them as you would any other employer - dress appropriately when you see them, return calls and let them know if you find employment elsewhere for example
- Be as specific as you can be about what you’re looking for. This will be beneficial for you and them
Ask around for recommendations and assess the consultant and the company. They should find out what you are looking for, consult you and offer you suitable opportunities. You’ll need to assess how many companies to approach and how to manage your contact with them
Professional Associations
If you are looking to get into a particular area then professional associations can be a good source of vacancies. Even if professional associations don’t publish specific vacancies they may still be a good source of information – possibly giving advice about how to get into the sector as well as keeping you up-to-date with current trends, developments and events.
The Careers Group University of London has details of professional associations by sector: www.careers.lon.ac.uk/output/page212.asp?node=7.
Graduate fairs/recruitment events
It’s important to read information about fairs and events to see who they are aimed at, who will be attending and whether there are entrance fees.
Exhibitors at fairs and events could include companies, public sector organisations, charities, gap year organisers, and professional associations. Fairs can be general or organised around a specific sector/theme. They can be a good way of gathering information and/or meeting potential employers.
Lists of fairs can be found at: www.prospects.ac.uk/links/careerfairs.
Labour market information and sector briefings
When you are looking for advertised vacancies it is really important to research the sector you want to get into as well as being aware of some wider issues. It means you can be realistic about the roles you are looking for and should direct your search to the right information sources.
You can use this website to start your research. For example, the labour market information page is useful for getting an overview of the sort of work people are doing and current employment trends. The occupations/careers profiles/sector information page is useful for looking more specifically at the sector or careers you are interested in.
A note about recruitment websites
Some will ask you to register. You will need to assess the website:
- How many vacancies are there on the website? How recent/up-to-date are they?
- Are you happy to have your details/CV on it? What sort of control will you have over your information? Are there any personal details you would want to take out?