This month has seen plenty of celebration in GAAPweb towers as our brand new Career Launch site went live! Designed as the ultimate resource for anyone looking to begin a career in finance and accountancy we’re sure it’s going to be a big hit!
Not happy to take chances however, we’ve been busy surveying students and graduates to make sure the site is exactly what they need. Over the next few months the next batch of graduates will be leaving University and looking for employment so we thought we’d share our findings with you guys to give you an overview of what today’s generation of graduates is looking for!
Preferred industries for new graduates are still fairly traditional with the majority looking to work in:
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Accountancy practice – 36%
- Financial Services – 26%
The rest of the votes were divided fairly evenly between other sectors with a slight preference towards: Management Consultancy; Manufacturing; Property; Retail.
There’s a definite trend away from the straight academic route as graduates think potential employers will be most impressed by:
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Work experience
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Language skills
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Achieving a high percentage in exams/passed exams first time
It seems that graduates are struggling to get that all important work experience however and many of those surveyed felt they needed more advice in this area. Hopefully Career Launch will begin to address this problem.
To attract the best graduates employers need to be offering:
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Support to study for professional qualifications – 70%
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Financial perks, such as company pensions – 58%
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Flexible hours – 48%
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Gym membership or other lifestyle perks – 36%
This is in addition to a starting salary of between £15,000 - £25,000 which is what 67% of graduates expect to receive in their first role.
The good news for employers is that most graduates (64%) will be looking to stay in their first jobs for at least two years and potentially more than three. And once in a job the priority for graduates is obtaining that qualification – 72% named this as their primary concern. Other popular answers included:
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Secure membership of a professional body – 65%
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Specialise in a particular area or discipline – 43%
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Work overseas – 40%
So there you have it - hopefully you’ll feel better prepared as the new generation of graduates join the workforce. And don’t forget to take a look at Career Launch and tell us what you think!