University arranges jobs for students

A university that helps its students find paid work to finance their studies reports that one in five has a full-time job.

A further 56 per cent of its students say they work up to 20 hours a week to fund living costs or to reduce their level of debts on graduation.

The survey was carried out by the University of Hertfordshire, which has set up an employment office in the students' union.

A third of the students questioned said another reason for taking paid employment was to gain experience and improve their CV.

Scott Christian-Lim, 22, who has graduated with a degree in business and computing, is to be fast-tracked as a manager by the company for which he worked during his final year.

He said: "It was a brave decision to study and work full-time but I think it was the right one. I've graduated now without any debts and with a job to go to."

Four in 10 working students said it encouraged them to organise their studies and more than a quarter said they were better motivated at university because of their jobs. However, one in 10 admitted they had fallen asleep during lectures and nearly one in eight had skipped them.

One in 10 said they chose course modules to fit around their working schedules. David Ball, the dean of students, said the research dispelled the myth that students had an easy ride. "Nowadays it is almost inevitable that most will take on a part-time job and this can be a great way of enhancing their employability once they graduate," he said.

HOW T0 AVOID THE JOB CATCH 22

There is a painful time in the lives of each generation of new graduates. The three-year summer holiday of university life is over and it's time to dig out your interview suit and face the real world.

You start looking through the newspaper's graduate careers section. Almost every advert contains the dreaded line. "One year's experience preferred". It's one of life's many unsolved catches. How are you supposed to get the experience if everyone wants you to have experience already?

But the reality isn't as bad as it sounds. When companies say they want experience, they tend to use a wide definition of the word. Experience can be paid or unpaid. It can be gathered during a year out, in college vacations, part-time during term time, or even informally in a student society. "A year's work experience needn't be a solid year, it could be split up into several short sections, such as summer holidays", says David Bligh," recruitment consultant at Mercuri Urval.

Rebecca Zoe Thomas has just started a job as a recruitment consultant for Montrose Head Office in Victoria. She is 21 and graduated in June from Brimingham University, but she had already gained the experience and skills she needed to impress her new employers. Rebecca's job involves interviewing and assessing candidates, marketing, placing advertisements and customer care. Before taking the job, Rebecca had never worked in recruitment, but was able to apply experience she had acquired in summer jobs and through a student society.

"I had worked in sales during my holidays at university, and the skills I learnt through that have been very relevant to recruitment consulting," she says.

Rebecca's method of gaining experience is supported by many graduate employers. Most graduate traineeships will teach you the specific skills you need for the job, but employers want to see candidates who can show initiative, involvement and interest in the work they have done. Fiona McKenzie, senior consultant at McCourt Consultants Ltd, explains: "Recruiting graduates can be a gamble for employers, because they don't have a great deal of experience, so we want to see something that shows a person has got drive. Work experience of any sort can form the basis of your learning in a new job."

Jo Stamp, also a recruitment consultant and recent graduate, took a different path from Rebecca. Jo did a Business Studies degree at Sheffield University and spent a year at IJA Recruitment Management as a third year placement. She kept in contact with the company throughout her fourth year at university, and was then asked if she would like to return and work permanently for IJA when she graduated. "I learnt a tremendous amount in my placement at the company, and developed skills which I was able to use in my fourth year at university, and which I then brought back to the company," says Jo.

Contact with a company while you are still studying can provide the key to a good job when you graduate. Jill Dean managed to get sponsorship from ICI in her final year of a D Phil in Chemistry at York University. "The sponsorship provides financial help and the opportunity to go on conferences, but most importantly it gave me contacts in the company."

Jill is now a senior research scientist with ICI and feels the sponsorship and a Christmas course at the company helped enormously in getting the job."I could talk convincingly in the interview about what I wanted to do because I had met people doing various jobs in the company."

Taking time to consider what you really want and build up wide experience is a piece of advice offered by many graduate employees. Nicky Latimer, a Computer Systems Administrator and French graduate of the University of East Anglia failed to get onto any of the graduate training schemes she applied to in her final year. After graduating she went onto an Employment Training Scheme which gave her several work experience placements in business administration and as a bilingual secretary. Within a year an agency placed her in a temporary job for Eurotunnel. But having gained the skills and confidence she needed to work in an office environment, Nicky stayed on permanently at the company and began to specialise in computer systems.

"I think people are too worried about getting into the right work immediately," says Nicky. "It's important to take time to clarify what you want to do and to gain experience in anything. "The time I had after graduating gave me the confidence to go and get my foot in the door of a good company."

OVERCOMING INEXPERIENCE - IT CAN BE DONE!

Trying to get a job without a university degree will usually slam you into the "you need higher education" brick wall. On the other hand, approaching the issue from the opposite side gains you only snide "you need more experience" comments.

Frustrating? Yes. Surmountable? Again, yes.

Overcoming lack of experience is doable, though it may take extra effort and research on your part. Five tips will improve your chances of success:

*Enthusiasm counts. Sure, employers appreciate previous experience, but they also know that skills and knowledge alone don't always make the best employees. If you love what you do, then you're likely to be a more satisfied, and therefore harder-working, employee. . So let your passion for the company, subject or work shine through.

*Take the initiative. There are many ways to do it. First of all, in your cover letter, stress your potential, not your lack of experience. In the interview, again stress your positives. Think ahead of time about the strengths you want to focus on, and be prepared to back yourself up. It's fine to be honest about your newness in the field, but don't let that become a drawback. After the interview, call your potential employer and thank him/her for the interview. Let him know you're still interested and ask for feedback. If you don't get the job, don't be afraid to ask why - this can help you prepare better for future interviews.

*Don't forget your "soft skills." While you may not have years of experience under your belt, the chances are your past work has included many "soft skills," such as team building, leadership, or customer service. These may be invaluable in your new career. Emphasize your interpersonal and communication skills.

*Find out contact names. Before you blanket the town with your resume, do your homework. Knowing the names of one or two of the key people inside a corporation can increase your interview chances enormously. It's worth the extra time and energy. A name is worth a thousand resumes.

*Know your company. Compensate for not being a practical expert in the field by beefing up your knowledge about the relevant firm. Your research into it will prove your interest and enthusiasm.

According to an annual survey of employers searching the job market, carried out by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) in the United States, the following skills were seen to be desirable in a potential employee: interpersonal skills; teamwork; verbal communication; analytical skills; computer skills; written communication; leadership abilities.

It is worth noting that none of these skills are limited to any one particular area or profession - all are necessary in almost all lines of work.

So don't be daunted by your lack of experience. Get out there and tell them what you are good at - I'm sure there's plenty to say.

FIRMS ZEAL FOR INTERNET RECRUITMENT WANES

Growth in the use of the internet for recruitment is slowing as companies take a fresh look at the results. The latest Recruitment Confidence Index survey of the internet market suggests the strong growth evident up to the summer of 2002 has slackened over the past year. Recent indicators point to a slight fall in the way the internet is being used as a recruitment medium.

Overall, about 40pc of the companies surveyed are posting jobs on internet boards but almost two out of three say they are unhappy with the response, complaining they are failing to attract enough candidates. A similar proportion feel many applicants are unsuitable. Many companies, however, are looking to make long-term commitments. Just over 45pc of the survey selection expect to expand their use of commercial internet sites over the next five years to try to widen their recruitment canvass.

Both companies and consultants acknowledge improvements will be needed to provide a better product to provide all-round satisfaction. Terry Ellis, chief executive of Burns Carlton, the executive search and selection business, which sponsored the research, believes there are still credibility issues to be addressed.

He said: "Companies feel they should use job boards as they have a vision of cheaper recruitment and access to a huge pool of candidates. The problem is that high-quality applicants don't feel comfortable posting their CV in this way”.

"There are far too many job boards that lack visibility, brand and credibility in many cases. As with all e-commerce products, they claimed to be the only way to go but in reality the web is really only a facilitator and has not replaced traditional methods." He argues that recruitment skills involve deeper analysis in identifying the best candidates and added: "You won't identify such people via job boards. A job board is more like a database where you need a CV to be registered to get a response."

Emma Parry, a research fellow at Cranfield School of Management, feels that the internet has introduced a sense of laziness. She says: "Job hunters can send their CVs to scores of employers at the click of a button and they do. They think that by sending their CVs haphazardly to as many people as possible recruiters will work out which bits are relevant.

Employers are still keen to invest in internet recruitment and job hunters need to rise to the challenge. The technology may be new but the old rules of job hunting still apply. Employers expect candidates to research jobs before they apply for them. But two or three. lines about a vacancy are not enough for candidates to know if it's the job for them.

The survey shows that almost half the companies canvassed felt that using corporate websites was more cost effective than other recruitment methods, while 40pc believed the internet was easier for candidates to use. About a third felt they had access to a bigger candidate pool.

Questions about why companies abandoned the internet option produced a variety of explanations. Almost two-thirds cited low response rates or unsuitable candidates as the main reason behind their decision. Just under a third said their sector was not represented on the website or that they did not find commercial websites cost-effective.