Thousand of pounds, tuition fees, morning lectures and hazy hangovers….all for what? Nothing.WALKING into your dream job is about to get harder. Employees are sifting through hundreds of hopeful applicants by turning their backs on grads with 2:2’s or lower. So if you haven’t got a 2:1 your application will probably end up in the bin. As there are more graduates and less jobs, employers are now in the position to be picky.
I don’t think that approach is reasonable. Ok so a 2:1 is impressive but surely the candidate’s personal skills, character, ambitious streak and experience should also be assessed in the selection process.
What if someone got a 2:1 in a ‘mickeymouse’ course but had no related experience in their chosen field or was clueless about working in the ‘realworld.’ What about the candidates who have participated in endless volunteer placements to gain experience but landed a 2:2? I think employers should still consider all qualities. A person shouldn’t be judged or cast aside when they have other traits which could allow them to shine.
There are around 70 grads chasing 1 job, as opposed to around 28 in 2006. The job market is tougher to break into. It's not just grads who are affected; thousands of qualified & experienced professionals have also been made redundant-so they're also floating around in the job market too. With their years of skills behind them, they will always be ideal candidates to also revive the battered economy. It seems the grad-generation are taking what they can just to survive, whether its stacking shelves, pulling pints or answering calls…there’s not a lot of choice out there.
Then when you manage to find employment whilst you still persevere to land your dream job…you always get someone who (innocently) says to you, “How come you’re not working in (enter your dream job here.)?” And so the whole train of stressful thoughts are conjured up again where you start to question yourself, re-asses your ambitions and your own abilities. *Stop asking me that!!!* I thought most people were aware of the shrinking job market? It’s getting smaller and smaller and there’s a desperate scramble to stand out.
Back to square one then, another day, another job search...venturing out abroad seems more and more appealing.
(If there are any editors out there…I would love to get back into the world of media!)
3 comments:
for the past ten years I have been interviewing about 200 graduates a year and many of them think that they are entitled to a job because of their degree status. The degree classification is really nothing more than an indication of the ability to achieve a specific set of grades - sometimes life gets in the way, it may not be hangovers, it can be the death of a relative, managing study work and a family, or financial hardship. What is equally important to the graduate is what else they have done with their lives and an ability to demonstrate a commitment to the employment sector they wish to work in.
I'm fairly sure employers are capable of distinguishing between "Mickey Mouse" courses and useful qualifications. All that has been said is that as jobs get more competitive, employers will become more selective. Degree classification is just the most obvious way to achieve that, but it doesn't mean they'll begin ignoring graduates' other strengths as a consequence.
I agree with the above. There are so many applicants, that buy drawing the first line at the 2.1/2.2 border, you can omit many. I am sure the 'Mickey Mouse' course grads with 2.1s would be the next to go if they could not offer something extra than a 2.1 (or indeed 1st) on a proper degree.
Going on from an outside theme of why a 2.2 is not good enough:
Generally, when a student is accepted onto a course it is because they have shown they have the ability to succeed on it. If at the end of it they have a 2.2 i.e less than 60% overall, surely that cannot be classes as a success and therefore the student has failed to prove themselves over a period of at least 3 years( enough time for redemption should something go wrong that is not their fault)
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