Lessons 'need to be learned by graduates'

Graduates should not simply believe their degree is enough to impress a potential employer, according to an expert, who said that students need to partake in extracurricular activities to catch a recruiter's attention.

Martin Pennington, director of the Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services, said that there is a growing number of graduates with a 2:1 from good universities and employers are looking for workers who have clearly gone the extra mile while at university.

"It's how else you spend your time, the opportunities you take up and the skills you develop that are at least as important – arguably more important – in determining what kind of an individual you are when you leave," he said.

The message for people looking to land a graduate sales job is that what is learnt in the lecture theatre and library will not be enough to impress in the workplace.

Lisette Howlett, managing director and founder of HireScores.com, said that graduates need to ensure that they have some experience, even if it is unpaid, in order to be able to hit the ground running when they do get a graduate sales job.

Aaron Wallis is a specialist marketing and sales recruitment agency that offers graduate sales jobs across a wide range of industry sectors. For employers, Aaron Wallis offers a unique graduate recruitment service that is backed by a 12-month rebate period.

Posted by Nikki Barrister

Filed: 07-06-2010