Being Numerically Minded

This week's tip comes from a recent graduate, Arnab Datta. Numeracy is one of the key skills needed to secure most graduate jobs, along with writing and IT skills. A basic knowledge is assumed for most jobs but of course there are certain career paths that required a more detailed understanding. So, how important is it to develop numerical skills during your studies?

A recent study has revealed that STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) graduates earn on average 4.47% more than other graduates. This report aimed to ascertain the ‘labour market value’ of qualifications, but other research has shown even greater discrepancies in favour of STEM graduates ranging from 18.8% to 33%. Still, there is not complete agreement over the value of science and engineering degrees, since other statistics have conversely shown that the salaries are lower.

Although a salary should not be your sole motivation for a graduate job, it is a fairly good indicator of the demand for graduates with certain degrees, and will help to assess your job prospects. The main reason why STEM graduates are in greater demand is that they have developed transferable skills, which can also be used in careers like Finance. Also, some STEM degrees enable a greater choice of modules at university and give the opportunity to learn more about business. This helps to create more well rounded individuals who develop both a theoretical grounding in their subject and a commercial awareness that they can take into the workplace.

Still, the most crucial message outlined in these types of research is the general importance of numeracy, since employers think that this is one of the skills that graduates lack most. Even if you do not study a Maths related degree, you should still try to keep your basic skills up to date. This will be useful for any career, since usually there are work plans and budgets to complete or proposals, which all require calculations. Making a mistake in the office could be costly, so you need to ensure that you are accurate. Indeed, numeracy skills are linked to IT, since a lot of work is done in spreadsheets. Therefore, developing considerable experience of this will definitely help in the future.

Overall, don’t worry if you are not that numerically inclined, since the key is to develop the core skills that are regularly used in the majority of careers. Still, it is worth bearing in mind that if you do manage to develop these types of skills, then it will not only help you to secure most graduate jobs, but will also put you more at ease in the workplace.

Rejection From A Graduate Job Interview – A Worthwhile Lesson

Chances are at some point you will have to face some sort of rejection from a graduate recruiter, but it is how you deal with this rejection that sets you up for your interviews for future graduate jobs. Criticism can be a good source of useful information, as long as you can take it on board and learn from it.


If you receive, or do at some point in the future, a rejection from a job application always ask for feedback. It doesn’t matter what stage of the process you are rejected at, always request the reasons behind their decision. Once you have this do not let it negatively affect you and your motivation, instead use it as an excellent means of improving. Now that you know what your stumbling block was you can set actions in place to resolve it, whether it is something on your CV, your attire or perhaps even something you said during an interview. Criticism can definitely be a worthwhile lesson, just make sure you take the good from the bad and move forward.

Be Aware Of Graduate Jobs All Year Round

A common misunderstanding amongst people these days is that graduate jobs are seasonal. This isn’t the case, a large amount of graduate recruiters have a continual year round recruitment process.


Graduates need to remain vigilant the whole year round for opportunities that match their skills and interests. If you don’t have a job offer after the initial August/September intake do not panic or let your motivation and confidence take a hit. There is no seasonal slow-down and we have been and will carry on listing new graduate jobs every day. The mistake most people make is giving up because they haven’t snagged one of the early recruiting graduate schemes. These are just one of your options for roles after university, so do some more research, consider direct entry roles and keep the applications going, there are plenty more opportunities available to you!

Know The Market Of Your Potential Graduate Job

A lot of people these days are sold stories on which graduate jobs are glamorous, which industries and sectors are the big money earners and which markets are the most stable. However, how much do you really know about the market of the role you have a graduate interview for?


Having an in depth opinion of the industry shows you know what you are talking about, truly know what the job entails and are passionate about it. Graduate recruiters don’t want to hire someone who wants to get into the industry simply because they know people who have said it’s good or they’ve heard about the success of others. Interviewers will be looking for graduates who can tell them what they like about the industry, recount its history and give an opinion on where they think it will be in 5 years time. It is also important to get an idea of the market too so that you know who the competitors are and what the market position is for the company you’re interviewing with. Being able to comment on such factors, or possibly even compliment, sets you in motion to establish common ground and build good rapport.

Stand Out In The Eyes Of Graduate Recruiters

Always doing extensive research on the company you have your graduate interview with is a given and we’re sure you do it but so does 99% of your competition for graduate jobs. So how do you set yourself apart from the rest?

The answer is research. You may have done loads, but there’s one thing the majority of candidates forget; the person who is going your graduate interview. We have such a broad range of networking mediums at our disposal these days that it is incredibly easy to do some effective research into your interviewer. When being offered an interview always ask who it will be with, if not already told, and make a note of the name and their job position within the company. Take advantage of resources such as LinkedIn to find out more about this person; what have they done in the past? What do they enjoy in their spare time? Etc. Try and find a common interest, such as sport or subjects studied, and use this to your advantage in the interview to strike up interesting conversation. Such an approach will instantly build rapport and make you memorable.

Believe In Your Dream Graduate Job

We all have our ideal graduate jobs in mind when we graduate, sometimes even before. Maybe it’s a graduate scheme with a big company or SME, a direct entry role into an area of great interest from your studies or even small jobs or voluntary work for taking some time off to travel. Even though they are all very different aspirations, all graduate recruiters will need to be equally impressed.


It’s all about the skills you have, the impression you make and your desire for the role. So what sort of impression do you make when you don’t believe in yourself? Graduate recruiters want someone resilient, with a great personality and optimism and if you don’t believe that you can provide them with what they want and need how are they ever going to believe it? So take a step back to when you were younger and willing to believe in everything and anything, don’t let the current job market bring you down, believe in yourself and others will believe in you too.

Everyone has a dream...what’s yours?

Don't Leave Your Graduate Interview Preparation Too Late

You’ve worked hard on applications to graduate jobs, your graduate CV is great and you have landed yourself an interview. This doesn’t mean you can sit back and relax though, you will need to start preparing for it straight away so that you have the best possible chance of impressing those graduate recruiters.


Before attending a graduate interview you will need to have done a lot of in depth research. Make sure you know their market position, their latest moves, their products and services and their strengths and weaknesses. Ensure you know their history, their target markets, their marketing campaigns and their competitors. In fact the information you need to know goes on and on. Make neat notes from your research on a nice paper pad or in a folder that can be taken into an interview with you and keep them short so you can easily refer to them. Take a pen for making notes in the interview and jot down lots of questions you could ask so that you won’t be left with ‘no you answered everything’ and instead will be able to ask intellectual questions that will impress.