et10.1108/etEducation + Training0040-0912Emerald Group Publishing Limited10.1108/et.2005.00447gab.004e-non-articleSecondary articleUK newscat-EDUNEducationcat-BEDUBusiness Educationcat-EEDUEntrepreneurship educationcat-VETVocational education & trainingcat-CIVECurricular innovation in vocational educationWork experience “effective for recruiting top graduates”01092005477© Emerald Group Publishing Limited2005peer-reviewednoacademic-contentyesrightslinkexcludedWork experience “effective for recruiting top graduates”

The media that graduate recruiters really rate for attracting high-calibregraduates are revealed in the Association of Graduate Rrecruiters/BarkersNational Graduate Media Audit. More than 120 graduate recruiters, whocollectively employed over 11,000 graduates in the past 12 months, ranked themost effective media for recruiting graduates as:

work experience/internships;

vacancy listings – online;

careers-service campus fairs;

prospects directory;

employer information;

milk round;

prospects online;

sector-specific campus fairs;

target by sector series; and

e-mails to students.

The results show that recruiters recognize the importance of bothtraditional and online methods and are choosing to use a suite of integratedelements when it comes to attracting and recruiting graduates.

Phillip Lane, graduate-research specialist at Barkers and co-author of thereport, said: “The continued use of so diverse a range of communicationchannels shows that the most effective graduate recruitment comes from a fullyintegrated approach. Today’s successful recruiters understand the roletechnology plays in facilitating face-to-face contact with potential employees,while ensuring candidates derive the maximum possible value from humaninteraction.”

In other notable results, for the third year, the University of Manchestercareers advisory service was voted the best in the UK, with the University ofCambridge coming a close second. The careers services at the universities ofOxford and Warwick were ranked third and fourth, respectively.

Alison Hodgson, who chairs the Association of Graduate Recruiters, said:“University careers services play a vital role in preparing students forthe transition from the world of education to the world of work and in helpinggraduates to start their working lives. The top careers services know thatacademic achievements alone will not be enough for students who are striving forgraduate jobs in a competitive market and having a wider perspective is a keyingredient for success. Manchester and Cambridge provide great examples of thepotential for effective business relationships between employers and universitycareers services.”