Start the New Year off right if you’re planning on applying for a Grad Scheme

Highly sought after by UCL students, graduate schemes have been seen as being the gold medal upon completion of your degree. However only a limited number make it through as competition is tough. On average, there are 85 applications for every single graduate scheme position. 

Myth: a degree will be enough. Employers are now looking for more from students. HSBC noted: “We recruit up to 1,500 graduates on to one of our 70 graduate programmes around the world. For those jobs, globally, we receive around 100,000 applications. As 90% have a 2.2 or a 2.1, it therefore takes something extra to stand out.”

The conversion rate from landing that internship in the company you want to work for to securing a place on their graduate scheme can be as high as 70-80% in some companies! Every company wants the best candidates, so do apply early. Some may fill positions whilst recruitment is still happening. Don’t leave it to the last minute to apply. Also, come and get your application reviewed by one of our specialist application advisors.

Only 7-10% of graduates who enter the workplace do so through a formal graduate scheme, so how do you maximise your chances at success? Preparation is incredibly important. We’ve put together a handy timeline of things to do, whether you’re a first year or a finalist who hasn’t even thought about what you are going to do when you finish.

UCL Study Level	Spring Term (January – April 2016)	Summer Term(May – August 2016)	Autumn (2016)(Sept 2016 onwards)
First/Second year going into Penultimate year	> Start looking at careers/jobs you may be interested through Careers Tagged > Clarify Visa options in the UK (if international students) > Research jobs in home country or country you wish to work in (UCL login needed to view this link)	> Apply for internships/gain work experience during the summer through UCL JobOnline	> Career Planning > Attend Careers Fairs and Employer Events
Penultimate going into Final year	> Gain relevant work experience either through internships or experience within that sector > Identify your hard skills from your soft skills and compare this against their competencies and develop your skills > Apply for internships for summer through UCL JobOnline	> Attend our Global Citizenship Employability Programme   > Attend our Focus on Management course > Look at company websites, many open applications for their graduate schemes between July – September. > Gain work experience during the summer	> Career Planning > Attend Careers Fairs and Employer Events > Identify Graduate Schemes & Apply
Final year becoming a Recent Graduate	> Apply for graduate level jobs / schemes – some companies have rolling deadlines. You can find most of these via the companies website or through UCL JobOnline	> Apply for graduate level jobs via UCL JobOnline > Target unfilled Graduate Schemes via the companies websites or through UCL JobOnline > Attend the UCL Jobs Market 2016 event (more information coming soon)	> Join UCL Careers Graduates  (once your course finishes) > Follow steps above

 

 

We’re also open all year round so whether you want to talk about career options, have an application checked or have gained an interview and want to practice, we can help. Our website has a comprehensive amount of information for each step and you can pop-in personally and speak to one of our information team who can help.

And even if a graduate scheme doesn’t float your boat, we can help you find your future in your chosen career path as a vast number of our alumni go on to work within Charities, NGOs, Media, Law and Science sectors.

Good luck!