Guest blog post by TalentPool

 

 

 

 

It might come as a surprise to many to learn that the percentage of UK graduates who end up working for one of the well-known graduate employers is under 20%. Our recent research shows that there has been a significant shift in the type of role that graduates seek when they leave university, with over 50% of recent graduates now wanting to work for startups.

So, why are graduates moving away from traditional roles and what opportunities can startups offer to them? At TalentPool we’ve come up the top 5 reasons why we’d recommend working for a startup:

You’ll receive a huge education – Working in a smaller company means that you’ll gain a real insight into how a business truly operates. You’ll also be given the chance to try on a lot of different hats as, being part of a small team, you’ll most likely be required to be involved in all aspects of the company – this is great if you are still making your mind up about what you’d like to do after university.

You’ll have responsibility from the word go – Working in a small team means that there’ll probably be nobody else in the company with the same skill set as you or doing the same thing as you. You’ll be given freedom to explore and bring to life your own ideas. It also means that you’ll be an integral part of the team, which is pretty amazing for a recent graduate.

You’ll really have an impact  – The high level of responsibility you’ll have means that you’ll really be able to see the value of your own footprint. This is not only very exciting but also incredibly rewarding! And your hard work and successes will definitely not go unnoticed.

You’ll learn from true innovators – Working so closely with the founders of a startup gives you a unique opportunity to soak up all their knowledge and experience. Exposure like this is especially useful if you think you might like to start your own business one day.

You’ll work in a great environment – Аt a startup up you get to know your co-workers very well very quickly! The atmosphere is relaxed (often you’ll find you can wear what you want and there is little or no hierarchy), but you can rest assured that there will never be a dull moment. At a startup up you are really encouraged to be yourself in order to realise your full potential.

Working at a startup presents you with an amazing opportunity to grow both personally and professionally – a great starting point for those of you straight out of uni. Of course, this does not mean that working for a startup is for everyone… But, to put it simply, if you like the sound of a fast-paced, energetic and creative work environment where you’ll get to try and learn about lots of new things then it’s probably for you!

 

For more information and exciting career opportunities in startups & SMEs, check out our website http://www.talentpool.com. 

 

– Sophie (Head of Marketing at TalentPool)

Want to get a job in a SME but have no idea where to start? We collected a few different case studies of how students at UCL have got into SMEs.

Case study 1

Aim: Secure Job in the Charity Sector

Starting point: Experience in management and IT and also an MA in Human Rights at UCL

Method used to secure a job in an SME:

• Studied the sector in detail – further knowledge was acquired
• Maximised personal networking and contacts
• Gained further knowledge, contacts were used to facilitate informative industry interviews
• Focused job search further by understanding the sector
• Applied to positions that needs core strengths in order to get an interview
• Structured the applications on what the employer wants and highlighting strengths
• Applied to jobs

Result: Succeeded in securing a job in the charity sector

 

Case study 2

Aim: Secure Electrical and Electronic related job

Starting Point: MSc in Electrical and Electronics Engineering in the UK and previous work in home country

Method used to secure a job in an SME:

• Identified problems with previous application by getting advice from career consultants
• Focused job search for vacancies that were in-line with my strengths i.e. languages and understanding home country culture
• Sent speculative applications to employers that would be interested in my strengths
• Applied to short term and long term internships
• Spent additional time on understanding the job description and person specifications in order to apply to  the right jobs
• Kept on applying

Result: Secured an internship with a company that is expanding in my home country and the potential of a job in the future

 

Case Study 3

Aim: Secure job in security, policy in Think tanks, NGOs or government body

Starting point: MA in Politics, Security and Integration

Method used to secure a job in an SME:

• Dedicated additional effort as was required by the industry and the employers observation and research showed that low number of  advertised jobs were available
• Researched related websites to get the news about the industry and find out the names of relevant employers
• Strengthened personal support network to keep up job hunting momentum – long process
• Cancelled plans to travel and focused on job hunt – times management
• Managed time to ensure priorities
• Attended job fairs organised by the career service to expand possibilities
• Made new contacts and strengthened existing contacts
• Applied for internships and jobs related to my strength and skills

Result: Found an internship in-line with my strength first and carried on applying then found exactly the right job overseas

 

Case Study 4

Aim: Graduate job in computer software

Starting Point: MEng in Electrical and Electronic Engineering

Method used to secure a job in an SME:

• Went  to  a few niche job fairs for entrepreneurial companies that required specialist skills and expertise
• Made new contacts by networking, LinkedIn
• Discussed options with careers consultants
• Applied to relevant internships and jobs constantly

Result: Secured a job with an application developer

For further help with getting work with an SME, pop in to see us at UCL Careers or sign up to UCL Talent Bank.

Smaller businesses can be a positive career choice for graduates.  Some of the benefits that emerged from recent research undertaken by The Careers Group’s Research Unit include the use of technology in recruitment practices and speedy, personalised responses to applicant, the provision of flexible and diverse training routes, absence of rigid graduate schemes and the pooling of training and development with other small and medium sized organisations.  Similarly, research carried out by GTI Media and Step found student respondents who had come into contact with smaller organisations almost unanimous in believing that smaller businesses were better at developing skills, personal development, early responsibility and giving graduates a chance to stand out at work.  So, think about keeping your career options open, investigate work experience or internships with smaller businesses and think about creative ways to find and target these organisations (UCL Careers can help with this).

Resource of the month – Best British tech startups (The Guardian) – interactive resource: http://www.theguardian.com/technology/interactive/2014/jan/12/silicon-roundabout-best-british-tech-startups