The IRS graduate recruitment survey 2007/08

Our report on graduate recruitment for 2007 to 2008 highlights the most effective ways that employers have found to compete for graduates, encourage them to apply for their vacancies and then make their selection decisions.

On this page:
Introduction
Graduate starting salaries are rising slowly
Most employers favour a simple approach to graduate starting salaries
Starting salaries will focus on £20,100 in 2007/08
Starting salaries are higher in consultancies, IT and financial roles
What employers offer graduate recruits
The age discrimination Regulations have had little impact on recruitment practices
A labour market more or less in balance: rising demand and rising output
Forecast demand for graduates could be unreliable
The best graduates can be difficult to find
The most effective ways of overcoming recruitment problems
Finding graduates with technical and scientific degrees
The internet and forging university links are the best ways of finding candidates
Most graduate recruiters target particular universities
Application methods have moved online
Assessment centres and interviews continue to be the best selection methods
Where next? Recruiters' wish-lists
Our research
Table 1: The change in graduate starting salaries between 2006/07 and 2007/08
Table 2: Graduate starting salaries, 2007/08 - overall results
Table 3: Graduate starting salaries, 2007/08 - broken down by industry
Table 4: Graduate starting salaries, 2007/08 - broken down by vacancy
Table 5: Employers’ effective methods of overcoming graduate recruitment difficulties
Table 6: The most effective ways of finding candidates for graduate vacancies
Table 7: The most effective ways of selecting candidates for graduate vacancies
Resources