TARGETjobs news roundup

Good afternoon and welcome to the TARGETjobs News Roundup, the front line for news in the world of graduate recruitment. We’re getting ready for the start of term here, and a couple of our big annual events are getting set in motion again – including the Undergraduate of the Year competition.

But before we get to that there is plenty of news from the specific sectors. Not least of which are the worlds of finance and investment. Graduate recruitment in these sectors has suffered a lot because of recent developments, but is definitely starting to pick up again.

• Firstly, changes at RBS mean that it will be renaming its graduate schemes. Would-be recruits who have done their research could be thrown by this development, but rest assured, most schemes will be largely the same.
• According to Jon Terry, a partner at PwC, investment starting salaries have risen by 5% in the last year. Ironically, the current public perception of investment banking may have led to banks increasing wages in order to attract quality applicants.

There have been developments in other sectors as well though – particularly in construction, property and law:

• First up, there is a new scheme called ‘Open Doors’ which is designed to give members of the public access to construction sites. Projects around the UK will be participating, and it could definitely be something to bring up at your construction interview.
• There is also some sage advice for the would-be property professionals among you. The application process for property grad schemes is typically open between early September and the end of December. But there are a few things you may need to know.
• If you want to become a barrister Saima Younis of Queen Elizabeth Building (QEB) has some wise words for you. For example, she advises you to explore all the options available to you before you commit yourself.

But if you’re looking for careers outside of these areas, we have more for you:

• First up, pre-entry is now open for the Undergraduate of the Year 2013 awards. Find out more from undergraduateoftheyear.com or through the twitter feed:

Pre-register and you will be pulled into a prize draw for a chance to win £25 Itunes gift cards. Ten up for grabs. ow.ly/di1eJ
— UndergradOfTheYear (@UGradOfTheYear) August 29, 2012

• For those of you who are about to start your third year, we’ve got some strong advice: If you haven’t started your job hunt yet, then you really need to. The smart job hunters will not wait until after they’ve finished uni.
• And finally we have our usual collection of all the graduate job deadlines that are closing in the following week. There are vacancies in everything from IT and engineering, to sales, law and finance. Check out the latest jobs here.

To get graduate careers news as it happens, check out the TARGETjobs news feed. Alternatively, check out the roundup this time next week!

TARGETjobs offers the largest choice of graduate jobs, internships and placements. Independent reviews on top graduate employers and career planning tools and expert guidance. Become a TARGETjobs blogger by getting in touch with jackie.balchin2@targetjobs.co.uk.