TARGETjobs news roundup

This week's news roundup is coming to you a day earlier as we are off on holiday for our long Easter weekend! It has been a short week this week, but busy nonetheless. There have been interesting developments in a number of sectors and plenty of advice for you all.

Leading the way this week are the financial sectors. They have been all over the graduate recruitment news, with two stories advising you how to get jobs, and a third asking for your help:

• First up we told you about some of the skills you will need if you want a career in finance. Top of the list; people skills. These are essential for a decent working relationship, and the better yours are, the more employable you are.
• If you’re specifically looking for jobs with the Financial Services Authority (FSA to you), then we have a few top tips for you. Even if you’re not, this could definitely help you get a picture of what’s going on in the sector.
• And if this is what you are interested in, you could do far worse than fill in the TARGETjobs finance career survey. You’d be in with a chance of winning £100 worth of Amazon vouchers – pretty tasty.

However, finance wasn’t the only sector in the news this week. There was plenty more from law, construction, consulting, property and charity:

• In law it was announced that there was an 8% year-on-year increase in the number of people sitting the National Admissions Test for Law (LNAT). As law already experiences a lot of competition, this will be bad news for some.
• If you do want a career in law then now is the time to get your pupillage applications in. The deadline for applications is April 26. Why not make the most of your Easter break and get everything sorted.
• It was also announced that construction company Wates has hit £1billion in turnover. This news is certainly something to mention when you are asked ‘Why do you want to work for us?’ and will be good commercial awareness for any other positions in the sector.
• Consulting firm Accenture picked up a gong from the Association of Graduate Recruiters (AGR). It was given a Graduate Development Award for its advice on how employers can adapt for the benefit of recent graduates.
• We also asked why property consultant John Dimbleby is applying for chartership with two different bodies. While it will be hard, the accreditations should give him increased flexibility, as well as a kickass CV.
• We also learnt that Barnardo’s has won two awards for the quality of its work experience placements. The children’s charity was awarded for graduate internship of the year and the best charitable sector placement.

But that’s not everything that’s going on, there is plenty more for the career-hungry graduates out there:

• A fortnight ago our resident recruiting editor Abi told you about some of the things that put her off graduate applications. Well this week she’s back with some advice on how to sidestep common covering letter blunders.
• This was also the week that we ran the TARGETjobs Easter egg hunt. All of the eggs on TARGETjobs and TARGETcourses have now been found, but keep an eye on our Facebook page for more competitions.
• We also gave you the next instalment in our series on the skills and competencies you need to get a graduate job. This week it was creativity under the microscope.
• It has also been awards season here at TARGETjobs HQ. Wednesday 4 was the National Graduate Recruitment Awards. There were a number of winners, including KPMG LLP as the graduate employer of the year and the public sector as the most popular destination.
• And finally, it is once again time to run down the list of next week’s graduate deadlines. There are plenty of interesting vacancies in there, particularly if you’re interested in property or science. Check out the latest jobs here.

Happy Easter and see you all again next Friday at our usual time. 

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.