TARGETjobs news roundup

Evening. How’s business? The graduate recruitment world is booming right now. Many companies are full to bursting with applications, so if you’re going for grad schemes, it’s now or never. With that in mind we’ve rooted out the top stories from the industry so that you can enter the fray with everything you need to know.

This week it’s been engineering that has been dominating the news. That's not surprising, given that the TARGETjobs Engineer Your Future event happened at the end of November. With Undergraduates of the Year Bryony Smith and Declan Bryans also taking their engineering skills to new levels, we’re happy to shout about you guys.

• From the Engineer Your Future day, the resounding message is that female engineering students need to think about their ‘elevator pitch’. Meanwhile Sandi Rhys Jones OBE says that she is still fascinated by the structures of the world we live in, even though she understands how they work.
• In April this year, Bryony Smith was named Engineering Undergraduate of the Year, while Declan Bryans became the Low Carbon Undergraduate of the Year. With those titles came internships at two prestigious energy companies, which they have now completed. We caught up with them to find out what the experience was like.

But if you’re not into engineering, we have some interesting news from the other sectors as well:

• Retailers believe that smartphones will influence £3.2bn of sales over the holiday. If you’re applying for graduate jobs within the retail sector any time soon (Check out the deadline roundup!) this knowledge could single you out for special attention.

It has been a pretty busy week overall and I have to admit, we are feeling that Christmas feeling just a tiny bit:

• First up, the debate about 2.1’s is rearing its head again. Thinktank Work Group are arguing that the policy discriminates against sections of the population, and doesn’t reflect professional ability well. This story is worth reading if just for the picture of the breakfast cake – everything in that picture is made of icing!
• International Volunteer Day also hit town this week. December 5 (the day before St. Nicolas’ Day) is an international celebration of the role of voluntary workers. The #actioncounts hashtag was set up for the day, and people responded by sharing stories of volunteer action from around the world.
• We are going to make Christmas come early for Loughborough University psychology student Josie Freeman. That’s because she won our competition to visit New York on a shopping trip, including a helicopter tour of the Manhattan skyline.
• Speaking of competitions, entries are now closed for the National Student Challenge. The 60 finalists have been invited to London on Monday for the final. The winner will walk away with the coveted title and an internship with Siemens.
• And if you want a graduate job before 2013, this is the place to look. That’s because we’ve got a pile of jobs with deadlines closing soon. We’re particularly packed with retail vacancies this week and you might just get your hands on them – if you’re good. Check out our latest deadlines here.
• In the spirit of things, we’re giving you 12 tips that will get you a graduate job this Christmas. These little nuggets will set you straight on the path to employment. You don’t even have to give us anything in return. Generous aren’t we?

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

TARGETjobs offers the largest choice of graduate jobs, placements and internships. 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.