by Amy Sandiford-Watts

Dan Hawes, Head of Marking and co-founder of the Graduate Recruitment Bureau (GRB) speaks to Palatinate about the hunt for graduate jobs, and how you can make your application stand out.

Hawes and another Business graduate set up GRB after they both got 2:2s and began working in Sales and Marketing. They saw a niche in the market and slowly built up the business to become the UK’s leading graduate recruitment service.

Do you have any advice for students graduating into the current economic climate?

We sympathise with fresh graduates as they enter a tough jobs market – but there is hope. For a start many graduates falsely believe that it’s only the big, obvious graduate scheme recruiters that snap up graduates but they are wrong – there is a massive untapped “hidden” jobs market that graduates just don’t consider and thus limit their choices from the outset. You can find these jobs through networking, job centres and specialist recruitment agencies but also be proactive and send speculative letters. Remember it’s all about first impressions so put together an awesome CV.

What makes an application stand out to you?

One word – relevancy. Graduates must do their homework on the employer and the job before writing a CV or covering letter. It’s a marketing exercise after all so it must speak to the reader.

How do recruiters match graduates to jobs?

It varies for each role. Recruiters will have key skills and competencies and will shortlist people based on these. If you don’t include good examples demonstrating these requirements then you will fail so you pay close attention to this from the job description.

What are the most common mistakes you see in applications?

For many graduates this is the first time applying for a “proper” job so mistakes are inevitable but we can help you avoid the most common ones. Firstly, 60% of CVs contain spelling or grammatical errors so proof read your CV. With interviews, preparation is key so role play beforehand to build your confidence and visualise getting the job. And, a final word of warning: the interview starts the minute you enter the office – so be nice to everyone!

What companies does GRB work with?

We cover all sectors (except the public sector) with the majority in IT, Banking, Accountancy, Consultancy, Retail, Marketing, Engineering, Research, Sales and Recruitment.

Why should graduates use GRB?

Graduates have told us that GRB has provided them with many things from help on CVs to matching them up with the job of their dreams. It is free and it only takes a minute to register