Graduate careers in West Midlands

Grad Central is the exciting new recruitment service for graduates and businesses in the West Midlands. Aimed at growing the number of graduate jobs and retaining graduate talent across the region, we provide local businesses with the highest level of graduate recruitment support and advice to ensure optimum results, and graduates in the West Midlands with the best local job opportunities.

Graduate jobs in the West Midlands

Grad Central works across all graduate roles, from marketing, business management and IT to engineering and education. So if you’re a graduate looking to start or develop your career within the diverse West Midlands’ commercial arena look no further.

West Midlands’ graduate recruiters

For businesses in the West Midlands Grad Central offers very affordable dedicated recruitment services, ranging from fully managed graduate search and selection through to easy to access online graduate recruitment, via online job advertising, CV searching and matching. In addition we can offer a totally risk free means of trialling graduate recruitment via our Turnkey graduate service, which allows you to secure the services of one of our own employed graduates.

For more information about Grad Central call us on 01675 468962 or enquiries@grad-central.co.uk

MANAGEMENT CONSULTANTS

They are certainly dynamic, high powered and highly paid, but most people don’t have a clue what Management Consultants actually do. One of the reasons for this is their brief covers such a wide range of activities, but basically they exist to help companies maximise their potential and improve their performance.

Greg Mrkusic is the Director of Risk Analysis at Capital One Consultancy, and he explains their role as: ‘Providing companies with evaluation, analysis and recommendations that help them to make informed decisions. Depending on which company you work for there is wide variation on what Consultants do specifically, so in some companies, such as McKinsey or LEK, Consultants may be making strategic decisions, while others will focus more on operational decisions. Ultimately all of them make informed decisions through analysis.’

What really matters to you?

Graduates are increasingly thinking with their hearts as well as their heads when it comes to their job search - which is where the idea of an ethical career comes in. In essence, this involves incorporating your personal principles and values into your job.

Many people associate this type of career with the non-profit sector, in particular with voluntary work. But you don't have to work for free - or compromise your earning potential - to purse an ethical career.

There are a wide number of disciplines, from engineering to marketing, IT to arts, which lend themselves to a career with a conscience. Making a difference to people and planet doesn't even necessarily mean steering clear of the multinationals.

With the public's growing interest in ethical affairs, from Fairtrade to carbon emissions, many large companies are looking at ways to improve their record on social responsibility - and they need people to help them achieve this.

Postgraduate study helps you to refine your skills by conducting your own research and in-depth studies. Employers like to see relevant postgraduate experience as it suggests the applicant has the ability to work under his or her own initiative and meet deadlines.

But don't be mistaken into thinking that any postgraduate degree would do. Employers generally look for relevant degrees that show the applicant's enthusiasm for entering their chosen field. And doing a postgraduate degree means being disciplined enough to meet deadlines and work independently.

Read about recent graduates who chose to do a postgraduate degree and find out how it helped them. If you are thinking of doing a postgraduate degree and need more information, read our case studies listed below to help with your decision.

Real World Advice Article: Postgraduate Study: A Good Idea?

The decision to completely uproot yourself for a work placement or a gap year abroad can lead to a challenging and life-changing experience.

Many students want to experience the independence and freedom it will give them. Others may want to develop work skills in an exciting new environment. Some simply want an impressive talking point for interviews and their CV.

Whatever your motive, when planning work experience or a gap year you must always consider what will be most beneficial for you. It might be more useful to your future career to pick up business skills and commercial awareness in a three-month internship in the UK thanto spend four weeks shovelling elephant dung in Tanzania…although dung-shovelling is not without its career benefits!

Voluntary work or work experience are two of the best ways to improve your CV and gain hands-on experience of the ‘real world’.

Work experience is often ignored by students, who presume it only means making coffee, photocopying and stuffing envelopes. But in reality, employers are keen to see that you have some experience of the job market, a willingness to learn, and some variety in the kind of environments where you have worked.

Read our case studies of graduates who did work experience and find out how it benefited them. Find expert advice on how to get the right placements for yourself in our articles. Also, check out our employer profiles to see what they require from work experience applicants.

Having shaken off its image as a profession of bean counters, accountancy now offers graduates an array of interesting jobs. Graduates entering the accountancy sector can expect to be working with clients to develop financial strategy and risk management.

There are many jobs available in the field of auditing. This involves the independent assessment of a company's financial condition.

There are also opportunities for graduates to be actuaries. An actuary is someone who calculates the financial impact of risk and uncertainty.

Some of the graduate careers available in this sector:

Certified accountant I Chartered accountant I Actuary I Financial management I Investment management I Personal finance services I Taxation

Click here or on the image to view Real World's City & Finance 2008 Issue, Online now!

Engineering-and-Technology-Online-Edition

The built environment is one of the UK's largest sectors and it offers good prospects for graduates. Jobs in this sector include civil and structural engineering, building services, surveying and architecture.

There are more graduate-entry positions available than ever before, particularly for graduates with non-vocational backgrounds.

If you are considering a career in the built environment as an architect, engineer or surveyor, you will need strong academic knowledge and experience.

Some of the graduate careers available in this sector:

Architect I Civil engineer I Structural engineer I Mechanical engineer I Urban planner I Land manager I Chartered surveyor I Environmental consultant

Click here or on the image to view Real World's Engineering & Technology 2008 Issue, Online now!

Real World City and Finance Edition 2008

Banking and finance are two of the most popular career paths for graduates as they offer some of the best-paid jobs around, with starting salaries at roughly 35,000 for analyst roles at investment banks. There are many possible graduate banking careers, with high-quality graduates very sought-after for finance jobs.

Companies are keen to recruit more female graduates, and there is a big push for diversity.

As well as numerical and commercial skills, good client relation skills are essential.

Some of the graduate careers available in this sector:

Investment banking: Global capital markets, Fixed income, Currency, Commodities I Management consultancy I Fund management I Retail banking I Financial accountancing I Corporate banking I Business support services: Compliance, Credit risk management, Finance, Operations, Human capital management I Group private banking I IT

Click here or on the image to view Real World's City & Finance 2008 Issue, Online now!

Real World Engineering & Technology Edition 2008

Engineering offers suitably qualified graduates an attractive career with well-structured training programmes. Graduate engineering jobs tend to be well paid, with opportunities to travel, and good prospects for advancement up the management ladder.

The larger employers have a wide range of jobs available to graduates from many disciplines.

The number of women engineers has grown from 7% to 20% of total graduates in under 10 years and the sector is eager to continue this trend.

Some of the graduate careers available in this sector:

Aeronautical engineer I Electrical engineer I Electronic engineer I Chemical engineer I Civil engineer I Mechanical engineer I Nuclear engineer I Structural engineer I Systems engineer I Environmental consultant

Click here or on the image to view Real World's Engineering & Technology 2008 Issue, Online now!

FAST-MOVING CONSUMER GOODS

Think of a brand. If you’ve come up with Mars, Coca-Cola or Persil then you're talking about Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG). This is a multi-million pound industry, incorporating many household products.

There are numerous graduate jobs available within this sector. Positions for graduates include selling, marketing and developing or managing a range of products.

Graduates often enter via training schemes and complete a number of placements in different business sectors. It is one of the most competitive areas for graduate schemes, with over 120 applicants per graduate role in 2005.

Some of the graduate careers available in this sector:

Sales manager I Marketing manager I Product developer I Brand manager

Law is a fascinating profession for graduates to enter, with three main routes into the sector.

The first, most popular, choice is to become a trainee solicitor. Following a period of professional study, graduates will undertake a two year training contract at a solicitors' firm, which can be anything from a one-partner high street practice, to a firm housing several thousands of solicitors.

The other common route for graduates is to become a pupil barrister, which again involves professional study, followed by a one-year pupillage with barristers' chambers.

The third route is to choose to become a legal executive - a qualifying route which has lower entry criteria and so has the advantage of enabling non-law graduates to swap to a career in law using part-time study.

Some of the graduate careers available in this sector:

Trainee solicitor I Pupil barrister I Legal executive I Government Legal Service trainee I Crown prosecutor

Click here or on the image to view Real World's Law 2008 Issue, Online now!

The logistics and transport sector employs over four million people and recruitment is a major government priority.

Put simply, transport is the movement of people, whereas logistics relates to freight. While the challenges in transport may seem huge, those in logistics are no less intense; punctual supply chain management is crucial to business performance.

There are numerous graduate careers available in this sector, and there has been a rise in the intake of female graduates.

The London 2012 Olympics will be a major logistical event to organise, and graduates are already being recruited for this in advance.

Some of the graduate careers available in this sector:

Distribution manager I Warehouse manager I Supply chain manager I Air cabin crew I Airline pilot I Freight forwarder I Rail operations manager I Transportation planner

Marketing and public relations (PR) are attractive careers to a large number of graduates, despite the relatively small number of graduate jobs available.

Marketing is the link between a product or service and the consumer. It is all about finding out what the consumer wants and how to provide something desirable.

Public Relations (PR) is about promoting products or services to the public. Working in PR can either be done in a consultancy (working on behalf of a number of clients), or graduates can work in-house, which means they will be dealing only with the organisation’s PR.

Some of the graduate careers available in this sector:

Marketing manager I Public relations officer I Advertising manager I Brand manager I Lobbyist

Few careers are more sought after by graduates than those in the media, so graduate jobs in this sector are notoriously difficult to get. Even starting salaries of 14,000 are not enough to deter graduates from the profession.

The best advice for graduates considering a media career is to get involved at university; the student paper, radio and TV stations are there for you to learn from. Apply for as much work experience as possible. Both these things will help you learn which aspect of the media best suits your skills.

Graduate journalism and media careers are out there, it just requires a lot of work to find them.

Some of the graduate careers available in this sector:

Magazine journalist I Newspaper journalist I Online journalist I Radio reporter I TV reporter I Editorial assistant I Sub-editor I Book publisher I Graphic designer I Art teacher

Professional bodies represent their sector and fulfil a variety of roles. Working with the government and employers on best practice, as well as acting as a public representative and spokesperson for their industry, professional bodies function as support networks for the workers.

An increasing number of professional organisations offer student membership at vastly reduced subscription costs, although some organisations impose certain conditions that members must fulfil.

Joining a professional body can be very beneficial for students and graduates, providing access to a valuable network of people.

The public sector is one of the country’s biggest recruiters, and the Army alone is Britain’s largest employer.

There are a vast number of graduate jobs available, including roles in the Civil Service, Local Government, and the European Union.

Many graduate jobs are almost exclusive to the public sector, as the majority of teachers, librarians, and public safety professionals work in government agencies. However, there are also graduate careers for lawyers, IT professionals, policy makers and many others.

The public sector attracts a lot of graduates, all keen to give something back to society and make a difference. But if money is all that drives you, then the public sector will probably not appeal. On the flipside, career progression - particularly on the graduate ‘fast-track’ schemes - can be swift. However, be warned: competition for these roles is fierce.

Some of the graduate careers available in this sector:

Local Government: Education I Social Services I Property Services I Environmental Services I Leisure Services I Emergency Services I Civil Service: Department of Health I Food Standards Agency I GCHQ I Ministry of Defence

When you think of a recruitment consultancy you probably think of the ones you see on the high street like Adecco and Office Angels. But you may not have realised there are many different types of consultancies, and working for one of them could prove a very lucrative career choice.

As well as the broader recruitment agencies (placing everyone from HGV drivers to daffodil pickers in Cornwall into the right job), there are highly specialised companies which place people in IT or banking positions and find specific roles for everyone from accountants to the chairman of a FTSE 50 company.

Some recruitment agencies focus purely on graduates, including the Graduate Recruitment Company (GRC) and the Graduate Recruitment Bureau (GRB).

The variety of roles for graduates in retail is vast, and the high street can provide a fast-paced career. It can be a challenging place to work because of its unpredictability. While shopping can be an emotive and impulsive experience for the customer, retailers are always working to make sales a ‘sure thing’.

Graduate merchandisers are in charge of making sure the correct quantity of products arrive at the store at the correct time, setting the price, and ensuring that profit is made.

Graduate buyers are responsible for planning the types of products that appear in stores.

Some of the graduate careers available in this sector:

Merchandiser I Buyer I Designer I Retail manager I Marketing manager I Allocator

Whether you’re interested in a graduate job in media, technology or medicine, the opportunities for a career in sales are limitless.

There are different ways of selling and it’s important to find a company that matches your personality. Roles can be internal or field-based.

The ample rewards are what attract lots of graduates to a career in sales, and even though a graduate can only expect a basic salary of around 18,000 in their first year, this can be substantially increased by commission and other perks.

Some of the graduate jobs available in this sector:

Advertising account handlers I Media sales representatives I Recruitment consultants

There's more to science than test tubes and Bunsen burners. A graduate career in this sector could take you anywhere from working in a private industry to educational institutions, with roles ranging from management to ‘blue sky’ research.

Many graduates go into large pharmaceutical or chemical companies - researching, developing and testing new medicines, plastics or washing powders. This is a diverse field so graduates could be working in bioinformatics, biotechnology, petrochemicals, environmental research or medical research.

Small to Medium Enterprises

Small to Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are defined as any business enterprise incorporating less than 250 staff, and an estimated 93% of businesses in the UK are classified as SMEs.

Less than a quarter of graduates secure a graduate training scheme with a blue-chip employer. So while the on-campus graduate recruitment may be dominated by the big employers, SMEs offer a wide range of opportunities for enterprising graduates.

Read the case studies of recent graduates who have embarked on exciting careers in this sector and the advice articles below for more information on SMEs.

Social work is a career in the frontline that is both emotionally rewarding and mentally challenging for graduates. It is best summed up by the phrase: "Social work is about people, it's as simple and complicated as that." This strapline is from the government's social care recruitment campaign, which aims to increase the numbers of people going into the sector.

Social workers are a professional group within the care sector, and the term can only be used by people who are registered and have a formal professional qualification.

Starting salaries for graduates, particularly in shortage areas like London, are often between £19,000 and £25,000.

Some of the graduate careers available in this sector:

Social worker I Care worker I Occupational therapist I Counsellor

For job satisfaction, few graduate careers can beat teaching. One reason, as the Teacher Development Agency puts it, is that you will be working with the “most exciting people in the country” - children.

Another reason for the profession’s popularity is the “pay to train” bonuses that are offered to future teachers. Eligible trainees on postgraduate initial teacher training courses in England are now entitled to a tax-free training bursary worth 6-9,000 plus possible “golden hellos” of up to 5,000 when they start work.

To teach you’ll need Qualified Teacher Status (QTS), most commonly achieved by a one-year PGCE (Postgraduate Certificate in Education). QTS can also be gained via the Graduate Training Programme (GTP) or SCITT (school-centred initial teacher training).

Technology is a hugely important part of the graduate job market as it is the country's fourth largest employment sector.

Evidence of the growth in this sector is everywhere; from Wi-Fi points in Starbucks cafes to the continued expansion of the gaming industry.

IT offers a range of roles for graduates - from hardware and network engineering to programming, website production, administration, strategy and systems design. Graduates might be involved with installing computers in new buildings and setting up software, or integrating two different systems to facilitate easier access to stored data.

Some of the graduate careers available in this sector:

IT consultant I Systems analyst I Software engineer I Software tester I Database administrator I Information systems manager I Technical support officer