Boomtime for graduates seeking jobs
The number of firms recruiting jumped from 100 last year to 170 this year, a further sign of the booming economy, the Graduate Fair at the RDS heard yesterday.
According to the organisers most of the firms present were hiring more graduates than in the past. This was confirmed by an on-the-spot survey conducted among HR people by the Association of Graduate Careers Services in Ireland (AGCSI). Spokesperson Caroline Kennedy said it showed increases in graduate recruitment in large and small firms including:
* AIB - up from 120 to 150 graduates this year.
* KPMG - up from 260 to 330.
* BISYS - up from 40 to 50.
* Investors Trust - up from 40 to 60.
* Ericsson - up from 60 to 80.
* Mazars - up from 17 to 25.
* Unilever - up from 30 to 47.
Ms Kennedy said that by lunchtime some 5,000 students and graduates had attended the fair, which was run in partnership with GTI Ireland.
However, she said that some employers needed to sharpen up their act when it came to promoting themselves on campus or they risked seriously alienating potential applicants.
"While some employers are building a positive profile, there are others who are spending thousands shooting themselves in the foot."
However, a student survey had shown that 70pc of respondents felt they had been badly treated by employers or been the victim of poor communication during the recruitment process.
During the fair, the only official graduate careers websites in Ireland, gradireland.com and postgradireland.com, were re-launched with a new look.
Chris Phillips, publishing director at GTI Ireland, said: "It‘s frustrating. Companies are letting themselves down by poor recruitment practices. They spend a small fortune promoting their brand and attracting the best students, yet word-of-mouth about lack of professionalism is severely damaging their reputation.
"This is ironic as the publication of the survey report coincides with the launch of the new-look gradireland.com which gives employers the best-ever vehicle for attracting applications from studentsand graduates throughout Ireland."
- John Walshe
