Graduate Recruitment and the Credit Crunch (wireless engineering job opportunities)
No commentsBy Martha Franklin
It is an unwritten rule of job cutting that the most recently hired graduates should be the first ones to be let go when the financial sector is hurting. Some banks are steadfast in their efforts to hire new graduates while others, such as AIB, have eliminated programs of recruitment for the year. What kind of graduates do they seek out? How does a graduate make it to the top of the list in a job market with few jobs available? What can new arrivals hope to gain in the future?
Although bankers may be hesitant to agree, pundits note that there are not as many jobs available for graduates in the field of banking. Some positive things have started to come to light even with banks, such as AIB stopping thier recruiting. Still some graduates are feeling stressed. New graduate hires in 2008 are nearly identical to the previous year at Citi, a bank with large worldwide redundancie announcements. Morgan Stanley and Deutsche Bank are in full force with their graduate recruitment programs. Even UBS, with its announcement of 5,500 redundancies, plans to go forth with a recruitment season similar to that of last year’s.
Goldman Sachs is in the middle of one of its largest summer recruitment initiatives. This summer, over 400 interns will start their placements. In 2009, we believe approximately 75% will be offered permanent employment. The employment scene is really starting to look up, as far as the commercial banking field is concerned. Retail and commercial recruitment figures for Barclays are expected to rise by 48% globally this year. In 2009 they are looking to see another increase.
Graduates can find reassurance in the fact that banks have learned from the mistakes of the past. Several banks were forced to fill jobs from accountancy instead of hiring new graduates in 2001-2002 when financial sector recruiting was last so bad. In order to ensure that graduate jobs are available for the appropriate candidates, this error must not occur in the future.
Martha is a freelance journalist writing about Pareto Consulting
Your Directory For Engineer Work
What Are Your Weaknesses?
By Lucy Evans
With careful preparation, difficult interview questions can present you with an opportunity to shine under pressure. The important thing with all questions is to show a balanced and considered approach. The following examples will show you some of the pitfalls and ways to avoid them.
Lets start with the classic interview question what are your weaknesses?
There are many variations on this question, common ones include tell me a strength and a weakness and what are your three greatest weakness. To fully prepare you should have three strengths and weaknesses prepared. The worst mistake to make with this question is to claim you dont have any weaknesses. This approach is unlikely to impress the interviewer and will present you in a cowardly light. This question may not be as difficult as it first appears. Sit down and consider what your true work related weaknesses are. When you really think about it this is often quite a long list (I know mine is). The next stage is to think what you have done to overcome these weaknesses in your working life.
Let me give you an example. I personally am very task orientated, I like to get stuck in to the main tasks and often used to ignore the more minor responsibilities. I realized that although I completed my core projects, I had forgotten to do the other tasks I needed to do like complete time sheets and tracking reports. I now make lists of all the tasks I have to complete in a day and make it my priority to complete the list above everything else. This has really helped me to multitask more effectively. When choosing a weakness, look for one that is work related where you can demonstrate that you recognised the weakness, and found an effective method of overcoming it.
Examining your strengths can be just as difficult as your weaknesses. The important thing here is not to appear like an ego-maniac. Consider carefully what your strengths are, then consider the supporting evidence you have for these strengths. Always present a considered argument with supporting evidence.
Why are you leaving your current Job?
The purpose of this question is for the interviewer to discover if you are leaving due to any current difficulties. If you are unhappy where you are, whats to say you will not be unhappy in your new job. Avoid at all costs talking about any problems in your current job and especially any problems with your current management. Highlighting problems, even if they are not your fault will give the impression that you are hard to work with or difficult to manage.
Look for the positive aspects of moving job role both for you and your future employer. Emphasize why you want to move and relate them to the specific company and job. Potential answers include seeking a new challenge, looking for somewhere with training and looking for a role with more opportunities for advancement. Consider how your answer relates not only to you, but how it will benefit your new firm. As an example if you are looking for a role with more possibilities for advancement, you need to emphasize how important work is to you and the effort you are prepared to put in in-order to advance.
Lucy works for Graduate Careers London Graduate Scheme
Talks like a Truck Driver
By Charles Henry
We have all heard the saying “He’s got a mouth like a truck driver”. Growing up we hear many things that steer us away or towards different jobs in life. No thanks to Hollywood, its portrayal of truck drivers, and the bad accidents we see on the evening news, it seems truck drivers get a bad rap.
Most believe truck drivers are low paid vagrant types that live on the road drifting in and out of trouble. These stereotypes I find to be humorous for I am a truck driver. I have many peers and none of them fit this profile. My peers all make $65,000-$100,000 dollars a year with trucking jobs and most of us are home everyday with our families. We live in above average homes with above average toys.
There is a truck driver shortage in this country that is growing larger every year. Every time I see someone working a menial job living paycheck to paycheck struggling to survive I scratch my head. I cant help but wonder if they have a drivers license. Because having a drivers license is all someone needs to get started and make the aforementioned money in a years time with a trucking job.
There is no need to spend hundreds of thousands on an college education only to graduate too make much less with massive debt. Most would believe that a college degree would enable you to earn more money than with a trucking job. I know many people with degrees whose salaries are not half of a truck driver.
There are many high paying trucking jobs in the trucking industry available with no need to be away from home or live on the road. I don’t believe that the general public is aware these trucking jobs even exist. I know this because of the shocked looks on faces when I explain what I make, and what I do.
The greatest thing about trucking jobs vs. a regular job is the amount of freedom you have. You can’t put a price on freedom of a trucking job, and you will find no other job that will give you as much of it. So the next time you see a truck driver remember this; his investment portfolio and his home are probably 3 times the size of the average American household. He has no student loans to pay back and he has the freedom to talk “like a truck driver” if he wants to!
www.MisterTruckDriver.com
Wednesday, August 20th, 2008 at 8:10 am and is filed under careers. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
