Many
recent university graduates believe their dreams jobs are just a breath away,
according to results of a new multinational survey.
The
survey, by management consultants Accenture, questioned 1,500 recent or
soon-to-be college graduates in the UK, the US, France, Germany and Spain. It
found that almost two-thirds of respondents who are not working full-time
expect to have a full-time position within the next six months, and only 16 per
cent said they expect the search to take more than one year.
Graduates
in the UK and the US are the most optimistic, with 60 per cent and 56 per cent
respectively believing that they will find a job in the next three months.
Those
in France are more pessimistic, with four in 10 recent graduates expecting
their job searches to take at least a year. Overall, more than three-quarters
(77 per cent) are confident that their full-time jobs will meet their
expectations.
Yet,
few graduates see their university experience as having armed them with skills
that are applicable in the ‘real world’. Less than one-quarter (23 per cent)
said they have people/communication skills to offer a potential employer, and
only 20 per cent said they have the ability to produce high-quality work in a
timely manner.
The
same percentage said they have a knowledge base in their field. Only 16 per
cent said they have computer and technical skills to offer an employer.
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Most
respondents seek opportunities to learn and grow, be paid fairly and avoid a
rigid work environment. Topping the list of what they seek from their
prospective employers are training programmes (selected by 71 per cent); fair
compensation (61 per cent); flexible hours (59 per cent); and approachable,
available management (55 per cent).
