Leading retailer, Sainsbury's, is paving the way for better career prospects and pay for graduates with the introduction of its new and improved Graduate Programme for 2012. Recruitment for the revamped graduate scheme, which incorporates a very attractive £32,000 starting salary, has opened this week. This extremely appealing salary ranks significantly higher than the average graduate retail starting salary of £24,000 as determined by the Association of Graduate Recruiters (AGR) in its most recent survey of its members.
The AGR survey, published in June of this year, indicated considerable growth in graduate recruitment in the retail sector over the 2010-2011 recruitment season, with employers estimating a staggering 76.6% increase in vacancies. In fact the retail sector was deemed to be the second largest career sector for graduate recruitment in terms of the number of vacancies, second only to accountancy and professional services.
In July, one of Sainsbury's main competitors, Tesco, announced it had plans to increase its graduate recruitment by a substantial 30%, thereby employing a total of 440 graduates across 17 different programmes. In addition, Waitrose confirmed expansion plans at the beginning of the year announcing that 39 new stores would be opening in 2011, in so doing, creating 3,000 new jobs. The retail sector, in recent years, has witnessed significant growth in graduate recruitment as demonstrated by such developments; back in November 2010 Asda announced that it would be creating 7,500 new jobs, due to come into action throughout the
subsequent year.
Judith Nelson, UK personnel director at Tesco, commented, 'It's a challenging time for graduates, but as other firms cut back on hiring, we remain committed to offering opportunities to talented young people.' She added that Tesco chief executive Philip Clarke was originally taken on as a graduate trainee.
While such graduate recruitment growth will undoubtedly advance the confidence of unnerved graduates, it is however crucial that candidates interested in working in this sector are wary of sending out blanket application forms. It is far more advisable to apply for fewer roles in a more focused way. While it may not necessarily be noticeable to the candidate in question, an employer scanning thousands of application forms will quickly notice applications which comprise generic and obviously regurgitated answers.
According to the June 2011 AGR survey, retail recruiters tend to receive a high volume of blanket applications, but in recent years they have also received an increasing number of stronger applications from more astute candidates. Whilst times are certainly testing for discerning graduates eager for employment, it is advisable to make use of the analytical and communication skills, which most graduates will have unknowingly been developing throughout their time at university.
It is imperative that graduates employ such core competency skills to determine and succinctly express why the position should not be designated to another
competing candidate.
