Contemporary
Recruitment
Kate Dwyer, Careers Consultant for the Faculty of
Business & Law
March 2023
(Data updated March 2025- Matthew Salter)
Introduction
Section 1
In today’s session…Learning outcomes
• To be able to describe and explain some of the current UK & international recruitment
trends & practices
• To recognise & discuss the value and place of work experience within employer
recruitment
• To recognise & discuss the value of work experience for students and reflect on what
that means for your own professional & career development
Coursework Assessment Brief:
Portfolio Activities
4, Based on the content of last week’s
lecture and this week’s workshop, you
should:
A, Critically discuss the advantages
and potential challenges to employers of
offering student internships/placements.
B, Critically discuss the advantages
and potential challenges to students of
undertaking an internship/placement.
If you use academic sources, then you
must include in-text citations and a
Reference List.
Know Yourself Know Your
What interests you? Options
What are your values? What opportunities are
there?
What are your strengths
A Career and positive
characteristics?
What are organisations
looking for in graduates?
What are you skills? Where/how do you need to
Development further develop your skills,
knowledge and
experience?
Framework
T. Line (2015), adapted from the
DOTs model (Law & Watts, 1977, Reflect and Build Prepare and
1996) Resilience Apply
Reflect on successful / Match your skills and
unsuccessful applications experience to those
and work experiences required for the
opportunity
Take risks and learn from
both successes and Understand application
failures processes and how to
Current Recruitment Trends,
Practices & Issues
• Speculative Applications, Networking & use of Social Media
• Assessment Centres, Psychometric/Assessment Testing & Gamification
• Remote/Virtual Recruitment: Video/Telephone interviews & Applications/CVs
• Strength/Values based Interviews
• Increased importance of work experience
• Diversity of workforce
• Affect of Globalisation & mobility
• Artificial Intelligence & Data growth
• Portfolio & Non-Linear careers
• External Political, Economic, Environmental & Social Events/Issues: e.g. Covid-19,
Brexit, Economic downturn/recession
Reflection Activity 1 : Go.uwe.ac.uk/Reflection1
Looking back at the main trends, practices and issues for employers who are recruiting
at the moment consider…….
• What does this mean for you?
• Does it affect your career development plans at all? If so, how? If not, why not?
• Is there anything you need to find out more about, such as speculative applications,
virtual interviews, to ensure you have a good chance of competing with other
candidates? Name one thing you think you need to find more information out
about.
Don’t forget….. UWE Careers & Enterprise are here to help
Working in a Global
World
Section 2
Working in a Global World
• Opportunity to hire employees from & for potential employees to work in variety of
locations.
• Employers looking for ‘global mindset’
• Opportunities to develop this whilst at UWE
https://www1.uwe.ac.uk/students/goglobal.aspx
• When considering- Importance of researching different options, assessing potential
risks & getting advice (Study & Work Abroad Guide)
• When applying- Importance of research & tailoring applications to different countries
specific recruitment methods & culture
• Importance of international students promoting their unique skillset from their
international experiences
https://www1.uwe.ac.uk/students/careersandemployability/internationalstudents.aspx
https://www.gradlinkuk.com/
Student Travel Overseas, March 2022
Do a Study Year Abroad!
Why? Travel, challenge yourself, develop intercultural communication skills for life in global
workplaces
Where? CBL have 28 student exchange partner Universities! Europe, Japan, Hong Kong,
Mexico, USA, Malaysia, South Korea & much more - browse the web pages:
https://www.uwe.ac.uk/life/global-experiences/study-abroad
When: Placement year – between level 2 & 3
How: Short online application & academic endorsement – Deadline December of year 2
Support: The Study Abroad Team will support you all the way – before, during & after!
Finance:
Student Finance
Turing Scheme
UWE Employability Bursary - £1,000 for students with low income
Student Finance England Travel Grant
Full details on web pages
Uwe Website
Get ahead of your peers – whatever your background,
UWE Website
Study abroad supports social mobility.
Analysis by Universities UK shows that students who go abroad
outperform their peers academically and professionally. They are:
19% more likely to gain a first class degree
20% less likely to be unemployed
10% more likely to be in ‘graduate’ jobs six months after
graduation
And, for students from under-represented and disadvantaged groups,
the benefits of studying abroad are even more prominent.
More Information: Universities UK
Working in a Global World- Examples of
Different Recruitment Practices- GoinGlobal
• Still common practice in Austria to sign bottom of CV & add a 3 rd page to your CV with
a personal profile on it
• In Costa Rica your resume should be 1 page long, split up into 4 sections
• In Finland, photos are typically included in CVs
• Target jobs
• Prospects
Uwe Website
Reflection Activity 2:
Go.uwe.ac.uk/Reflection1
What does working in a Global World mean to you, your career path and career choices?
How would you show future employers you have a ‘global mindset’?
What global opportunities available now (e.g. virtual ones) or in the future are you
interested in, and what actions do you need to take now and in the future, to help you
access these?
Don’t forget….. UWE Careers & Enterprise are here to help
UK Graduate
Recruitment
Section 3
Institute of Student Employers (ISE).
(2023). Student Recruitment Survey
2023.
The Institute of Student London:
employers (ISE)ISE
report surveyed 145 employers
who recruited over 40,000 students in 2023 across a wide range of
sectors. Some of the key messages from this are:
• 80% of respondents recruited internship and placement students.
• On average 60 applications for every internship and 55 for every
placement- 18% and 17% increases from previous years.
• Respondents reported that they recruited 54% of former interns and
49% of former placement students into graduate jobs.
• Average Placement salary of £24,000 (this will be impacted by high
number of placements in London)- I am seeing an approx. £21-22k in
and around Bristol.
• South West has third highest % of intern and placement opportunities
with 8% behind London (43%) and South East 11%.
Early careers survey- Prospects UK
I also found the following interesting in the Early careers survey of 6,012
users of prospects.ac.uk:
• When asked about helpfulness of careers advice received from
lecturers 46% replied fairly helpful and 43% very helpful- this compares
with 40% and 49% from careers professionals.
• 68% of students looking for an internship/placement said they
struggled with identifying opportunities- I echo this and this is why I is
why I send out opportunities on a regular basis.
• 58% felt they struggled with the required work experience for
internships/placements- my observation is that students underestimate
the importance and value of their retail/hospitality work etc.
• A third of respondents said they felt unprepared for work.
The Graduate Market In 2024, High
Fliers
The summary of the 2024 graduate recruitment market from
High Fliers research shows a weakening of the market.
• Graduate intake reduced by 6.4% in 2023.
• Expected 1.5% increase in 2024.
• 75% of employers have hosted their own recruitment
presentations & skills training events at local universities in
the past year.
• Over half of employers made use of campus brand
ambassadors and two fifths have sponsored student clubs
and societies.
• Serge in applications- 27% rise.
The Graduate Market In 2023, High Fliers
“ Considering how tight the labour market is with low level of unemployment, these
internships and placement provide an important pathway into the graduate labour
market. Around 50 % of former interns and placement students were recruited into
graduate jobs in the same organisation in 2022.”
“ Each year we run both an internship and a placement scheme. This is a key in
building our talent pipeline and enables us to bridge the gap from current student at
university to graduates, and postgraduates seeking their first role. We have found
running internships and placements as integral to developing talent and we have
internal benchmarks that we try to meet that funnel students in from these channels
into our graduate program.”
High fliers 2018- “More than a third of recruiters who took part in the research
repeated their warnings from previous years – that graduates who have had no
previous work experience at all are unlikely to be successful during the selection
processes for the top employers’ graduate programmes”.
Reflection Activity 3: Go.uwe.ac.uk/Reflection1
• What has the information we have looked at in this session meant to you and your career
plans?
• Are there factors or opportunities that were mentioned that you want to find out more
about?
Examples
• Which sectors & employers are being affected by the current climate and how does that affect you?
• Which employers are currently recruiting placement students and interns?
• Do you want to consider targeting specific employers, such as SMEs?
• Are you familiar with the different channels employers use to promote their vacancies?
• Are you familiar with the different selection processes, such as assessment tests & centres
employers favour?
• Is your CV and social media profile up to date?
• Are there specific diversity initiatives you could apply to or get involved in?
Don’t forget….. UWE Careers & Enterprise are here to help
Placements, Internships
& Other forms of Work
Experience
Section 4
Institute of Student Employers (ISE),
(2022) Student Recruitment Survey 2
022., London: ISE
• Majority of respondents (82 %) recruited interns or placements students. Increase from
75 % in 2021.
• Suggestion that placement & internship roles become less competitive than throughout
pandemic
• Shift to virtual- 63 % of placements hybrid- Hybrid working practices can support interns
and placement students to develop in person ands online skills
• Diversity in Internships and placements- 29 % of employers offer internships and
placements for specific groups of underrepresented students
“ Focusing on promoting diversity and inclusion at this early stage of career development is
essential in providing students with opportunities to access the labour market, build
contacts and skills and demonstrate their capabilities to employers…… Many of the
respondents to this survey… viewed internships and placements as part of their diversity
strategy”
Institute of Student Employers (ISE), (2022)
Student Recruitment Survey 2022., London
: ISE
Benefits of Internships & Placements
“ Considering how tight the labour market is with low level of unemployment, these
internships and placement provide an important pathway into the graduate labour market.
Around 50 % of former interns and placement students were recruited into graduate jobs in
the same organisation in 2022.”
“ Each year we run both an internship and a placement scheme. This is a key in building
our talent pipeline and enables us to bridge the gap from current student at university to
graduates, and postgraduates seeking their first role. We have found running internships
and placements as integral to developing talent and we have internal benchmarks that we
try to meet that funnel students in from these channels into our graduate program.”
Sandwich placements at UWE,
Faculty of Business & Law
• Opportunity for self development
• You have dual status as student & employee
• Worth 15 credits at level 3 (Related Assessment work)
• Must be Paid (Talk to ML/PL if you have any questions)
• 32 weeks minimum (Full time equivalent)- Talk to ML/PL if you have any questions
• You need a minimum of 210 credits from your 1st & 2nd years
• Cost of a module
• Location- Bristol, various UK locations & abroad
• What kind of employer?
• Be confirmed & relevant to degree, and attendance at briefing
It’s not just about Placements…..
It’s not just about placements….Get
involved in other Opportunities
Study, Work or
Volunteer
Student SU Clubs & Abroad
Ambassador, Societies e.g. Study Year
Volunteering
PAL leader, Abroad
e.g. Business &
Course Rep
law Clinic
Paid
Internships &
Other Work Insight Employer
Experience & days/schemes Information &
Open days
Networking
events
University
Projects Short
Equity Enterprise learning
Activities courses
International
Talent Scheme
Benefits of a Placement/Work Experience
Hear from our
employers:
• Your chance to ‘test try’ a career path
• Earn a salary Benefits of Employi
ng UWE Bristol Stud
• Get a graduate job ents on placement
• Your chance to network
Employer Insights: Hear from our students:
• Gain relevant work experience Why do a Placemen
• Develop soft skills t Bristol Business School: Why do a placement
• Relevant examples for CVs/Interviews
Video on ‘My Placement’
• Better degree result
Video on Top tips for Finding a Placement
For more info check our the Placements Website Page
Reflection Activity 4: Go.uwe.ac.uk/Reflection1
Do you want to do a placement, and why? If so, be ready to start applying in the
summer and autumn term.
What other activities, which could enhance your skills, would you would like to do and
why?
What are you doing over the summer holidays?
If you have concerns or doubts about doing a placement or other work related
opportunities, where could you go or who could you talk to find out more information
and get help?
Don’t forget….. UWE Careers & Enterprise are here to help
Careers and Enterprise Support:
Careers:
Your UWE Careers team is available to support you year-round with
workshops, email-guidance, drop-ins and coaching appointments.
E-Zone, opposite Starbucks
Check out our services outlined on the web pages
Keep up to date with events, competitions and support, by following us
on:
• Facebook Page
• Instagram
• Twitter Account
Enterprise:
Your Student Ventures team are available to support you to get your ideas
off the ground.
With an offer of physical space, business support and funding we’ll be on
hand to help you at every stage of your entrepreneurial journey.
X Block, by the car
Find out more at go.uwe.ac.uk/startingventures21 park entrance
Useful Resources:
Career Toolkit Platform
Check out our career platform with thousands of resources, access to
appointments, vacancies and interactive tools like CV360 for online
CV checks
Specific resources for International Students
We’ve put all our tailored careers resources and advice for
international students in one place to support your career journey
whilst at UWE and beyond
Check out UWE Undergraduate Internships Scheme
UWE Careers Toolkit:
Go.uwe.ac.uk/careertoolkit
Useful Resources & Further Information
Institute of Student Employers (ISE). (2022). Student Recruitment Survey 2022. London:
ISE
The Graduate Market In 2023, High Fliers
What do Graduates Do 2023. Prospects (JISC) & AGCAS
Graduate Recruitment Trends for 2023, Rebecca Fielding, Prospects Luminate
Student Recruitment & Development in 2023, Stephen Isherwood, Prospects Luminate
HESA: Career Trends of Gradutes from the class of 2019/20
Gone International: Rising Aspirations (Universitiesuk.ac.uk)
Gone International: Expanding Opportunities (Universitiesuk.ac.uk)
Linked In: Global Talent/Recruiting Trends Reports 2021, 2020, 2019 & 2018
Useful Resources & Further
Information
GoinGlobal
GradLink
Brexit. The Wake Up Call for Graduate Career Choice, Theresa Thomson, August 2018, Pr
ospects
Luminate
Prospects
Target Jobs
UWE Website & Careers Toolkit
