To a lesser degree

For years, graduate recruiters had to fight among themselves over the young and educated elite. They ran expensive on-campus marketing campaigns and created flashy websites highlighting their corporate social responsibility efforts and work-life balance initiatives – all to attract job candidates well aware of their own worth. But the situation has changed. The boot, for many, is now on the other foot.

“A feature of the boom years was that graduates more or less expected to walk into a top job of some kind with a reasonable 2:2, and to get into a big accountancy firm or the City with a 2:1,” says John McGurk, CIPD adviser, learning and talent development. “It’s been a big shock to graduates that vacancies have reduced by a quarter.”