According to a recent survey by graduate recruiters Pareto Law, one in four business managers think that the modern graduate has unrealistic expectations about their careers when they first enter the working world.

The company surveyed over 1,000 managers and found that 23% believed that recent graduates were too choosy about their future roles, with a further 22% saying that they thought graduates should be more open-minded about the jobs they’re willing to accept.

The research amongst graduates appears to support this, as one in 10 believed that it was important to hold out for a professional role. It seems that graduates are becoming more selective about what they will and won’t do to get on the career ladder – with the Pareto Law research showing that only 1 in 8 would take a position which involved selling and only one in three ruling it out completely.

Being ‘choosy’ is one thing when there are plenty of jobs available in your chosen field, but this is rarely the case even in a steadily improving jobs market. According to research by Accenture in Scotland, less than half of Scottish graduates found themselves a full-time position in their chosen field throughout 2013 and 2014 – with more than two-thirds of 2015’s class predicting new challenges and formal training to be a part of their new careers when they leave higher education.

Work experience vs. holding out for that dream job – what should graduates be doing?

The CEO of Pareto Law Jonathan Fitchew commented on the findings of the research and also offered some valuable advice to graduates embarking on their careers in 2016. He said:

“Many graduates will do a degree with a certain career in mind and of course, that is entirely understandable.

“But in our experience and according to the employers we have spoken to, if that role isn’t immediately available it’s far better to get onto the career ladder and start getting that valuable experience than to wait for that elusive perfect role.”

“Being in work, engaging and networking, is the most important thing and graduates need to be open-minded enough to consider different routes into work and should be very wary of ruling out certain career choices.”

So, if you’re looking for a new job in 2016 and your ideal position isn’t immediately available, it may well be worth expanding your search to include jobs which could give you valuable opportunities and experience, as well as the chance to learn or build on transferable skills. From an employer’s point of view, consider what will look better – a graduate who hasn’t worked at all since they finished studying, or on that has proactively found work, committed themselves to a new challenge and made a success of it.

Whether you’re a new graduate or a company looking to recruit graduate talent, SOLOS Consultants can help – get in touch with the team and let’s make 2016 the year of exciting new prospects.

image courtesy of Renjith Krishnan @ freedigitalphotos.net