Undergraduate idea helps overcome the<br>ëmore graduates than jobsí dilemma

A new service aims to help thousands of recent graduates who are experiencing difficulty in finding degree-level employment.

The service, Hidden Careers.net, has been set up by a specialist recruitment consultancy which has grown from an enterprising idea hit upon by its founder, Jessica Higton, when she herself was studying at university four years ago.

Working with 82 universities
Her company provides matchmaking services for leading employers that operate year-in-industry undergraduate placement schemes or are seeking graduates with work experience. It works with 82 universities and at any one time it has a databank of up to 35,000 students and graduates.

Hidden Careers.net is designed to help graduates and undergraduates search out potential employment opportunities that are not publicly advertised and exist in what is often termed the hidden jobs market.

8 out of 10 new appointments made without advertising
Jessica Higton states:

ìIn the recruitment business, it is generally reckoned that in many sectors of industry, up to 80% of vacancies are filled without advertising. This is consistent with recent research conducted by various bodies identifying between 60,000 and 80,000 graduate positions visible during a summer which has seen 400,000 people finish university.

ìUsers of the service have online access to a vast information resource covering organisations engaged in the kinds of dynamic developments that generate jobs. We identify up to 5,000 employers a month which are either planning or in the process of introducing new products, services or technology, launching expansion programmes or implementing similar forms of positive change. As part of this, we provide narrative reports on individual companies describing the nature of the changes that are forthcoming or newly under way.

Advice to graduate job hunters
Jessica Higtonís advice to graduates who have yet to find a vacancy where a degree is either formally required or gives a candidate an added edge is simple: ìBe proactive. Show initiative. Itís a quality most employers are looking for.î

Jessica Higton continues:

ìOur research covers businesses in the type of situation that makes them more likely welcome a speculative approach. Even where no formal vacancy exists, it is by no means unknown for an employer to create a job for someone who approaches the company in a way that demonstrates get up and go.

ìWriting good quality, tailored speculative letters is a must, but writing the same letter to lots of different companies will probably not get you very far. Be focused. Think of yourself as marketing a product ñ you.

ìIn marketing, step one is to gain as much information as you possibly can about the potential customer, which in this case is each individual organisation you plan to approach. Being knowledgeable about a company, it products or services and where it is going ñ and perhaps even about its competitors ñ allows you to get a sense of where your qualifications could fit in and what you might contribute.

ìKnowledge not only improves the chances of your letter standing out, it helps the way you come across in telephone conversations you have with a prospective employer and obviously helps in putting up a confident interview performance.î

Jessica Higton ends:

ìWhilst many medium and smaller companies are perhaps nervous about graduate level entry, people who are able to present themselves as being well informed and who can get across the kind of contribution they are equipped to make can succeed in breaking down barriers where these still exist.

Massive database updated every day
ìUniversities we have already talked about the new service to are right behind us. As well has helping people hunting for graduate level employment opportunities, it is also an effective student research tool for a variety of coursework purposes.î

The Hidden Careers online database of information on new developments taking place in individual companies is updated on a daily cycle. The service provides access to over 150,000 current and past records, together with a 15,000 word guide to speculative job hunting.

Hidden Careers.net is operated in conjunction with business intelligence gathering specialist Mandis Information Services. The current subscription rate is 6 for two months with discounts for longer periods.