Big fish invests in graduate talent

While graduate recruitment schemes have undoubtedly been a casualty of the credit crunch, one company that is bucking the trend is Leamington-based recruitment agency Big fish. The agency, which specialises in creative, marketing, PR, digital and sales recruitment, is investing in its long-term future by appointing recent graduate Shib Hussain as its marketing manager.

According to recent research by High Fliers, of the 20,000 graduate vacancies originally advertised in this academic year, at least 5,500 have been cancelled or left unfilled. The worst losses have been in telecoms, investment banking, IT and pharmaceuticals, where entry-level vacancies have halved. Big fish has moved quickly to break the mould by specifically looking to graduate talent to fill its marketing manager role.

Big fish managing director Nicola Kleinmann believes graduate recruitment is a fantastic way to help see companies through the hard times and beyond: ìAs an industry, it is important to encourage continued investment in graduate recruitment and to remember that hiring graduates is a great way to access untapped potential.

ìNow is the perfect time to nurture fresh talent and plan for the future. Forward-thinking employees can be great assets in helping companies survive a recession and carry them through to better times. In Shib, we have found someone who we know will bring a lot of enthusiasm and great ideas into the company, helping us to grow in this challenging market. We are always encouraging our clients to invest in graduates, and with this appointment we are leading by example.î

For Shib, who will be responsible for handling all aspects of Big fishís marketing activity, the new role comes off the back of completing an exciting and innovative advertising and brand management course at Staffordshire University. ìItís a great opportunity; Big fish are one of the leading recruitment agencies in the UK, and I am looking forward to putting all my learning into practice,î he commented. ìIt will be exciting to see my ideas being implemented on a national scale and the results that they produce.î