After something of a shakeout in the highly specialised graduate recruitment sector, things are picking up and moving on in this net-focused area. Of the 14 firms offering specialist services in this sector, most (79%) are now offering email targeting, which has emerged as more effective than the early adverts-and-banners methods. And 57% of specialist graduate recruitment firms will now help with student placements, recently recognised as a powerful way for employers to assess candidates at first hand.
ìThe prospects for the sector are excellent in the medium to long term,î says Iain Smith of Diaz. ìThe expansion of higher education, the specialist methods and networks that graduate recruitment requires, will see to that. In the short term, talk of a recession is a worry. But pressure on internal headcount should force some large recruiters to pass more work outside. And longer term business trends very much favour the use of outside agencies, especially for activities like graduate recruitment that are cyclical.î
This year, sector casualties have included The-ladder.com and Graduatebase (not to be confused with Gradubase, which is still very much alive). And MyOyster.com has retreated from the sector to focus on better-paid jobs requiring more experience. This leaves the field free for the fortunate fourteen. These offer a wide range of services: recruitment website creation (complete with recruitment processes), virtual and real career fairs, online and offline versions of services such as advertising, search, and assessment, CV databases, and WAP sites and email targeting.
www.diazresearch.com
From surviving to thriving - 11/2001
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