A new communications channel enabling students to put their careers questions to some of the biggest names in graduate recruitment has been introduced by Graduate Prospects.
Called Careers Chat Live, the service can be accessed via www.prospects.ac.uk/chat and comprises a weekly, moderated chatroom where students can talk online to different graduate employers and postgraduate study experts. The chatroom is live every Wednesday afternoon at 2pm and is open to all finalists and graduates.
To date, representatives from graduate recruiters including BUPA, Kraft Foods and McDonalds have taken part in live sessions and a full timetable is lined up for the rest of the year with participating companies including Diageo, the worldís leading premium drinks business, which will be online to chat about its graduate opportunities; and AstraZeneca which will advise on its graduate placements and PhD opportunities.
Questions faced by previous Careers Chat Live participants range from the straightforward, such as application deadlines and starting salaries, to the more complex such as the extent of business exposure recruits can expect during training programmes, or provision of support given to obtain professional qualifications.
Careers Chat Live is a valuable facility benefiting both employers and students as Mike Hill, chief executive of Graduate Prospects, explains:
ìParticipating employers can glean invaluable insights into the graduate cohort shortly applying for vacancies and, as archives of all Careers Chat Live ëconversationsí are held online for eighteen months and include a link to the organisationís own website, employers also secure a sustained presence on prospects.ac.uk.
ìStudents and graduates, on the other hand, receive a special opportunity to put questions that can help them prepare for job applications and interviews to potential employers,î he said.
In addition to employer chats, trade, business, government and employment organisations can also take part in Careers Chat Live. John Sutton, assistant director of the Small Business Service, was clearly impressed by his experience:
ìCareers Chat Live provided me with a great opportunity to put the case for small businesses to students and helped highlight for me the issues that graduates face when considering their career choices.
I received a lot of interesting questions during the hour and, as the process was so well managed, I hope I was able to provide useful responses. Careers Chat Live is very easy to use and proved an effective way of presenting SBS to a wide audience. I am definitely keen to use it again.î
Adele Perfect, HR officer of Corus, was similarly impressed:
ìI was really interested in the range of questions asked as they were very different from the queries I usually receive at careers fairs. The participants clearly found the environment stimulating and perhaps less intimidating than a face-to-face meeting,î she said.
Forthcoming Careers Chat Live sessions include:
Wednesday 26 November -Engineering recruitment and work experience at Milliken
Wednesday 3 December -Careers in engineering at Severn Trent Water
Wednesday 10 December -Careers at Diageo, the worldís premium drinks business
An up to date list of forthcoming and archived chats can be
found at the Careers Advice for Graduates section of www.prospects.ac.uk
Employers interested in participating in Careers Chat Live should contact Lucy Madahar at Graduate Prospects on 0161 277 5342, or email L.Madahar@prospects.ac.uk
Graduate employers in the hotseat
Chatroom opens new link between leading graduate recruiters and students
