Partner Article

Study suggests graduates are missing SME opportunities

Graduates are said to be missing obvious employment opportunities in SMEs by not making use of social media tools.

One in five graduates are proactively seeking jobs in SMEs, and only one in ten use social media to find employment, the study by IT provider Iconnyx suggested.

The research collated data from across UK SMEs and recruitment agencies, as well as campaigns polling businesses across LinkedIn and Twitter.

Many graduates perceived that larger organisations offered more opportunities and stability.

Only 10% of graduates have LinkedIn profiles and are using the network to find opportunities, and only 1 in 3 graduates have heard of the site, or been advised by their university to research it.

Managing director of Iconnyx, Tim Walker, said: “The issues for both ‘top talent’ graduates and growing SMEs alike are frustrating in that there is no obvious forum for the two to connect and ‘sell’ to each other.

“Universities need to alert their talent to the opportunities that exist in UK small to medium businesses as well as channels for reaching them.

“It’s frustrating to see that high-growth companies typically lose out on the best of graduate talent for these reasons.

“Universities should invite SMEs and networks like LinkedIn into the student community far earlier.”

Responding to the comments, a spokesperson for Northumbria University Careers Department, said: “All universities, not just Northumbria, are very aware that a high proportion of their graduates will go on to find employment with small to medium sized businessses.

“As careers advises we do advise students, and graduates, of the advantages of using social media such as LinkedIn, as part of their job search.

“Between 2010 and 2011 we ran a successful graduate internship scheme, which saw the majority of students placed with small businesses, and recently we have held a campus event with the FSB, exemplifying the way in which the University engages with small business.”

Iconnyx are working in conjunction with Duncan Cheatle, founder of The Supper Club, on a 6-week competition for students and graduates to learn practical business skills.

The scheme is called ‘Rise To’ and offers sponsored internships where graduates can gain experience alongside management teams.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Tom Keighley .