Trainee Accounts - Finling
Finling
£26,000
London
Graduate Software Engineer - BAE Systems
BAE Systems PLC
£34,000 plus a £2,000 welcome payment
North West, Scotland, Yorkshire
KPMG 2024 Deal Advisory Graduate Programmes
KPMG
Competitive
Nationwide
MDS Graduate Scheme - Scotland
MDS
£25,000
Scotland
Graduate Management Trainee - Durham
Enterprise Mobility
Competitive
North East, Darlington, Durham
KPMG 2024 Graduate Japan Practice in Tax - London Autumn 2024
KPMG
Competitive
London
KPMG Insight Graduate Black Heritage Talent - Consulting Insight London TBC 2024
KPMG
Competitive
London
Graduate Electrical Engineer - BAE Systems
BAE Systems PLC
£34,000 plus a £2,000 welcome payment
North West, Barrow-in-Furness
MDS Leadership & Management Scheme - London
MDS
£25,000
London
Graduate Management Trainee - Edinburgh
Enterprise Mobility
Competitive
Scotland, Edinburgh
KPMG Insight Graduate Black Heritage Talent - Audit Insight Manchester TBC 2024
KPMG
Competitive
North West, Manchester
MDS Graduate Scheme - Wales
MDS
£25,000
Wales
KPMG Vacation Programmes - Audit - ACA Leeds July 2024
KPMG
Competitive
Yorkshire, Leeds
Graduate Management Trainee - Cornwall
Enterprise Mobility
Competitive
South West, Truro
Graduate Management Trainee - London/Heathrow Airport
Enterprise Mobility
Competitive
London, Heathrow, Uxbridge
KPMG Insight Graduate Social Mobility Talent - Audit Insight Edinburgh TBC 2024
KPMG
Competitive
Scotland, Edinburgh
Graduate Management Trainee - Sheffield
Enterprise Mobility
Competitive
Yorkshire, Sheffield
Hollywood Bowl Group Graduate Manager in Training - North
Hollywood Bowl Group
£25,000 - £26,000
Scotland, Yorkshire, York, Glasgow, Dunfermline
KPMG Insight Graduate Black Heritage Talent - Audit Insight Glasgow TBC 2024
KPMG
Competitive
Scotland, Glasgow
KPMG 2024 Tax Graduate Programmes - Leeds Autumn 2024
KPMG
Competitive
Yorkshire, Leeds
Why don't some companies accept graduates with a 2.2?
There are two reasons why a company might not accept graduates with anything below a 2.1. The first, is that the employer may believe the graduate job requires somebody of particular academic standard and the easiest way to recognise this is through the grade they achieved at University. The second reason is a logistical one. Larger employers who run popular graduate schemes, receive thousands of applications for each role. This causes them big problems when it comes to reading through each application and reducing the list of applicants to invite to assessment centres. An easy way to reduce the number of applications is to remove any applicants who did not achieve a 2.1 or above. This may seem unfair but the HR departments of these companies are expected to find ways to reduce the time and money invested in their graduate recruitment campaigns.
What jobs can a 2.2 graduate apply for?
Despite the above, there are still plenty of employers who welcome applications from 2.2 graduates.
Graduate schemes are not out of the question. Although the biggest companies might prefer 2.1 and above, there are plenty of large employers who don't mind. Unless they state on the job advertisement that they only accept 2.1 and above then it is always worth applying. It may be frustrating to hear nothing back but if you never apply, you will never know!
SME's are a great option. The advantage of a small company is that they often consider personality and character to be as important as degree grade. If you will be working in a small team your attitude is essential and an SME employer will know that. Consequently, your CV and Cover Letter will be given much more attention, so make sure you allow your personality to shine.
However, it is important to be realistic. It is important to be prepared for the fact that you might not be able to take a direct route in to your desired career. Sometimes the best option is to take a job in Sales or Recruitment in order to build experience which will put you in a much better position when applying for your dream job. Another great option is to consider Internships to build your experience and your CV. Internships are available to undergraduates and sometimes graduates, so it is never too late to get some work experience.