Grads pick and choose

Demand for graduates has pushed salaries even higher as employers battle to fill job vacancies.

The Australian Association of Graduate Employers Graduate Recruitment Survey 2007 states that an increase of six per cent on starting salaries throughout Australia took the median graduate wage from $43,000 in 2006 to $45,700 for 2007.

However, with 24% organisations unable to fill their vacancies, employers are looking at different options, not just salaries, to secure their graduate intake.

AAGE executive director Ben Reeves says that many employers look to attract and recruit students before they reach their final year of university.

"There are a number of programs in place that allow employers to gain early access to high school or university students. The three most common are cadetships, co-op placements and vacation work," he said.

"Cadetships are useful for Year 12 students who know what they want to do. The students are targeted, recruited and sponsored through university."

Reeves says the co-op placement is usually integrated as part of the degree course where a student applies to work with an organisation as part of a year out. More often than not the employer will recruit graduates via the program.

Vacation work is similar to the European internship, he explains, where "a short period of work takes place through summer vacation. Again, employers have often secured these students by the time they graduate."

Jonathan Petsalis, a 2005 property graduate from the University of Western Sydney, secured a valuation job with property group Colliers International after winning a work scholarship at university.

"I was in my second year when Colliers came to do a talk and gave us the opportunity to apply to a scholarship. I sent my resume in and was one of six students selected," he said.

Working with Colliers International while he completed his degree allowed Petsalis to understand the organisation's culture. His experience rather than his salary influenced him to accept their job offer.

"I wasn't too concerned with my graduate starting package. It was really important for me to be in a job environment that would provide me with as much knowledge as possible," he said.

Petsalis is just one of the graduates reaping the benefits of a booming job market.  "Current market news is great if you are a grad," says Reeves. "You are in a position of control." 

For more on careers visit careerone.com.au

By Zsa-Zsa Bowie Wilson