Graduate applicants 'should not panic'

Graduates should not worry too much about the state of recruitment, despite the credit crunch, a careers adviser has said.

According to Elspeth Farrar of the Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services (AGCAS), the majority of companies, including those in the financial sector, will be continuing to recruit as normal this summer and graduates should apply as they would have under normal circumstances.

"By the time [the credit crunch] really began to hit, a lot of companies had already got fairly well through their recruitment and selection processes. And most organisations say that they are going ahead; they are honouring any offers and expecting to carry on with recruitment," she said.

Ms Farrar said that graduates could also consider getting relevant work experience and internships if they wish to improve their chances of finding jobs in difficult sectors, but that they should not panic.

The Association of Graduate Recruiters Review recently found that available jobs for graduates are expected to increase by 16.4 per cent this year, while salaries could go up by 2.1 pr cent on average.

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