Graduates – Divas or just misunderstood?

Graduates – Divas or just misunderstood?

Are graduates ‘Divas’ who are unrealistic in their expectations, self-centred, fickle and greedy?

Recent reports in the press have hailed new graduates as ‘Divas’ who are unrealistic in their expectations, self-centred, fickle and greedy. These damning reports come from the Association of Graduate Recruiters (AGR) annual report on the state of graduate recruitment in the UK.

The report also claims that many employers believe new graduates often lack literacy and numeracy skills while others present themselves poorly at interviews and in the workplace. The employers taking part in the survey include investment banks, law and accountancy firms.

Looking to recruit overseas

Many of these firms are so fed up with the low calibre and poor attitudes of graduates that they are looking overseas to recruit new graduate staff. More than a quarter of firms praise the ‘strong work ethic and desire to succeed’ of overseas graduates.

The key is the right development programme

Clearly today’s graduates are different from those of previous generations. A2B, the specialist graduate development arm of Acorn Coaching, believes it’s a question of providing the right training and development programmes to mould raw talent into the leaders of the future. Weighing up the cost of recruiting overseas against providing a structured development programme, employers could find the latter a more cost effective and beneficial solution in the long term.

Click here for more information about A2B can help improve your graduates' performance.