3 reasons your first grad job isn’t all about money.

So, Uni’s out, exams are a thing of the past and it’s time to put all your hard work to good use. There are potentially several hundred thousand undergraduates job hunting now or later in the year, which means lots of competition – but also lots of opportunities on the horizon.

If you’re a first-time graduate job hunter, we can predict the thing that’s going to be most attractive to you – the salary. After three years of counting pennies, buying food from the reduced section of the supermarket and scouring the internet for deals, you’re going to want a decent paycheck so that you can feel a bit more confident when it comes to spending the cash.

But be careful – a good salary is never an indication of how good the job is, or how good the employer is. Which is why we’ve given you our top three things to consider. It’s really not all about the money.

1.      Training – you may have had a job whilst you’ve been studying, or had a year’s work experience as part of your course. Or you may have put your head down and focused on getting the best possible results. Either way, you’re in the long-term job market now and that means finding a job where you can learn new skills and an employer that will invest in training. In fact, this is a great question to ask in interviews – it shows that you’re willing to learn, that you want to improve your skills and that you understand that the more you know, the more valuable you can be. A company that doesn’t offer any training opportunities? Best avoided. 

2.      Career progression – we’re all worried about being stuck in a job that’s going nowhere. Although it’s not clear why – people switch jobs more now than ever before, and it’s because they’re interested in doing more, learning more, contributing more. It doesn’t matter if you don’t have a life plan. Who does, really? What matters when you’re looking for your first graduate job is that you have the chance to progress your career if you want to. You might look for a company that offers promotions, focus progression programmes or will fund additional qualifications to help you move up the ladder. And you might not even want to move up – it’s equally important that an employer can offer you a sideways move to a job you’re happier with or more suited to.

3.      Earning potential – OK, so this one is about money. But it’s not just about how high your starting salary is; it’s about having the potential to earn more, and seeing that potential from the start. Increasing your income is a great motivator and, let’s face it, that huge student loan won’t pay itself off. Jobs that offer a good basic salary and also give you the opportunity to earn more through well-structure commissions or bonus payments helps you to build a serious salary which in turn can help you to live the life you want to.

At Roc Search, we offer graduates a great starting salary, training and career progression opportunities and the chance to boost your income (see what we did there?). If you’re interested in starting your career with an energetic, forward-thinking and rewarding company, get in touch.