Will my university hinder my chances of getting the job i want?

digsby202

Lokolo

As the mother of a daughter at Oxbridge, why would an employer not want someone from there ?

lOVE D

Lokolo

digsby202 wrote: »

Lokolo

As the mother of a daughter at Oxbridge, why would an employer not want someone from there ?

lOVE D

That was just my view on Oxbridge students, whom I don't tend to like, it is a bit sterotypical but its right from the people from my school who went there.

But also, employers will feel as though they need to pay them more as they have a 'better' degree.

Blacksheep1979

Unfortunatley you have to get to assesment centres/interviews to be considered and whilst they may not officially discriminate they will do in reality. Man met isn't a traditional uni and won't go in your favour - best bet would be to apply at the start to your final year and if you don't have any luck try to get onto an MA at a proper university.

aqueoushumour01

I could have gone to any university of my choice but a lack of knowledge about universities when I was studying for my A Level meant that i thought the important thing was to get a 'university degree' and that it didn't matter where i got it from. I come from a family with absolutely no previous experience of unis.

It was only while at uni that i realised my ignorance and regretted not applying to a top ten uni. Anyway, in terms of applying for graduate positions, you will get through to the next stage of the process (numerical and verbal tests/interviews) with excellent academics and something extra e.g. from work experience.

I got a 1st and ended up with lots of offers from big firms, but that was probably more due to the stuff i did outside of uni (work experience mainly during a year off)

However, if you were borderline 2:1 with little 'distinguishing' experiences, the employer would almost certainly choose the candidate from the better uni. If you're capable of it, putting in that extra bit of study to get a first will pay dividends when you come to apply for jobs and it will almost certainly get you to the next stage (provided you can answer the competency questions well)

I'd agree that it wouldn't be worth getting any professional exams just yet. demonstrating to the employer that you know what the exams entail, though, will impress.

mikewebs

Also see the employers during the milkround! Get a good knowledge of who you want to target.

dancingqueen_tr

i think you should try to get an internship for summer. most interns get a graduate job offers at the end of the summer so if you do want to work for the big 4 try to get a summer internship with one of them (althou i am not sure about the deadlines)

Also, I do Management at Manchester University, I can say that i am sure you are more hardworking and have more of the transferable skills than some people from my uni..

kyussmondo

Blacksheep1979 wrote: »

Unfortunatley you have to get to assesment centres/interviews to be considered and whilst they may not officially discriminate they will do in reality. Man met isn't a traditional uni and won't go in your favour - best bet would be to apply at the start to your final year and if you don't have any luck try to get onto an MA at a proper university.

A proper university? Snobby or what? The fact is that a degree is a degree. If I was an employer and I have 2 graduates come to me, one is from Cambridge with a 2:1 but never worked a day in their lives and one from Man Met, who has the same 2:1 but has work experience, then I would take the Man Met student any day.

To the threadstarter. The uni you studied at is not everything. You also need to be a well-rounded person. Do stuff like taking part in activities or volunteering for charity work. This summer start asking around if there is any experience you can get in an accounts job. If you know someone, or your parents know someone in accountancy even better. There are thousands of graduates a year. Try and stand out from other students and you will be fine. My friend graduated from ARU about 3 years ago. Already she is earning about £70k in the city in investment banking. ARU is Anglia Ruskin which is about 100th in the league table, so let's stop these snobby comments about going to a proper uni, whatever that is. :rotfl:

duchy

Frankly 2.1s aren't that uncommon so you need something to make you stand out. Some companies don't care (much) where your degree is from, others don't want to pander to the Oxbridge starting pay expectations lots of variables however all companies whatever their bias look favourably on candidates who have shown drive and targeted their activities to their future. An internship can pay huge dividends-and even temping within the sector during vacations shows that commitment-and is a good networking opertunity. IMHO job seeking starts long before you finish your degree with laying down a solid basis to catch the eye of the recruiters when you do apply.

digsby202

I find the generalisation against Oxbridge staggering, and they all do not demand huge salaries on graduating.

Daughter is at Oxbridge and predicted a 1st in English. She came from an 'ordinary' school and background but is extremeley intelligent. She has worked her socks off this Easter doing an Internship ( won't say where) and is hoping to go into broadcast journalisim, a subject she is passionate about.
Her expected starting salary will be compartively low compared to the assumption that Oxbridge graduates command huge salaries and are pampered.
I am also aware of a number of her fellow students are intent on doing something they want to do without expecting the world.

You can't really generalise just because someone has worked very hard and deserves to be where they are.

Love D

Riq

I am on one of the graduate courses you speak of, it is very tough. It doesn't really matter which uni you go to. I did go to Durham though and before that a Grammar School so maybe my education does look kinda good on paper, but regardless of where you go if you get a 2:1 you are sorted and will get an interview with most if not all of the top companies.

If you have any extra curricular activities then you should make a song and dance about those as as people have said 2:1's are a bit common now.

I have my tax, law and financial reporting exams for ACCA in June.

I do love my job.

I actually do tuition at MMU in the evenings, I was there last night in fact. Have you had a lecturer called Kieron for any of your subjects?