Josh Cote Promotes Work Experience as Valid Resource for Job Hunting

LONDON, ENGLAND, June 27, 2013 (Press-News.org) The founder of EA Worldwide Acquisitions, an outsourced marketing and sales company based in London, advises students to gain internships or work experience prior to graduating, in order to develop skills, build industry connections and "add credibility to a level of ambition."

Research suggests that graduates who had work experience or internships when they were students are much more successful in job hunting after university. The High Fliers study, which surveyed 18,000 university leavers from 30 UK universities, indicates that graduates are three times more likely to find work if they have already completed internships or work experience. More than a third of jobs this year will be filled by applicants who have already done an internship or work experience at the firm; the figure rises to 75% for City investment banks.

About EA Worldwide Acquisitions: http://www.eaworldwide.co.uk

Josh Cote, himself a graduate of Springfield College in the USA, believes that having industry experience is essential for graduates looking to gain the best opportunities. "The graduate job market is extremely competitive so graduates with workplace skills are far more valuable to employers. Graduates who have completed internships will have industry contacts that other students won't have. For employers, a graduate who has previously worked at their company or who has a reference from someone in the industry is a safer choice than an applicant whose workplace aptitude has not been tested," said Josh Cote. A study by recruitment firm Adecco reports that 36% of UK employers believe that graduates lack necessary workplace skills, while 53% consider graduates to have 'unrealistic' expectations of working life. "The situation employers are facing currently is that many graduates are simply not skilled enough for the jobs available. Students who proactively enhance their workplace skills through work experience and internships will be far more likely to match an employer's requirements," added entrepreneur Josh Cote.

The High Fliers Study reports that on average, employers received 57 applications per graduate vacancy in 2012, an increase of 7% on the year before. The study demonstrates that the more job applications students send before graduation, the better their chances of successful employment after university. The average student in the survey sent 7 job applications; London School of Economics had the highest average at 11 applications, and also the highest number of students who had already received job offers. Entrepreneur Josh Cote advises students to look at career options early on in their university careers. "The earlier students start doing internships and work experience the better, as it gives them more opportunities to build skills and make an informed career choice."

Sources:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-22875717

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/jobs/9798981/Graduates-face-toughest-job-market-since-depths-of-recession.html

http://www.smallbusiness.co.uk/news/management/1685108/higher-education-not-developing-work-skills.thtml

EA Worldwide Acquisitions are an outsourced sales and marketing firm based in London.