You want a job in Advertising. Excellent choice.

You want to meet companies on campus to discuss your options. Ah.

Lots of Industries are really well represented on campus. Like banking, law and consulting. But if you're interested in the creative industries you're in trouble.

The Oxford Advertising Society got started for this very reason, as its president explains: if you want a career which doesn't involve wearing a suit then you're going to struggle to find information on campus.

A big hurdle for students is that it's actually very hard to establish which companies exist that can offer them a job. Few are household names, in fact most of them don't have names but funny acronyms. And if they're not on campus it's pretty much impossible to establish where to apply.

To help you all out, here's a starting list. Lots of Ad agencies who recruit grads, information resources for the industry and some marketing and advertising specific job boards. Aren't we lovely!

Happy hunting... 

P.S. To research your options don't forget our graduate jobs in advertising section.

www.brandrepublic.com

www.ipa.co.uk

www.agencyrepublic.com

www.amvbbdo.com

www.bartleboglehegarty.com

www.bmbagency.com

www.brothersandsisters.co.uk

www.chiandpartners.com

www.circuslondon.com

www.daredigital.com

www.ddblondon.com

www.dlkw.co.uk

www.eurorscg.com

www.fallon.co.uk

www.freud.com

www.gluelondon.com

www.grey.co.uk

www.hmdg.com

www.hurrellanddawson.com

www.irisnation.com

www.jwt.com

www.krowcommunications.com

www.leagasdelaney.com

www.leoburnett.com

www.loweworldwide.com

www.loweuk.com

www.mcbd.co.uk

www.mccann.co.uk

www.mcsaatchi.com

www.motherlondon.com

www.ogilvy.co.uk

www.piperprivateequity.com

www.rkcryr.com

www.saatchi.co.uk

www.stlukes.co.uk

www.tbwa.com

www.theredbrickroad.co.uk

www.vccp.com

www.wcrs.com

www.wklondon.com

Social networks. There can't be one of us that doesn't use one! But can they actually help in your hunt for graduate jobs?

Facebook, by far the most popular social network amongst students, is starting to be used by stacks of graduate recruiters but few go beyond a token presence. And perhaps more importantly, many students feel pretty uncomfortable about using a personal tool for for professional ends.

Which brings us to LinkedIn, a pure business networking tool. It should be a dream for students trying to stand out from their peers but it's surprising how many are stumped by it. Partly this is because it seems to work best for people who already have a professional network. It may also lack relevance for the biggest graduate employers who have more formal recruitment processes. But for the hundreds of small to medium sized companies often priced out of traditional campus recruitment, it's a different story. We recently stumbled upon this video which gives a really simple introduction into how to use LinkedIn and why it should be in every student's armoury in their hunt for graduate jobs.

Yes it's slightly U.S. focussed and yes it's from LinkedIn who naturally want you to join their network but it makes a pretty powerful point.

Have a watch and see what you think...

You might also want to check-out their blog 

If there's one thing we hear from employers it's the importance of internships - "a must for all top students" they say...

So what's the best way to land an Internship?
 
And how do you squeeze the most out of them?
 
We wanted to find out - here's a video of what we learnt. It includes advice from employers and experts on everything you could ever want to know about landing your dream Internship.  

Click the image below to watch the video on CareerPlayer... 

When speaking to employers, we're always interested to hear their thoughts on what makes some graduates stand out and others fall by the wayside. And it's uncanny how many say the same things.

What's reassuring is it's rarely related to some skill or attribute that's unachievable for all but the very best. It's almost always something basic. Very very basic. So much so that it can feel slightly too obvious to point out, even a bit patronising. But the fact is, it's the simple things (like making sure there are no spelling or grammatical errors on application forms), that crop-up over and over again and distinguish those most likely to progress and those that struggle.

From the employers we spoke to, the below clip highlights one of the most fundemental pieces of graduate careers advice you can't do enough of if you want to compete for the best graduate jobs... 

Over the last couple of years, we've been lucky enough to film loads of graduate recruiters. And looking through all our career videos there are some pretty strong themes. This is one of the first things we picked-up when chatting to graduate employers about the key skills they look for...

Reminds me of the adage "some people have a way with words...and some people not have way!" Looks like you need to make sure you're the former if you want to land the best graduate jobs. So get involved in anything that can help you demonstrate this key skill. It's going to be at the top of the competencies list for most graduate employers.

For more top tips check out the graduate careers advice section on CareerPlayer.

What do you do when you're feeling workshy and fancy a diversion from the to-do list?

Well, not so long ago we decided to shun a day in the office in favour of a morning coffee. This lead to a cheeky little brainstorm for video ideas, which lead to thinking about Valentine's day, which lead to coming-up with an idea, which lead to grabbing people from the street, dragging them into a room and filming this little promo!

Was great fun. We did the whole thing in a day and below is the result... 

Lots of application deadlines for graduate jobs this month as things hot-up towards the end of the year. Take a look below for a quick round-up of the hottest vacancies. And don't forget to checkout CareerPlayer for application tips, careers advice and insights into each of the sectors. Good luck!

Graduate Jobs in Finance
06.11.09 Watson Wyatt Financial Services Graduate Programme

06.11.09 Bank of America Banking and Investment Graduate Programme

08.11.09 Citi Banking and Investment Graduate Programme

08.11.09 J. P. Morgan Banking and Investment Graduate Programme

09.11.09 Hyman Robertson Financial Services Graduate Programme

12.11.09 Hewitt Graduate Finance Scheme

13.11.09 HSBC Banking and Investment Graduate Schemes

13.11.09 RBC Capital Markets Graduate Scheme

15.11.09 Barclays Capital Banking Graudate Schemes

15.11.09 Deutsche Bank Graduate Analyst Programme

16.11.09 Audit Commission Graduate Finance Scheme

Graduate Jobs in Management Consulting
06.11.09 The Boston Consulting Group Managment Consulting Graduate Programme

08.11.09 Monitor Group Managment Consulting Graduate Programme

11.11.09 Oliver Wyman Graduate Consultant

13.11.09 Diamond Graduate scheme

Graduate Jobs in IT
09.11.09 NYSE Graduate Scheme

(Send CV and Cover letter to nysetechnologies@gtisolutions.co.uk)

Graduate Jobs in Law
09.11.09 FSA Legal Trainee Scheme

Graduate Jobs in Marketing
09.11.09 Halfords Marketing graduate scheme

17.11.09 WPP Marketing Fellowship

If you're looking to break into advertising the chaps at AdGrads have done a sterling job pulling all of the agencies accepting applications into a simple list.

Check out their blog and good luck with the applications! Remember, advertising applications are pretty different to your bog standard competency based form. Try and be original and interesting. Agencies want people with spark - if you're too earnest you're probably going to be sidelined for someone who looks more interesting. Try and corner your mates for a brain storm about different ways to approach things. After all that's how most agencies start with a client brief.

For more information on advertising check out our vids:

Advertising Overview

Key Skills for Advertising

Top Tips for Advertising

We're never quite sure what to do with the amazing graduate career videos we shoot which become rather abruptly historic! Last year Lehman's dissapeared after we filmed with them and this year Renault F1 has gone through quite an upheaval shortly after we filmed Pat Symonds. I hope there's not a trend here...

Given all of the content is still relevant (and probably more entertaining in retrospect), we've decided that the blog is the natural home for our cutting room floor. So here' a short exerpt from Pat Symonds the 'ex' technical lead of Renaul F1 who gave us some insights into graduate jobs in engineering and motorsport.

As a recent graduate you may find searching for a job a struggle in the current economic climate. There are still jobs out there but they are harder to get because more people will be going for them. You will need to think about your job-hunting strategy a little more. Here are our top ten tips for recession survival.
 
Review your CV 

As the job market gets tougher, it's even more important to pay attention to the fundamentals. Companies will not bother with CVs that display typos and grammatical errors.  Think about the overall layout and emphasise relevant and interesting achievements.
 
Utilise several job search options
Take advantage of all career fairs and campus visits by employers. Use job boards and Prospects. Recruiters also work with Facebook and Twitter. On LinkedIn you can find the company you're interested in, look up the manager and email them to discuss an internship.
 
Use your university careers service 

Make sure you make the most of your university’s career service. You can access online resources, vacancy services and talk to an advisor to arrange work experience and review your longer term options. Usually you can use careers services up to two years after you graduate.
 
Have a Plan B
Be flexible about what you’re prepared to do. Don't be afraid to take a lower level job to get some experience. Also, consider brushing up on your languages. Many employers need graduates who can operate globally. Increasing the sectors and geographical area you are willing to work in will increase the opportunities available to you.
 
Consider paid or unpaid work experience
Get work experience, voluntary work, or any job that can build on your skills or give you the opportunity to shine. Temping could lead to a permanent job or you could negotiate a three month trial period with the company you want to work for. If you don’t take any action then you may struggle to find a job.
 
Use your contacts and network
When employers do hire in a recession, they tend to ask their employees for referrals to fill a job as it's cheaper than advertising. Make the most of your informal and formal networks. You can also speak to recruiters at campus fairs and employer presentations.
 
Apply early
When you see a job advertised, respond as quickly as you can. Even if a company doesn't specify a closing date, make sure your application reaches them as soon as possible. If you apply speculatively to employers who aren't actively recruiting then do it at least three months before you want to start.
 
Further study
You are applying for jobs where hundreds of applicants have good degrees. If you can show that you have taken your study a step further it may benefit you. Do not automatically consider returning to university as your first alternative when the job search gets tough, unless you believe it will add to your employability.
 
Consider setting up your own business
If you have ambition and a good idea, it's worth a try soon after you graduate. There is a lot of free information available on starting a business. Banks have useful information packs and Business Link also provides practical advice. Maybe we’ll see you on Dragon’s Den soon!
 
Take a break and travel
Employers are generally positive about graduates taking time out to travel or work abroad, but only if the experience benefits and skills are gained. If you want to start a graduate job on your return, you need to investigate application deadlines before you go.
 
Guest blog post by Nikki founder of My CV and Me - CV Writing offering high quality graduate CVs, cover letters and interview coaching.