Class of 2016

Class of 2016 by Amber Rolfe Not sure what to expect after university? You’re not alone…Thousands of new grads are about to enter the job market this year, and with a wide range of options seemingly available when it comes to your career, it’s often tough to figure out what’s actually realistic.To help you gain some insight into the hopes and expectations of the class of 2016, we surveyed over 2000 current students and graduates with their career prospects in mind.Here’s what we found out:  Graduate expectations vs. realityThe gap between anticipated starting salaries and the actual pay on offer has narrowed over the past five years â€" making graduate expectations more positive than it was in previous years.In fact, since 2012, graduate salary expectations have risen by more than a third, from around £20k right up to just over £28k.The current estimate is only 1.4% more than the average graduate salary, which sits at £28,362 â€" meaning the class of 2016’s hopes and aspirat ions are almost completely in line with reality.Cue: sigh of relief from graduates nationwide.Three month planIt’s not just salary that’s making grads feel optimistic.Almost two thirds of those asked said they feel confident that they’ll be able to secure a job shortly after graduating, and 73% believe they will find work within three months of starting their job search.And with the majority (43%) of university leavers surveyed securing a job within only a month of graduating, the high expectations seem to ring true.  Relocation, relocation, relocationMinus Kirsty and Phil, plus jobs.With three quarters of those surveyed saying they’d be prepared to relocate for the right role, it seems that graduates are willing to (literally) go the extra mile to get the job they want.Unsurprisingly, London remains the best place for recent grads to head â€" with the capital boasting the highest density of graduate vacancies, closely followed by Manchester and Birmingham. Graduates working in London can also look forward to taking home an average salary of £30k.But this doesn’t mean you need to panic (or start packing) if you’d prefer a job further north. Although Liverpool comes 9th on the amount of graduate jobs they offer, they’re number one on average salary, with graduates in this area expecting to earn almost £34k.Brand vs. occupationWhen asked about brands they aspire to work for, the likes of Apple, Google, and the NHS came out on top for a number of grads. Virgin, John Lewis, and Microsoft were also popular choices, proving that for some grads â€" brand matters more than occupation.But this could be due to the face that many university leavers aren’t sure of the choices they have when it comes to graduate training and development.With just under half of the grads surveyed deciding not to apply for a graduate scheme, and 37% not knowing they were an option, it might be that some university leavers’ number one choices are based only on what they kn ow â€" not what’s really out there.What it’s like to work for Google  Money can’t buy happiness…oh waitIf you want to become an Accountant after university, you’re in luck. But do you know your worth?According to our data, graduates in this field have the highest earning power, with annual average starting salaries hitting just over £50k. That’s a lot of numbers for a lot of numbers…But even with such high salaries, aspiring Accountants are still undervaluing themselves â€" with the average anticipated salary sitting at a significantly lower value of £34,567.Grads in the construction and property sector are similarly underestimating what they’re capable of earning, with salaries on offer averaging £40,834.That’s 37% more than the £29,749 they expect.  No regretsFinally, the vast majority of those surveyed indicated that, even if they were given the chance, they wouldn’t do anything differently.In fact, only 11% of graduates would change their choice and decid e not go to university â€" if they could go back and do it all again.Although not everyone was happy with what they studied (with just over 41% saying they’d choose a different degree), most graduates were content with the overall experience and opportunities they achieved from studying â€" and 46% of grads wouldn’t change a thing.Still searching for your perfect position? View all graduate jobs now