The amount of research undertaken to understand the needs and wants of today’s graduates would have us believe that students are a complex species, and a law unto themselves. But it seems that like most other job hunters,  graduates are more attracted to jobs that are interesting and/or offer good training and career progression than those which are merely well-paid.

Recent research found that around a fifth (19%) of graduates were attracted to their employer because the job sounded interesting, while around a sixth (16%) went for ‘leading organisations’ or those offering good opportunities for progression.

Location was also an important consideration for 13%, with organisations known to be good employers or offering good training appealing to 7%.  Perhaps surprisingly, only 6% of graduates claimed to regard salary as a draw.

This contrasts largely to pieces of research I have read over the last year regarding ‘Generation Y’ and their motivations within work stemming from money and an idealistic viewpoint of work/life balance. Therefore it’s good to see some research that shows graduates in a more realistic light for the current jobs market. This is mirrored by Graduate Prospects’ chief executive Mike Hill, “It’s refreshing to hear that graduates aren’t just seeking hard cash as a reward for putting in the hours, but are more likely to be stimulated by interesting roles that offer room for growth”.

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