WANTED: UK’s Best Undergraduates of 2012

Every day we are reminded that there are thousands of unemployed graduates, that the graduate job market is saturated and that competition for a job is fierce. In response to this we are being advised to undertake internships, have experience in the sector we want to work in, take part in societies at universities and so on. However there is something else that you can do to go that extra mile and make your CV stand out amongst others, and that is to become next year’s Undergraduate of the Year.

For the past two years, TARGETjobs has been running the Undergraduate of the Year Awards which are sponsored by some of the UK’s top employers. Each award is designed to recognise the most talented undergraduates in a range of academic disciplines. There are 12 awards in total, and each is sponsored by a leading graduate recruiter related to that academic discipline. These aim to identify the very best UK student in terms of their academic achievement, personal skills, intelligence and ability to succeed in the business world.

Just another award I hear you ask? Well, by taking part in these awards it will give you a perfect chance to stand out in the interview process, to tell employers about your experience and to demonstrate your motivation to succeed in your career right from the start.

Each year 10 finalists, for each award, are invited to attend a glamorous award ceremony where they will get to meet the employers again and a winner will be announced for each category. This year the award ceremony will take place on 13 April 2012 at the East Wintergarden, Canary Wharf. There are also some pretty amazing prizes up for grabs, ranging from summer internships, trips abroad to New York, Florida, the Netherlands and more, brand new laptops and tickets to the Olympics.

SO, if you think you have what it takes then what are you waiting for? Register now! Once registered for the award you will be passed through a rigorous selection process including online ability and competency tests followed by telephone interviews, assessment centres and scenario-based exercises, amongst others.

Sponsors for each award are:
Accountancy and Economics – Deloitte,
Business and Finance – Morgan Stanley
Construction Engineering and Design – Laing O’Rourke
Engineering – E.On
First Year of the Year – BT
Law – Mayer Brown
Low Carbon – EDF Energy
Management – Enterprise Rent-a-Car
Arts and Humanities – Barclays Wealth
Social Science – Royal Bank of Scotland Group
And Future Business Leader of the Year – Mars

The awards are now open for entries. To take part you simply have to visit www.undergraduateoftheyear.com , select your discipline and start the questionnaires. On an even better note you don’t have to complete the whole process at once, as it can be quite lengthy, so you can prepare yourself and give yourself time for each section.

This is a great opportunity for any graduates that are serious about their career and will bring you that extra step closer to achieving the career and job you desire. If you are looking for even more career advice or are currently on the job hunt for graduate jobs visit TARGETjobs for graduate jobs and work experience.