TIPS & ADVICE
MOST POPULAR
ASPIRATION, EXPECTATION
& EMPLOYER SHOWCASES
FROM LEADERS
AND RISING STARS
EMPLOYERS
BY SECTOR
8t
hE
di
t io
n
20
19
/2
0
DIVERSITY
In association with
FOCUS ON TECH
IDEAS, INSIGHTS AND
INFORMATION
in partnership with
TOP LAW FIRMS
sponsored by
RANKED AND
ANALYSED
Students and graduates have voted for the
most popular graduate employers in the UK
UK
300
Research by
trendence
RESEARCH
WH
HERE
CUR
RIOUS
MIND
DS
MEET
LONDON OPEN DA
AYS
Y
Thinking about a career in law? Not sur
s e which firm
you’d most like to join? Come along to
o one of our open
days, and
d things could become a whole lot clearer.
This is yyo
our opportunity
pp
y to discover who we are and
what we do. To experience our friendlyy, welcoming
culture. To ask questions. And to get invaluable hints
and tips befor
b
e you apply to any of our schemes – or
for a Train
r ning Contract. During the dayy, you’ll meet our
trainees, lawyers and partners. They’ll fill you in on
what it’s like to work here. How it fee
els to be part of a
global firm
m that’s at the cutting-edge of
o corporate law.
If you like what you hear, this could be
e the start of an
exciting car
c eer journey with us. Not least because our
open day
d ys are a greatt stepping
t
i stone
t e when
h it comes
to making
g a formal application.
So, are you ready?
Lear n mo
ore at careers.cliffor
f dchanc
ce.com/ukgrad
ads
OPPORTUNITIES
FOR STUDENTS
AND GRADUA
ATES
As an elite, global law firm, we work on high profile deals.
But our culture isn’t elitist. It’s anything but. We’re commercial,
but approachable. And in our inclusive environment, what
counts is your potential – not what or where you’ve studied.
We know everyone’s different (we wouldn’t have it any other way). So you’ll always be free
to be you. After all, we can only create the best solutions for our clients – and the best
environment for our people – if we embrace bringing our whole selves to work. With us,
you’ll be empowered to be your best.
TRAINING CONTRACTS
All of our trainees rotate into our core areas.
We also offer client secondments,
secondments international
secondments and split-seat roles.
SUMMER VACATION SCHEME –
FOR PENULTIMATE YEAR STUDENTS
Y ’ll workk on reall projects.
You’ll
j
Hone
H
your networking
ki
skills. Learn plenty. Again, this could lead to the
offer of a Training Contract.
IGNITE – LAW TECH
TRAINING CONTRACTS
LONDON OPEN DAYS
Become a skilled lawyer with a focus on technology
and how it can shape the future of our profession.
Our open days are a great stepping stone when it
comes to making a formal application.
SPARK – OUR AWARD-WINNING
PROGRAMME FOR FIRST YEARS
ACCEPT
This is your chance to get ahead of the game.
Not least because it could ultimately see you
landing a Training Contract.
A dedicated Diversity & Inclusion conference for
LGBTQ+ students interested in a career in law.
INTERFACE
A conference designed for STEM students looking
to explore how their skills and knowledge could
transfer to a career in commercial law.
Follow us:
@CCGradsUK
/CliffordChanceGrads
/company/clifford-chance-llp
@cliffordchancecareers
/user/CliffordChanceGrads
WH
HERE
DIV
VERSE
MIND
DS
MEET
T
OP
PPORTUNITIES FOR LGBTQ+
STUDENTS AND GRA
ADUATES
T
Welc
come to a law firm where you’ll always be free
to be you. A firm where you’ll wo
ork with diverse
colle
eagues on diverse work. We know that we can
only
l create
t th
the b
bestt solutions
l ti
for
f r our clients
li t – and
the best
b
environment for our peop
ple – if we embrace
bringing our whole selves to worrk. It’s why we’re
so proud to be an early adopter of the UN’s push
to prromote equality for lesbian, gay
g , bi, trans and
intersex people in the workplace and beyond.
And why we were ranked 11th in 2018’s Stonewall
Workkplace Equality Index in the UK. We also run
ACC
CEPT – a dedicated conferen
nce for LGBTQ+
students,, created the LGBTQ+ Undergraduate
U
g
of the
Year
e r award and partner with Nattional Student Pride.
W ith
h us, you’ll be empowered to
o be your best.
So, ar
a e you ready?
Learr n more at careers.cliffor
f dchance.com/ukgrads
UK
300
2 0 1 9 / 2 0
The most comprehensive
survey of UK employers
and what students want
from their graduate
careers, plus the advice
you need to secure your
graduate job.
Edited by Abigail Lewis
Research by
trendence
RESEARCH
UK
300
Published by
UK 300 2019/20 | 1
Chartered Accountancy
is for big thinkers
Looking at things differently. Freeing your imagination.
Coming up with new ideas.
There’s a lot more to accountancy than numbers.
It’s a career that can take you into pretty much any industry
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£51k is the average salary
for an ICAEW Chartered Accountant with
0-2 years’ experience - so think big
when it comes to your earning potential.
ICAEW has 153,000 members in 148 countries
– so think big about your global network.
96 of the world’s 100 global leading brands
employ ICAEW Chartered Accountants - so think big
about the organisations you could work for.
83 of the FTSE 100 companies
have an ICAEW Chartered Accountant on their board
- so think big when it comes to career progression.
More than you’d imagine
icaew.com/careers
UK
300
Contents
30
78
S E C T I O N
164
1 56
4 246
243
6
7
32
3
Notes from the survey: key
results analysed page 9
How this survey will help your job hunt ......................10
The most popular employers are...................................13
Most popular employers by different demographics 15
A rollercoaster of a year..................................................16
S E C T I O N
2
Showcasing employers:
choosing the best workplace
for you page 19
Meet your employer match ..............................................20
BAE Systems: Planes, processes and
personal development ......................................................22
Clifford Chance: Sparking an interest in law ..................24
GCHQ: Where difference is welcomed..............................26
Royal Navy: A soaring career ............................................28
Skyscanner: The sky’s the limit ........................................30
47
S U P P L E M E N T
Focus on law
189
The trainee experience: ‘Having a seat at the table’ ........4
The partner experience: ‘Making a genuine difference’ ..6
The top law firms for 2019/2020 ........................................8
A changing of the guard ....................................................10
Tip top strategies for securing a training contract ........12
Career choices made easy with checklists ....................14
00
4 | UK 300 2019/20
1
125
196
7
Contents
UK
300
C O N T E N T S
S E C T I O N
3
S E C T I O N
The 300 most popular
graduate employers in the
UK page 35
The 300 most popular graduate recruiters 2019/2020..............36
S E C T I O N
4
Boosting your
employability page 41
When a degree isn’t enough... ..........................................42
Prepare for success in the recruitment process ..........44
Reach up for the stars: climb that
career ladder higher ..........................................................46
S E C T I O N
5
Accounting and financial
management ..........................50
Banking, insurance and
financial services ..................52
Charity and not-for-profit ......54
Construction, civil engineering
and surveying ........................56
Consulting................................58
Consumer goods –
manufacturing
and marketing ........................60
Energy and utilities ................62
Engineering, design and
manufacturing ........................64
Hospitality, leisure
and tourism ............................66
Spotlight on
technology page 89
How to choose the best tech employer for you, by BT................90
Where could technology take you? ..............................................92
Improving lives through tech ........................................................94
Turn any degree into a career in technology................................97
Back up your passion with evidence ..........................................100
Stand out from the job-hunting crowd ........................................103
S E C T I O N
Investment banking and
investment ..............................68
IT and technology ..................70
Law – barristers ......................72
Law – solicitors ......................74
Logistics, transport and supply
chain ........................................76
Media and advertising............78
Property ..................................80
Public sector............................82
Retail ......................................84
Scientific research and
development ..........................86
7
Rising stars page 107
Graduate employees give a glimpse into their
working lives and share the top tips they wish
they’d been given when starting out.
S E C T I O N
The top employers
by career sector page 49
6
8
View from the top page 129
Leaders and managers reflect on their career
paths and tell you what they look for in graduate
recruits.
S E C T I O N
9
Graduate employers
in detail page 137
A–Z index of advertisers ..............................................................137
S E C T I O N
1 0
The 300 in brief page 381
All 300 employers briefly described.
A–Z index of advertisers ..............................................................413
UK 300 2019/20 | 5
Sign in/register to:
Organise your job search
Get headhunted
Receive job alerts
@TARGETjobs
@TARGETjobs.co.uk
@TARGETjobsUK
Delivered by
Notes from the survey
S E C T I O N
UK
300
1
Notes from
the survey: key
results analysed
How this survey will help your job hunt ......................10
The most popular employers are...................................13
Most popular employers by different demographics 15
A rollercoaster of a year..................................................16
UK 300 2019/20 | 9
UK
300
Notes from the survey
METHODOLOGY
How this survey will
help your job hunt
A whopping 74,746 students completed our survey on university
students’ attitudes to employers and job hunting, making it the biggest
and most comprehensive investigation into the subject to date.
I
f you aspire to work for a
leading graduate employer,
you need a strategy. This
does not necessarily mean
that you need to have decided on the
exact role, sector or employer from
the outset – in fact, the best strategies
allow you to explore, amend and
confirm your choices as you go
along. What it does mean is
accessing all of the resources
available to you at university and
outside it; taking part in activities to
enhance your skills and strengths;
creating a shortlist of ‘target’
employers; and tailoring your
applications appropriately.
This publication is designed to
help you create your strategy. You
will be able to glean more than
sufficient insights from the following
pages to identify your next actions.
This year, we asked Trendence UK
to conduct a survey of university
students’ attitudes to employers and
job hunting. Now we reveal not only
the top 300 graduate employers in
the UK but also the top ten
employers in 19 different career
sectors and among different student
demographics, such as gender
identities and ethnic backgrounds.
In addition to commissioning the
survey, we interviewed more than
30 successful graduate-level and
executive employees from a selection
of these companies to discover how
they got to where they are.
The survey methodology
The survey is the most
comprehensive picture of students’
feelings about employers. Trendence
UK’s Graduate Survey 2019 was
open for responses from 17
September 2018 to 14 January 2019;
74,746 students took part. Firstly,
the survey requested respondents to
declare a broad career sector in
which they were interested. Secondly,
they were provided with a list of
employers and were asked to deselect
those about whose employment
opportunities they knew nothing.
Thirdly, they ranked the remaining
employers in terms of their
attractiveness. Finally,
they ranked a top three.
Once collected, the data was
weighted by the size of the university
based on the Higher Education
Statistic Agency’s (HESA’s) figures to
ensure that findings are accurate and
representative. When we reference the
degree subjects studied by survey
respondents, we have followed the
same subject classification that HESA
uses: go to www.hesa.ac.uk to
discover how your subject has been
categorised.
Who took part?
• 32% of survey respondents were in
their first year, 20% were in a middle
year, 36% were finalists and 11% had
already obtained a degree.
• 62% of survey respondents identified
as female, 37% as male; the remaining
1% identified as non-binary or other, or
preferred not to say.
• 85% identified as straight, 7% as
bisexual, 3% as gay and 1% as other;
the remainder preferred not to say.
• 62% identified as white, 23% as Asian
or Asian British, 7% as black/African/
Caribbean, 5% as coming from
mixed/multiple ethnic groups,
2% as Arab/Arab Scottish/Arab British
and 2% as coming from another
ethnic group.
• 15% identified as having a disability
and 85% as not having a disability
according to the Equality Act 2010
legal definition.
NB: Percentages have been rounded.
10 | UK 300 2019/20
Notes from the survey
UK
300
Develop your strategy with
each section of this
publication
• Turn over for an overview of the 300
most popular employers and
students’ preferences.
• Section two advises you on choosing
between top employers. Five leading
employers give you an insight into
working life and opportunities with
them.
• Section three has the full list of the
top 300 employers.
• Section four gives you advice on how
to be the best graduate applicant and
employee.
• Section five focuses on our 19
individual career sectors, identifying
the top employers in each, along with
students’ attitudes and the actions
they are taking to secure
employment.
• Section six shines a spotlight on
technology careers. Sponsored by BT,
it explores how graduates from any
discipline can find a satisfying
technology career.
• Section seven contains 20
interviews with graduate employees
who have been identified as ‘rising
stars’ in their organisations. Read
about their job-hunting experiences
and how they’ve impressed so early
on in their careers.
• Section eight features five ‘views
from the top’, in which successful
managers and leaders look back on
their careers and advise you on how
to make the most of yours.
• Section nine contains advertising
profiles of employers who actively
want to hear from you.
• Section ten provides a summary of
each of the top 300 employers.
• Our pull-out supplement on the
solicitors’ profession reveals the top
law firms (as voted for by students).
Sponsored by Clifford Chance, it can
help you choose the best law firm for
you.
UK 300 2019/20 | 11
YOU MIGHT THINK DIFFERENTLY.
But that’s why you’ll fit in.
At GCHQ, we work closely with other intelligence agencies to keep the nation safe. We work against
unique, complex threats – everything from terror plots to cyber-attacks. It’s challenging work that relies
on people with unique perspectives. That’s why we’re always looking for talented individuals who come
from different backgrounds. Because for us, having a diverse workforce isn’t a box ticking exercise, it’s
essential to our work. Who you are keeps the nation safe.
To find out more about our variety of roles, please visit www.gchq-careers.co.uk
@GCHQ
@GCHQ
01100111 011
00011 011010
00 01110001
Notes from the survey
UK
300
The most popular employers are...
We present the most popular graduate recruiters... overall and by how students identify
their gender, ethnicity and sexuality, as well as by whether they have a disability.
1
2
3
4
5
Google is once again students’ favourite employer, leading our survey for an
unprecedented fifth year running. Interestingly, it does not top the list of those students
who selected non-binary as their gender identity; for them, it came in at number 3 instead.
However, it may be that these survey respondents were more interested in the media:
Penguin Random House and Channel 4 took their top two places.
Cancer Research UK retains its number 2 position in the overall survey for the fourth year
in a row. In fact, it comes in second with all of our different student demographic groups,
except for those who selected non-binary or male as their gender identity; they ranked the
charity as fourth and tenth most popular respectively.
Amazon climbs one place this year to reach number 3 in the overall survey. It features in
the top tens of all of our different student demographic groups, but in various positions. It
does particularly well among those students who identified as male, who ranked it second
under Google. In contrast, those who identified as females placed it in sixth position and
those who identified as non-binary had it in ninth.
MI6 swapped places with Amazon this year to fall to fourth place in the overall survey. It
features in the top tens of many of our different student demographic groups, but not of
those students from Asian, black/African/Caribbean and Arab ethnic backgrounds. It is
more popular with students who identified as female (who ranked it fifth) than with those
who identified as non-binary or male (who ranked it sixth and seventh respectively).
GSK holds on to its fifth position slot in the overall survey this year. It is particularly
popular with students who identify as female or as coming from a black/African/Caribbean
ethnic background, both of which groups ranked it as their third most popular employer.
Notably, however, the pharmaceuticals company does not make the top tens of those
students who selected male or non-binary as their gender identity.
Turn to page 35 for a full list of the top 300 employers.
Turn to sections nine and ten to find out more about the graduate opportunities at these employers.
UK 300 2019/20 | 13
UK
300
Notes from the survey
6
7
8
9
10
Channel 4 Television retains its position as the sixth most popular employer this year. It is
particularly popular among students who identified as being non-binary, as being lesbian,
gay or bisexual*, or as having a disability; these groups ranked it as either second or third.
In contrast, it did not reach the top ten for those students who identified as male, as
straight or as being from an Asian or black/African/Caribbean ethnic background.
J.P. Morgan makes it into the overall survey’s top ten this year, after spending the past two
years just outside of it at position 12. The bank is particularly popular with students who
identified as male (who placed it at number 3 on their list) and as being from an Asian
ethnic background (who ranked it at number 4). It also made the top tens of those who
identified as straight and as being from a black/African/Caribbean ethnic background.
Microsoft climbs to position 8, having fallen to 13th last year. This is a return to form for
the IT giant, as they had been voted seventh most popular employer the year before. This
year, Microsoft fares especially well with students who identify as male; they place it fifth
on their list. It also makes it on to the top ten lists of those who identify as straight
(seventh) and those from a mixed/multiple (eighth) and Asian (ninth) ethnic background.
The engineering company, which works across the civil aerospace, defence, power
systems and nuclear sectors, climbs two places to creep into the top ten this year. In
terms of gender preferences, it is particularly popular among those students who
identified as male, for whom it comes in at number 4; it does not make the top ten lists of
those who identified as female or as being non-binary.
This is PwC’s first appearance in the top ten of the overall survey since the 2014/2015
survey; for the past couple of years it has sat staunchly at positions 13 and 14. This year, it
ranks most highly with Asian students, who made it their fifth most popular employer. It
also crept into the top tens of those students who identified as straight and those from a
black/African/Caribbean ethnic background.
Turn to page 35 for a full list of the top 300 employers.
Turn to sections nine and ten to find out more about the graduate opportunities at these employers.
*See asterisk on page 17.
14 | UK 300 2019/20
Notes from the survey
White
Most popular
employers by
different
demographics
Male
Rank
2019/20 Employer
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Mixed/multiple ethnic groups
Google
Cancer Research UK
Amazon
GSK
AstraZeneca
British Airways
Arup
IBM
Jaguar Land Rover
BP
Heterosexual/straight
Rank
2019/20 Employer
Rank
2019/20 Employer
Rank
2019/20 Employer
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Google
Amazon
J.P. Morgan
Rolls-Royce
Microsoft
Goldman Sachs
MI6 – Secret Intelligence Service
Jaguar Land Rover
Airbus
Cancer Research UK
Female
Google
Cancer Research UK
Amazon
Channel 4 Television
MI6 – Secret Intelligence Service
GSK
Rolls-Royce
Microsoft
Unilever
adidas Group
Asian or Asian British
Google
Cancer Research UK
Amazon
GSK
MI6 – Secret Intelligence Service
J.P. Morgan
Microsoft
Rolls-Royce
PwC
Goldman Sachs
LGB
Rank
2019/20 Employer
Rank
2019/20 Employer
Rank
2019/20 Employer
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Google
Cancer Research UK
GSK
Channel 4 Television
MI6 – Secret Intelligence Service
Amazon
Penguin Random House
Unilever
MI5 – The Security Service
British Airways
Non-binary
Google
Cancer Research UK
Amazon
J.P. Morgan
PwC
Deloitte
GSK
Goldman Sachs
Microsoft
Rolls-Royce
Black/African/Caribbean
Google
Cancer Research UK
Channel 4 Television
Penguin Random House
MI6 – Secret Intelligence Service
The Civil Service Fast Stream
Amazon
MI5 – The Security Service
GSK
GCHQ
Identified as having a disability
Rank
2019/20 Employer
Rank
2019/20 Employer
Rank
2019/20 Employer
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Penguin Random House
Channel 4 Television
Google
Cancer Research UK
GCHQ
MI6 – Secret Intelligence Service
Oxfam
The Civil Service Fast Stream
Amazon
NHS Leadership Academy
Google
Cancer Research UK
GSK
British Airways
Amazon
J.P. Morgan
Deloitte
Rolls-Royce
Unilever
PwC
300
Arab, Arab Scottish or Arab British
Rank
2019/20 Employer
Google
Cancer Research UK
MI6 – Secret Intelligence Service
Channel 4 Television
Amazon
MI5 – The Security Service
GSK
Penguin Random House
The Civil Service Fast Stream
Rolls-Royce
UK
Google
Cancer Research UK
Channel 4 Television
MI6 – Secret Intelligence Service
Penguin Random House
The Civil Service Fast Stream
MI5 – The Security Service
GSK
Amazon
Teach First
UK 300 2019/20 | 15
UK
300
Notes from the survey
A rollercoaster of a year
While the top five employers have remained stable, there have been some massive
changes elsewhere, with some employers riding high and others dipping low.
nusually, there are very few
trends across different
career and industry sectors
to pinpoint this year. Very
few sectors seem to have done better
than any others; in fact, when taken
as a whole, many sectors have had
mixed fortunes, with some employers
rising significantly in the ranks and
others falling. This suggests that, in
our overall survey at least, students
are not gravitating to a particular
sector this year.
U
Ups and downs
As an example of the differences
within sectors, many investment
banks and investment management
companies have increased their
rankings, but not all. J.P. Morgan, as
we have seen, has climbed
into the top ten and
BlackRock,
Citi, Credit
Suisse,
Deutsche
Bank,
Fidelity International, Goldman
Sachs, HSBC, Morgan Stanley and
Nomura have all moved upwards.
The Bank of America (referenced in
the survey as Bank of America
Merrill Lynch), Barclays, Lloyds
Banking Group, the Royal Bank of
Scotland Group and Société Générale
slipped downwards, however.
Along similar lines, there remain
a good number of public sector
organisations in the top 300. What’s
more, GCHQ, MI5, MI6 and the
Civil Service Fast Stream all feature
in the top 20. However, whether
public sector organisations have
moved up or down in the rankings
varies. The Ministry of Defence
(MoD) and its Defence Engineering
and Science Group (DESG) have
both risen in the ranks considerably
– the MoD by 25 places and the
DESG by an impressive 121 places.
However, while the Royal Navy
increased its standing by four places,
the Royal Air Force fell by three
places and the British Army lost 28
places. In addition, while GCHQ
rose by 19 places, MI5 fell by two
places and MI6 by one.
The Civil Service Fast Stream,
the National Graduate Development
Programme for local government
associations and the NHS Leadership
Academy all made it comfortably
into the top 40, but, coming in at
numbers 16, 32 and 36 respectively,
they are down on last year. The
graduate programmes for social
workers and the police (Frontline
and Police Now) also fell: Frontline
by four places and Police Now, a
new entrant last year, by
32 places.
The employers with the big moves
These are the employers that have risen the highest number of places in
this year’s survey.
• In the entire top 300: DESG
• In the top 100: Linklaters
• In the top 20: GCHQ
The Ministry of Defence’s Defence Engineering and Science Group
climbed the highest number of places, rising a massive 121 notches to
reach number 124. The construction group Morgan Sindall also role an
impressive 58 places to number 180, while investment company
Fidelity International moved up 56 places to reach number 169. Within
the top 100, law firm Linklaters advanced the greatest number of
places, rising from number 130 to number 87 this year. GCHQ,
meanwhile, squeezes into the top 20, having risen 19 places.
16 | UK 300 2019/20
Notes from the survey
Riding high
There are exceptions to these mixed
fortunes, however. The Big 4
professional services firms have
definitely had a good year. PwC, as
noted previously, has made it into
the top ten; Deloitte has risen two
places to reach number 14; KPMG
retains its position in the overall
survey at number 24; and EY rises
three places to reach number 26.
The pharmaceutical and
healthcare companies seem to be
growing in popularity. GSK triumphs
at number 5 and, elsewhere within
the top 40, AstraZeneca has moved
up six places to number 21 and
Pfizer up one to number 37. Roche
has climbed a considerable 38 places
to rank as number 93 and Merck has
jumped 26 places to number 112.
Abbott UK has also risen 19 places
and RB 39 places. McKesson UK
(referenced in the survey as Celesio)
is also a new entrant to the 300 list
this year, coming in at position 242.
New attractions
There are 18 new entrants to the list
of the top 300 employers, five more
than last year. Perhaps this is because
there have been multiple acquisitions
and administrations over the last
year, potentially ‘opening up’ spots
previously taken by now defunct big
names. Notably, two property
employers have made it into the top
300 list for the first time ever: Savills
at position 183 and CBRE at 224.
A significant number of the
remaining newcomers are related in
some way to engineering, technology
and aerospace. For example, Boeing
is the highest new entrant at number
55; aerospace, defence and security
company Leonardo comes in at
number 171; and WSP and Bechtel
join on the construction/engineering
side. Space telecommunications
company Inmarsat also enters the
list at 268, along with software
companies such as TPP, Softwire and
Symantec (which rank at positions
262, 280 and 297 respectively).
On the finance side, Visa and NFU
Mutual enter at numbers 123 and
253, while three law firms also join
or return to the list.
Be confident in your choices
The employers that feature within
this publication are, by and large,
established graduate recruiters that
are interested in ambitious graduates
from all possible backgrounds. Do
not feel that any employer is beyond
your reach; the employers to which
you apply should only be limited
by your personal preferences.
Use this publication to
identify the employers
that best match your
values and career
aspirations.
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Demographic
differences
While many of the same employer
names appear in all of our different
student demographics’ top tens, there
are some variations. For example,
many of the employers featuring on
the lists of students who identified as
non-binary, LGB* and having a
disability are either not-for-profits,
public sector organisations or media
companies. Meanwhile, engineering
and finance companies featured
prominently in the list of those who
identified as male. Most students from
a non-white ethnic background did not
list one of the security services in their
top ten; only those from a mixed or
multiple ethnic group placed MI6 at
position 5. Students from an Asian and
black/African/Caribbean were also
more likely to have finance employers,
including the Big 4, in their list than
students from other ethnic
backgrounds,
* This year’s survey asked respondents to identify their
gender as male, female, non-binary, other or prefer not
to say. It did not ask students whether they consider
themselves/identify as trans. Survey respondents
were also asked whether they identified as
heterosexual/straight, gay/lesbian, bisexual, other and
given the option not to say.
UK 300 2019/20 | 17
WHERE
W
DR
RIVEN
MIN
NDS
MEET
SPARK
A
OUR AW
WARD-WIN
A
NNING
PROGRAMME FO
OR FIRST YEARS
This is an opportunity to lear n – but in a very different kind of
classroom. It’s a chance to find a role that will challenge
g yyou
– in a law firm you’ll love. This is where you find out who you could
become. Meet people who are down to earth but also inspira
ational.
This is your time to forge your future. And to get ahead of the
e
game. Not least because it co
ould see you landing
a Training Contract.
So, are you ready?
Lear n more at careers.cliffordchance.com/ukgrads
d
Follow us:
@CCGradsUK
/CliffordChanceGrads
/company/clifford-chance
e-llp
@cliffordchancecareers
/user/CliffordChanceGrad
ds
?
UK
300
Showcasing employers
?
S E C T I O N
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
2
Showcasing
employers:
choosing the best
workplace for you
?
?
Meet your employer match ..............................................20
BAE Systems: Planes, processes and
personal development ......................................................22
?? ?
Clifford Chance: Sparking an interest in law ..................24
GCHQ: Where difference is welcomed..............................26
Royal Navy: A soaring career ............................................28
Skyscanner: The sky’s the limit ........................................30
?
?
?
UK 300 2019/20 | 19
UK
300
Showcasing employers
Meet your employer match
Taking a ‘quality over quantity’ approach to applications will improve your chances of
securing your first graduate job within a workplace that really suits you.
he secret to a successful
application to an employer
that will give you the best
possible start to your career
is to prioritise quality over quantity.
Rather than taking a scattergun
approach and applying to every
employer in sight, focus on a select
few organisations that you really
want to work for. This will give you
the time to put together the kind of
applications recruiters love: wellresearched, tailored and full of
genuine reasons for wanting to work
for the employer. It will also give you
the headspace to put your best efforts
into their online tests, a stage at which
recruiters tell us many candidates fall
down. On a pragmatic note, cutting
down the number of applications will
also make your job hunt more
manageable.
To decide which employers to
focus on, create a list of potential
‘target’ employers, rank them
according to what is most important
to you and then shortlist between
three and five employers that top the
list. Once you’ve made the strongest
possible applications to those few, you
can move on to your next five if you
need to.
T
Collate your criteria
But what is most important to you?
Essentially, it comes down to what
you value and what you want to
achieve from working life. If that’s too
much to consider, just focus on the
next two years (one to two years is
the amount of time that the highest
number of students surveyed, 49%,
expect to stay in their first job).
• What do you want to get out of
your first job and what kind of
20 | UK 300 2019/20
workplace will help you achieve it?
Some graduates may want to try
out different roles or specialisms to
work out what suits them; others
may want to be ‘trained up’ in an
area or skill; and those wanting to
work in certain sectors might look
for the support to gain necessary
professional qualifications.
• In what kind of working
environment would you thrive?
This is more than the size of the
employer; what motivates you and
makes you feel valued? For some
graduates, it’s the friendliness of
colleagues or receiving regular
feedback and thanks; for others, it’s
a high salary and a tailored benefits
package; and for still others it’s
sharing the employer’s values and
agreeing with their core function.
• Is location important to you?
Maybe you want to – or have to –
work in a particular area, or
perhaps you’re willing to relocate
to anywhere. Some employers will
want you to move to different
locations (within the UK or abroad)
during their graduate programmes.
If you’re unsure how to answer
these questions, you could take
inspiration from other students.
Opposite we list the top ten factors
that our survey respondents thought
‘very important’ when choosing
between employers: you can see that
the top three are focused on gaining
the skills, knowledge and
opportunities to learn and progress.
However, consider what each of
these factors mean to you. Some
graduates might define ‘good career
prospects’ as having a structured
career ladder up the business, for
example, while others might think of
the factor in terms of how working
for a prestigious employer could
enhance their CV for future
employers. Once you have your
answers, identify what factors are
most important to you and where
you might be prepared to
compromise.
Wanted! An
employer with...
Respondents to the Graduate Survey
2019 were asked to say how important
different factors were when choosing
between employers; these are the top
ten of those that were ranked ‘very
important’.
Good career prospects: 69%
Personal development: 66%
Training and
development: 64%
Good work/life balance: 58%
Being appreciated
at work: 55%
Diversity/equal
opportunities: 54%
Job security: 53%
Good employer
leadership style: 52%
Friendly colleagues: 49%
Attractive job/
work tasks: 44%
Showcasing employers
Find your employer match
You can do some research to find out
about employers and assess how they
meet your criteria: start with this
publication, move on to their
websites, social media channels and
then view employee review sites such
as the Insider Reviews section on
targetjobs.co.uk. However, also take
opportunities to speak to employees
at careers events or contact them via
LinkedIn.
Start your shortlist
You can see the full list of the top
300 employers from page 35, but in
the meantime these employers want
to share with you reasons why they
think they make good employers:
• A graduate from BAE Systems
explains how she has developed
personally and professionally on
her graduate programme.
• Two students outline what they
have learned about law and their
UK
300
future career direction through
Clifford Chance’s work experience
programme.
• Professionals from GCHQ describe
how the organisation has created a
diverse and inclusive culture.
• Sub-Lieutenant Dave Guest
explains how the Royal Navy
has turned him into a leader.
• The chief technology officer of
Skyscanner explains how they are
transforming the travel industry.
Size of organisation
I’d work for:
I plan to look for
my first job:
 Large international company/firm 28%
 At my place of study 20%
 Large UK-based company/firm 15%
 At my original home region 26%
 Small/medium-sized enterprise (SME) 16%
 Across the UK 42%
 Any of the above 33%
 Abroad 12%
 Don’t know 8%
UK 300 2019/20 | 21
UK
300
Showcasing employers
EMPLOYER SHOWCASE
Planes, processes and
personal development
Jane Eccles, a manufacturing graduate at BAE Systems,
explains how her graduate programme has developed her.
oining BAE Systems is one
of the best decisions I’ve
made,’ manufacturing
graduate Jane Eccles says.
‘I’ve learned more about what I
enjoy and where I want to take my
career – and my confidence has
grown too.’ Jane is just about to
finish her two-year graduate
programme at BAE Systems and
specialises in manufacturing within
the company’s air business.
She graduated from Leeds
University with a BEng in medical
engineering in 2016. ‘I didn’t have to
go into a medical field with my
degree,’ she says. ‘I applied to BAE
Systems because, being a leading
defence and security company, it was
a given that they would be working
on the cutting edge. The products I
discovered during my background
‘J
research were really exciting.’ Jane
actually can’t give away too much
about the precise details of what
she’s working on, but confirms that
the technology and products more
than live up to her background
research.
Developing graduates
The graduate programme Jane is on
is structured around four placements;
graduates start in their original
function but have a choice over the
others. ‘I know that many of my
fellow graduates do choose to try
different things, but I chose to stay
within manufacturing,’ says Jane.
‘I wanted to stay in Lancashire for
personal reasons and I just knew that
manufacturing was right for me –
but I always knew that I could try
something else if I wanted to.’
Jane’s time on her rotations has
given her a good overview of
manufacturing. Her placements
involved: looking at manufacturing
strategy and future developments
across the business and products as a
whole; working on the transition of
manufacturing processes; and
working on research and
development projects. In addition,
she has taken part in bespoke
graduate training courses, has
participated in ‘stretch’ assignments
that has seen her go into universities
Typhoons and Lightning: taking aircraft
manufacturing by storm
You may well know that BAE Systems is one of the UK’s largest defence and security
companies, but did you know that it is one of the largest manufacturing employers too? In
the air business, one key manufacturing programme is the Typhoon, one of the world’s most
advanced combat aircrafts. BAE Systems is responsible for the production of various parts of
the aircraft including the front fuselage, foreplanes, windscreen and canopy, as well as the
final assembly of all UK Typhoons.
Another key manufacturing programme is the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter, an allweather attack aircraft that can operate from land and sea. BAE Systems has developed the
aircraft’s vertical and horizontal tails, and led on the static and fatigue testing.
Graduates make real contributions to these products. Jane is currently working in the
Typhoon major unit test team. ‘The site that I’m currently working on has a runway where the
Typhoons take off and it really brings home what I do for a living,’ she says.
The Typhoon.
22 | UK 300 2019/20
Showcasing employers
UK
300
Find out more about BAE Systems on
pages 172–173.
The F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter.
as an ambassador, and has been
working towards her professional
registration as an engineer. ‘There are
so many opportunities that you are
offered here and they are all
fascinating,’ she says. We asked her
to share her highlights from the
scheme and the lessons she picked up
along the way.
I’VE BEEN IMPRESSED
BY THE AMOUNT OF
RESPONSIBILITY I’VE
BEEN GIVEN.
Jane
Jane on… being trusted with work
‘I’ve been given real work from day
one; in my first day I was in a project
meeting. My teams have varied in
size from four to 15 and I’ve been
the only graduate – but I was never
treated as “the graduate” but as an
equal member of the team.
‘One of my highlights has been
when I was given an R&D project to
lead. I was introduced to the project
when I started the placement and
was allowed to run it by myself,
asking for support and guidance
when I needed it. A lot of the role
involved project management,
keeping everyone informed and
updated on progress, and I was
impressed by the amount of
responsibility I was given.’
Jane on… accessing a network
‘I have a “professional” mentor who
is there to help me with meeting the
required competencies for my
professional registration, but I have
lots of unofficial mentors too.
There’s a real culture of being able to
say hello to everyone here. The
graduate programme is so versatile
and brings you into contact with so
many different professionals – from
apprentices to directors – that you
know who to go to for different
things. I’m still in touch with all of
my placement managers and it’s
great just being able to ask anyone
for their careers advice and for their
opinions.’
Jane on… professional development
‘In my first placement, I was in
meetings with senior directors and
managers from across the business,
gaining exposure to discussions that
you might not have ordinarily as a
graduate, and this was really good
for developing my communication
skills. However, the biggest thing I
learned on the scheme – and I can see
the difference from when I started to
now – was what time management
really means in the workplace. The
graduate programme really teaches
you how to prioritise and organise
yourself and manage your learning.
‘The graduate training course has
really helped me to understand
myself more, as well as the working
styles of different personalities. It has
helped me to push myself out of my
comfort zone.’
Jane on… making friends
‘Some of my best mates are graduates
and apprentices at BAE Systems.
Through the graduate scheme, I’ve
met graduates based as far apart as
Portsmouth and Glasgow and we all
stay in touch. When I joined BAE
Systems, I joined a big community.’
UK 300 2019/20 | 23
UK
300
Showcasing employers
EMPLOYER SHOWCASE
Sparking an interest in law
Clifford Chance’s SPARK work experience
programme is causing a buzz on campuses.
s one of the world’s preeminent commercial law
firms, Clifford Chance has
always prided itself on
being a pioneer, something that really
shows in its unique SPARK
programme. Open to first-year
students from all degree backgrounds
and universities, as well as secondyear students on four-year degrees, it
offers the opportunity to secure a
training contract (the two years of
on-the-job training required to
qualify as a solicitor) a year before
law students traditionally start to
apply for them.
‘The programme was a hot topic
among my fellow students,’ recalls
law student Oliver James, who
completed the programme in July
2017. ‘There was a buzz around how
you could get a training contract.
However, I also saw it as a brilliant
way to discover what a commercial
law career entails.’
A
London to Amsterdam
Over the course of a week, students
experience life at Clifford Chance
and its different practice areas
(specialisms), taking part in
interactive workshops and workshadowing opportunities. They even
visit one of the firm’s international
offices. They are paid £350 for the
week and there is a bursary to
provide financial assistance for those
that need it.
Law student Tyra Ntege, who
attended SPARK in June 2018 says:
‘I don’t think there are many firstyear schemes that take you abroad –
let alone offer you so much access to
the work of the firm and its people.’
It’s no wonder that the programme
won the award for best work
experience programme at the
TARGETjobs National Graduate
Recruitment Awards, which celebrate
the best in early careers recruitment,
for two years running.
Training contracts sorted
Both Oliver and Tyra were offered
training contracts upon completing
the programme. ‘I was amazed,
happy and so relieved,’ Tyra says.
‘This was the only firm I wanted to
work for.’ Oliver was also pleased:
‘It means that you have to focus less
on your career for the rest of your
degree. Without job-hunting stress,
I had a really nice two years.’
24 | UK 300 2019/20
Tyra
Second-year law
student at the
University of Kent
I
came across Clifford Chance when I
took part in a series of careers
programmes aimed at BAME
students. The head of graduate recruitment
spoke about how the firm is passionate
about increasing diversity and making sure
that opportunities are accessible to all. She
admitted that they weren’t yet where they
wanted to be, but I saw that there was a
genuine willingness to change.
Law for one and law for all
The recruitment process was rigorous –
they set the bar high because of the
possibility of gaining a training contract, but
the recruiters were interested in me as a
person. Sometimes I think students don’t
realise that they can apply to a top-tier law
firm. Since completing the programme, I’ve
met students who told me they counted
themselves out of applying because of their
socio-economic or ethnic background. I’d
encourage you not to do yourself out of an
opportunity; after all, I’ve found my place at
Clifford Chance.
Being talked into tax
I got a lot out of the practice area talks,
where a partner or senior associate
explained their group and had their
department join us for networking and a
case study session. Before that week, I
didn’t think I’d ever be interested in tax law,
but now I’m considering doing a seat
(rotation) in it during my training contract!
Showcasing employers
The world of law
Clifford Chance prides itself on having a ‘one
firm’ approach and how, wherever you go,
you encounter the same culture. Before
going to the Amsterdam office, I questioned
this but I saw that the firm practises what it
preaches. I saw that it was possible for me
to work as easily from an international
office as I could in London.
An activity during our Amsterdam trip has
stayed with me. We had a skills session with
an award-winning trainer about moving out
of your comfort zone. He explained how, at
first, he wasn’t comfortable giving
presentations and that he used to shake,
which surprised me because he came
across so well. This has now inspired me to
seek out opportunities to stretch myself.
DON’T DO YOURSELF OUT
OF AN OPPORTUNITY.
Investing in my future
The people at Clifford Chance made my
experience. The graduate recruitment team
were outstanding; I’ve not had that level of
engagement with any other employer.
Everyone at the firm seemed invested in us,
even before we had been offered training
contracts. The trainees I met were actively
helpful and offered practical tips.
I was among those in my cohort who asked
loads of questions. For example, a lawyer in
one of our talks was pregnant and the girls
in our group asked her about what working
in the City is like when you are pregnant
and whether she felt supported; I didn’t feel
that she held back in her answers. I think
the firm was keen for us to get all the
answers needed because it was valuable
for us to make the right career decisions.
Oliver
Final-year law
student at UCL
T
he best thing about Clifford Chance
is its people. I remember speaking
to a partner at a careers event
before I applied and asking him a million
and one questions; he answered all of them.
On the programme itself, I even had a casual
conversation with the managing partner;
realistically, he shouldn’t have had time for
me, but he found time and was genuinely
interested. The firm is very collaborative and
it’s not a dog-eat-dog culture.
Concentrating on clients
The culture of the firm really shone through
during the work-shadowing. We’d been
asked for our preferences on which team we
would like to experience prior to the week
and I sat in real estate with a senior
associate who let me listen in on a client
call. He was super-busy but made time to
give me a detailed brief and I got so much
more out of the call because of it.
Cutting-edge pro bono
Many aspects of the scheme were really
useful – for example, I didn’t know much
about the business side of a firm until that
week – but one aspect that stood out was
their pro bono work. I’d attended an amazing
talk by the head of Arcus, Clifford Chance’s
LGBTQ+ network, about how the firm was
working on a challenge to the UK
government’s refusal to issue non-gendered
passports. I’m now researching the topic for
my dissertation. I thought it was so cool that
UK
300
Find out more about opportunities at
Clifford Chance on pages 204–205.
this was something a commercial law firm
was doing for free – and the prominence of
Arcus showed me that this was somewhere I
could be my true self.
Dancing to Britney
Probably around half of my cohort studied
law and half came from a huge range of
other degree disciplines. That variety is
reflected throughout the firm – I met
lawyers who’d studied biology, medicine and
maths, for example. Some on the
programme have become my closest
friends: even though they are now in Paris,
York and Warwick, we talk daily. It’s lovely
knowing that I’ll be going into a job having
already made friends.
I’d say that the socials during the week were
exhaustingly fun! We got to do stuff that you
don’t usually get to do as a student:
everything from immersive theatre to going
to the club Bounce, known for Ping-Pong.
The firm wasn’t doing it to be flashy, but to
enable us to get a sense of what the firm
and its latest trainees are like in a more
relaxed environment.
I’ve since been invited back for further
socials. Probably the highlight was when I
went along to Clifford Chance’s box at the O2
to see Britney Spears. I was dancing along
to Britney with my friends and future
colleagues, all thanks to the firm!
A BRILLIANT
WAY TO DISCOVER
COMMERCIAL LAW.
UK 300 2019/20 | 25
UK
300
Showcasing employers
EMPLOYER SHOWCASE
Where difference is welcomed
GCHQ staff members share how their top secret work is enhanced by a diverse
and inclusive working environment, in which they can be their authentic selves.
CHQ has come a long way
from the days of Bletchley
Park; it now contends with
the most complex
challenges facing the UK today,
dealing with serious and organised
crime, counter terrorism, cyber
security, threats from hostile states,
and the support needs of defence
forces. To do so, it needs a diverse
range of talented people.
As the director of GCHQ says,
‘Diversity and inclusion is at the heart
of GCHQ’s mission and the
organisation we aspire to build. We
know if we get this right we will be
better at keeping the country safe;
there is no more powerful motivation.
As such, we are committed to making
GCHQ a place where we can all be
ourselves at work and better reflect
the society we serve. We’ve made great
progress in this endeavour and an
excellent reputation for our approach.
But we all know there is more to do.’
The head of equality, diversity and
inclusion (EDI) agrees with this: ‘We
have been, and continue to be on, a
journey to review and improve how
we approach all aspects of equality,
diversity and inclusion,’ they say.
G
Diverse and inclusive initiatives
In addition to the fair, robust and
supportive recruitment process that
the public sector is famed for, it
provides a welcoming environment
(and has support processes and
development opportunities in place)
for all of its employees.
26 | UK 300 2019/20
Here are just some of the
initiatives in place:
• Great value is placed on
maintaining a work/life balance.
Part-time and flexible working is
actively supported, for instance.
• Religious diversity is respected,
with an on-site prayer room and
celebration of different religious
festivals.
• It is a Disability Confident Leader,
is happy to make workplace
adjustments as required, and has
award-winning toolkits in place to
support employees with dyslexia
and dyspraxia, for example.
• Mental health first aiders are in
place and it has signed the ‘Time
to Change’ pledge to remove
stigma around discussing mental
health in the workplace.
• Leadership training includes
bespoke options for underrepresented groups of employees,
including those from a BAME
background.
• LGBTQ+ friendly initiatives have
previously been recognised by
Stonewall – it was one of their top
100 employers in 2018.
To help implement these initiatives
and to encourage the active
participation of its staff, GCHQ has
a number of employee networks,
including specific ones for disabled,
women and LGBTQ+ employees.
There is also a faith and belief
network and one that focuses on race,
ethnicity and cultural heritage.
A diverse mix of roles
At GCHQ, there are the vacancies one would
expect at an intelligence agency (including
positions as researchers, language analysts
and technology-specific roles in software
engineering and programming), but there
are also roles one would expect at a
standard corporation, such as
PR/communications and HR.
Graduate applicants need to be a British
citizen and to have lived in the UK for at
least five years. They can apply for any
of its roles, plus its future leader graduate
programme. One graduate who came
through this rotational programme has
worked as an analyst, as a staff officer to
a senior official informing national cyber
policy and has led counter-terrorist
operations.
Showcasing employers
UK
300
Find out more about GCHQ on pages
236–237.
GCHQ’s ‘Doughnut’ Cheltenham office lit up in PRIDE colours.
‘GCHQ has eight major affinity
groups, with several smaller subgroups,’ says the head of EDI. ‘Each
contains hundreds of members and
the difference is made when our staff
are proactive about creating the
organisation they want for the
future. For example, over 70 staff,
at all levels, from our race, ethnicity
and cultural heritage group have
recently made videos, sharing their
stories and personal items of
relevance to their background and
identity with colleagues.’ They add
that: ‘EDI is not a race issue, a
woman’s issue, a disability issue,
an LGBTQ+ issue or any specific
groups issue. It’s a human issue and
we are continuously working with
staff on finding ways to improve the
culture for the benefit of all.’
Being yourself
The head of EDI has been with
GCHQ long enough to see real
change. ‘As someone who is
LGBTQ+, I can still recall the lifting
of the bar on holding security
clearances for being lesbian or gay in
the mid-1990s,’ they say. ‘This led
the formation of a staff support
group for LGBTQ+ staff that is
now very well supported by both
LGBTQ+ staff and allies. Hearing
our then director acknowledging the
hurt that this “bar” had caused
colleagues who were not able to be
themselves at work during the
Stonewall conference in 2016 was
momentous.’
AN EMPLOYER WHO
SEES THE POSITIVES.
This is one of the reasons why
GCHQ is particularly proud of its
‘profoundly supportive’ policies for
people of all sexual orientations and
for trans and non-binary staff
members.
Recognising strengths
James was diagnosed with Asperger
syndrome while working at GCHQ.
‘I was encouraged to seek diagnosis
by GCHQ’s neurodiversity adviser,’
he says. ‘GCHQ has had a
specialised neurodiversity support
service for 20 years and has training
and detailed guidance available for
all staff.’
James points out that behaviours
that can come with Asperger
syndrome – such as attention to
detail and the ability to spot patterns,
trends and anomalies; being taskfocused; and logical, science-based
decision making – are crucial to
GCHQ’s work. James says. ‘This
could be one of the reasons why we
have always attracted a high number
of neurodiverse staff. My experience
could have been a different story if
I hadn’t found myself working for an
employer who saw the positives. It is
great to see the department leading
the way with education and looking
for more opportunities to deploy
neurodiverse staff in a way that
ensures their skills are best
employed.’
All walks of life
The staff at GCHQ admit that they
can’t reveal much about the exact
nature of their work, but it is clear
that the more diverse and complex
the threats to the UK, the more
opportunities there are for a variety
of people. ‘The reality is that we
come from all walks of life and
educational backgrounds,’ says the
head of EDI. ‘It’s the bringing
together of individuals with different
points of view and life experiences,
and from different ethnic and
religious backgrounds, that enables
us to be more than the sum of our
individual parts.’
UK 300 2019/20 | 27
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300
Showcasing employers
EMPLOYER SHOWCASE
A soaring career
A trainee pilot with the Royal Navy gives an insight
into his experiences and how serving in the forces
has changed him for the better.
fter clockwatching his way
through industrial
placements and other jobs,
Dave Guest felt he needed a
challenge – and there is nothing more
challenging than landing a
multimillion pound aircraft on the
deck of a moving vessel in extreme
environments. ‘The Royal Navy has
given me the skills to be comfortable
with new and unfamiliar situations
and to deal with them calmly and
effectively,’ says Dave, now a SubLieutenant and trainee pilot. ‘The
Navy gives you confidence but not
arrogance. It moulds you into a
better, more well-rounded person.’
The Royal Navy seeks to make
its employees ‘officers first’, which
means a world of personal
A
development, professional
development and a real sense of
purpose. ‘Quite often you come out
of university feeling motivated but
unsure about how you want to direct
it,’ Dave says. ‘The Navy harnesses
your sense of motivation and
unleashes your potential – what
I’m doing has real purpose.’
But what is that purpose? The
Royal Navy’s role is to protect and
serve the UK’s interests. This means
that – in whichever of the 21
different officer roles – you could
find yourself preventing conflicts,
intercepting drug traffickers, tackling
piracy or delivering aid in the wake
of disasters.
We asked Dave to take us through
some of the highlights of his time
with the Royal Navy.
Sub-Lieutenant
Dave Guest,
a trainee pilot
Graduated from the
University of the West
of England with a
degree in computer security in 2015;
joined up in 2016
I
always had it in the back of my
mind that I wanted to be a pilot, but
I went to university for the security
of having a degree and for the experience.
I undertook an industrial placement in
systems development and I soon realised
that being in an office wasn’t what I wanted,
but it gave me the kick I needed to apply to
the Navy. I’d thought always that the Royal
Navy had the best pilots – there is nothing
more challenging than landing on the deck
of a moving vessel in extreme
environments, in my view.
I compare being in the air to that sense of
freedom and responsibility you get when
you pass your driving test – but off the
scale. It’s so exhilarating and thrilling to
realise that you have control over millions of
pounds of kit. If you can say to yourself at
work that there are only a handful of people
doing what I am doing right now, it is a really
good place to be.
The application process
The application process involved various
fitness and recruitment stages, which all
culminate in the admiralty interview board
– the equivalent of a civilian assessment
day. Aspiring pilots do further tests, which
assess the raw skills required of aircrew
(hand – eye coordination, mental
arithmetic, verbal reasoning and so on).
28 | UK 300 2019/20
Showcasing employers
UK
300
Find out more about the Royal Navy on
pages 342–343.
The tests are intense – I remember coming
back on the train afterwards feeling drained
– but a lot can be done to prepare. For
example, you can refine your mental
arithmetic by using maths apps every day.
The training
For pilots, the training is meticulous and
takes a number of years. The Navy teaches
you to be officers first and aviators second.
Basic training starts in Dartmouth and
provides you with a comprehensive
introduction to Naval life. Next, you are
‘marinised’ (where you learn the seaborne
aspects, further develop leadership and
military planning skills and spend time on a
deployed vessel). Then you pass out as a
midshipman before going on to pilotspecific training packages. Even though it is
challenging, you’ve got a load of colleagues
doing it with you. If one of you is struggling
you all help out to get them up to standard.
A key assessment stage is the flying
grading when you get your first proper taste
of flying. It’s fast paced and demanding. You
need to pass this to go on to the next stage.
It is exhilarating, but there is a lot of selfinduced pressure to do well because this is
what you’ve been waiting for. I’ve found that
the tests during your initial application are a
good indicator of whether or not you’ll make
it. However, because you’ve done the basic
training, there are alternative roles available
in the Navy if you don’t.
Leadership is a critical skill and I’ve learned
about team dynamics, unconscious bias
and how human factors can affect
performance. I’ve naturally developed into a
person that other people look to for strong
direction, guidance and leadership.
Our elementary flying training teaches us
the flying basics – such as circuits and
aerobatics – and that’s great fun. However,
my biggest takeaway from that has been
captaincy skills: what kind of captain I want
to be. This is not something that is taught
but it is something you work out for
yourself – a combination of composure
under pressure, professional competence,
sound judgement and leadership.
The work
For my ship acquaint (my initial time on
a deployed vessel), I was on a helicopter
carrier and amphibious assault ship,
responsible for providing a continued
presence in the Gulf region alongside
partner nations. She was involved in
maritime security, anti-piracy and
humanitarian operations. I really enjoyed
being at sea – and the food’s good!
I’ve also worked in digital communications
at Naval Command, which included
designing new features for the websites
and managing social media accounts. I’ve
spent time at the Navy cyber branch, using
my degree. I didn’t expect that diversity of
roles, but it’s all about helping your
professional development.
Next I’m moving to another base for rotary
wing training on the Juno helicopters, which
will involve aspects such as night flying,
formations and low-level navigation. I’m
really looking forward to it. Long term, I’d
love to do a full commission as an aviator.
I want to become a flight commander and
I’d love to be an instructor in the future.
The perks
I get more annual leave than any of my
civilian friends for one! I also get two weeks
of adventurous training leave (and funding)
a year, which can be devoted to outdoor
activities. I’ve achieved paragliding,
climbing and skiing qualifications, for
example. I’ll earn a BSc in aviation systems
management from my flying training, and
I’ve gained a level 6 award in leadership and
management.
The people
I’m surrounded by intelligent, highly
motivated people from an eclectic mix of
backgrounds who want to get the best out
of life. I’d describe my colleagues as funny,
dependable and trustworthy – especially at
sea. There is such a strong bond; you go
through the same hardships and successes
and you don’t get frustrated, even if you are
in close proximity, because there is an ethos
that we are all in it together. I honestly feel I
could talk to my colleagues about anything.
UK 300 2019/20 | 29
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300
Showcasing employers
EMPLOYER SHOWCASE
The sky’s the limit
Skyscanner has always done things differently. George Goodyer,
the company’s chief technology officer, shows us how.
ike many of the best ideas,
Skyscanner started in the
pub. Frustrated by the
difficulty of finding and
booking cheap flights, founders
Gareth Williams, Barry Smith and
Bonamy Grimes felt that there must
be a way to do this differently. They
brainstormed the possibility of
creating a platform that collected,
collated and compared prices for all
commercial flights. And there’s no
doubt that the idea had wings.
Today, Skyscanner uses innovative
technology to help over 90 million
travellers a month find the best travel,
hotel and car hire deals. It employs
over 1,400 people across 11 offices.
But it has never lost its desire to do
things differently: in its business
strategy and culture, in its technology
and in its way of working. For
example, Skyscanner’s interns and
graduates (mostly, but not exclusively,
L
George Gillams, a
software engineer at
Skyscanner, who is
quoted on page 92.
30 | UK 300 2019/20
hired into engineering and tech roles)
aren’t held back from taking on
responsibilities while they are
inducted, as they often are in other
companies. They are treated the same
as any other new employee.
The UK 300 sat down with
George Goodyer, the company’s chief
technology officer (CTO), to find out
more about how Skyscanner’s
commitment to doing things
differently works in practice.
George on… winning the right way
‘What drew me to work at
Skyscanner was the culture. Even
though we want to win, we want to
win in the right way. Few companies
do that well and are sincere about it.
We always make decisions that put
our travellers first and our partners
second; only then do we worry about
the implications for our bottom line.
For example we don’t allow
commercial considerations to affect
what the traveller should see, nor do
we use scarcity or pressure tactics to
drive travellers to buy. We believe
this is the right way to operate, but
it’s also good business, as in the end
the trust of our travellers is at the
heart of our commercial success.
‘However, this is not just a lever
for customer retention. It’s about
doing the right thing. When we
introduced the quality score for our
travel partners (enabling travellers to
share their feedback and influence
how our partners – airlines and so on
– show up in the marketplace), it
improved the behaviour of our
partners. They had an increased level
of visibility into customer feedback
and they changed the quality and
clarity of their offerings to remain
competitive. This is one example of
how we are “disrupting” the
marketplace.
‘Perhaps surprisingly for a
company known for selling flights,
we are passionate about sustainable
travel and want to help minimise the
environmental impact. Here, too, we
feel that “winning the right way” is
both the right thing to do and good
business. We’ve taken some first
steps by highlighting greener choices
for travellers and offsetting our own
carbon footprint. We’re now
thinking about how to take it further
in partnership with the industry.’
George on… massive-scale tech
solutions
‘As an engineer, I love solving
massive-scale problems and, if you
look at how many millions of
travellers – not to mention our
partners – use our software, the
technology we have today won’t
be good enough for tomorrow –
even the stuff we’ve done that is
Showcasing employers
UK
300
Find out more about Skyscanner on
pages 356–357.
pioneering and amazing. To meet
people’s expectations around the
globe with regards to reliability
and to interact with mobiles the
same way as desktops requires new
iterations all the time. You need to
think about how you run these
things at scale and across multiple
regions. As a company, we never feel
that we have “arrived”.’
George on… the way they work
‘We have an amazing group of
people here from different and
diverse backgrounds and there is a
culture of learning. We grow by
having all people, across roles and
all levels of experience, voicing their
opinions and never being shy to ask
the hard questions.
‘As part of this, we ask people to
solve problems outside of their core
role. As an example, if a distributed
systems engineer, who would usually
work on the back end, is working
towards a goal that involves the
front end, they’ll work on the front
end. We set goals based around
hypothetical press releases such as
“Skyscanner is the most used and
most trusted travel app” and build
teams to make that happen. They
start by defining the measurements
for “used and trusted” and then set
up the technical design, but before it
is built we ask all engineers at all
levels to give feedback to ensure it
will work.
‘Our engineers are given a lot of
flexibility and freedom over their
work, but also a lot of responsibility.
If issues occur at 3.00 am, they will
get the call at 3.00 am. It’s hugely
rewarding when you get things right,
devastating when you get things
wrong – but failure is the biggest
teacher.’
Be hungry to learn: George Goodyer’s career lessons
George on... his current role as CTO
‘My role is to solve problems. My day may
range from participating in a board meeting
to jumping into a room with a team and
whiteboarding solutions to a problem. I look
at where I can spend my time to have the
greatest impact. I always set aside time to
connect with people; I spend a couple of
hours a week speaking to the people
delivering code, regardless of seniority or
location, to find out how they are doing and
how they feel we can do better. Part of my
role involves building the best teams and
creating the right environment for them to
thrive. How can we give smart people the
skills, education and capabilities to be
successful?’
George on... seeking learning not
promotions
‘In my experience, the best way to get
recognition and promotion is to do your job,
and then to have the initiative to solve
problems without being asked. In my career,
I’ve worked for start-ups in which I have done
everything from literally building the physical
desks on which our equipment sat to building
servers to running tech and trouble-shooting
on a help-desk. I’ve worked in Cape Town,
Mountain View, Santa Barbara, Saudi Arabia
and London. I feel equally hungry about
learning now as I did 20 years ago. I’ve
continually surrounded myself with people I
can learn from.’
George on... how to impress
‘The energy level of people just starting out
in their careers is tangible. It impresses me
when their hunger to learn comes across,
the questions they ask to gain
understanding and the suggestions they
make for improvement. The other day I spent
an hour with a junior engineer who had a
black book full of questions for me. A
hungry, inquiring mind – that’s what stands
out for me.’
UK 300 2019/20 | 31
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Focus on law
F O C U S
e are delighted to be sponsoring Focus
on Law, which uses trends and insights
from the Graduate Survey 2019 to help
students choose the right firms to apply
to. As one of the world’s pre-eminent law firms, we
have a well-established track record of investing
significantly in our trainees; we know how important
it is to apply to firms that offer inspiring work and
prepare you well for a rapidly changing future.
Our programmes for aspiring solicitors at
Clifford Chance are pioneering and innovative.
We are the only law firm to offer exceptional firstyear students a training contract through our
SPARK work experience scheme. We’ve launched
our ACCEPT conference for LGBTQ+ students
who are interested in a law career. In addition, our
IGNITE training contract brings together technology
and law; it offers students with an aptitude for
tech an opportunity to qualify in law while also
becoming the best technologists in their field. Again,
no other leading law firm offers anything like this.
Our opportunities have long been recognised as
being among the best across early careers
recruitment. We won the prestigious most popular
graduate recruiter in law award, as voted for by
students and graduates, at the TARGETjobs
National Graduate Recruitment Awards 2019, as
well as the award for best work experience
programme for the second year running.
Over the next few pages, you will find the full list
of the most popular law firms among students and
graduates, which we are proud to top, along with
commentary from the UK 300 team on the latest
trends. You’ll also be able to read about the
experiences of one of our trainees and one of our
partners, and pick up tips from them.
We hope their words inspire you.
O N
UK
300
L A W
W
Laura Yeates
Head of graduate talent, Clifford Chance LLP
trendence
RESEARCH
About the Graduate Survey 2019
The Graduate Survey was conducted
by Trendence UK between September
2018 and January 2019; 74,746
students and graduates took part.
UK 300 2019/20 | 3
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THE TRAINEE EXPERIENCE
‘Having a seat at the table’
tudents looking for a career in
commercial law should look at all
aspects of the prospective firms,
using the firms’ recent news stories
and websites as a start to gauge the ethics
and character of each firm. The ones that
match closest to your own qualities and
career aspirations are the firms to pursue
further. You can apply for a training
contract at Clifford Chance without having
completed a vacation scheme at the firm
(I did). However, it is still important to have
a basic understanding of what the firm does
and what sets it apart for you.
I first came into contact with Clifford
Chance at a university networking dinner
during my first year. The dinner was
primarily aimed at finalists but I decided to
go anyway (partly for the free food, to be
honest!). I was already feeling on edge when
I managed to pour wine over the partner
I was sitting next to. Despite the initial
awkwardness of the situation, she was
exceptionally kind and her first instinct
was to put me at ease. We carried on talking
and, from her insights of the firm, it became
clear that Clifford Chance was somewhere
that would suit me and that our values and
priorities aligned.
What has surprised me the most since
joining the team is the firm’s diversity. Even
in my trainee intake alone, we have people
from all over the globe with different life
experiences which makes it a really
interesting place to work.
S
4 | UK 300 2019/20
The supportive culture
I’ve had an exceptional experience during
my training contract with Clifford Chance
so far. The firm dedicates energy, time and
money to assist with your development,
from the initial acceptance of the offer
through to your final seat and beyond.
When I first joined, we had a week of
intensive training, interspersed with many
socials. Having only limited experience of
a City firm, it was really helpful to cover
the basic internal processes as well as get
to know colleagues/friends. In addition,
there is usually two or three weeks of
training sessions at the start of each seat,
which are invaluable for the upcoming six
months, and teams regularly host training
lunches for the entire department, led by
those with experience and expertise in a
particular area.
The whole two years is very much a
learning process and, as such, the supportive
firm ethos is exactly what any trainee needs
at this stage in their career. The teams
operate an open door policy and considered
questions and opinions are encouraged.
My supervisors, in particular, have remained
invested in me throughout my training
contract – even after moving departments –
and have always been willing to offer
advice and discuss future career objectives.
Everyone in the office, whether supervising
or not, has taken the time to explain
complex areas and give guidance on
other matters.
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Lena McCrae
What attracts me most to commercial
law and Clifford Chance is the intensity, and
the high quality, of the work, which tends to
be interesting and intellectually challenging.
On larger transactions, trainees form an
integral part of the transaction team and are
involved in a wide variety of jobs. In each
seat, I’ve been tasked with research,
reviewing comments on documents, drafting
simpler documentation, attending client
meetings and organising the signing and
closing of transactions. On smaller
transactions (such as amendments to loans
and asset disposals and releases), there is
scope to take a more leading role, acting as
a primary contact with clients and
progressing the documents from concept to
completion. It’s rare that you do a task such
as proofreading.
THE FIRM DEDICATES
ENERGY, TIME AND MONEY TO
YOUR DEVELOPMENT.
From London to Frankfurt
Trainees are encouraged to make the most
of the international opportunities that
Clifford Chance has to offer. I was delighted
to go to Frankfurt for my second seat in the
asset and project finance team and the
experience was better than I could have
possibly imagined. The move itself was
JOB Trainee solicitor
PREVIOUS SEATS Real estate (London); asset
and project finance (Frankfurt); structured,
asset-backed and real estate finance (London)
UNDERGRADUATE DEGREE BA law, University of
Cambridge
smooth as Clifford Chance arranged for
accommodation, assisted with general living
costs and provided support with all of the
administrative aspects. On starting with the
department, the strength and experience of
the Frankfurt office became particularly
evident. Smaller than the office in London,
the team encouraged an increased level of
responsibility, while maintaining a solid
support network if required. The mentoring
and exposure offered during the six months
gave me access to top-quality work and
confidence to progress.
The views of St Paul’s
Five months after joining Clifford Chance,
I had the opportunity to attend my first
client lunch in celebration of a matter on
which I worked during my first seat. It must
be one of my best memories with the firm so
far. With views of St Paul’s, the lunch was a
significant reminder that the hard work (and
many hours) dedicated is appreciated by
clients and the firm alike. To me, having a
seat at the table showed that my work was
valued by my team.
UK 300 2019/20 | 5
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THE PARTNER EXPERIENCE
‘Making a genuine difference’
knew back when I was applying
for training contracts that I wanted
to work for a magic circle firm
because I wanted the best training
experience. Clifford Chance’s training
contracts provide you with a great platform
for your career even if you don’t end up
qualifying with the firm. I’ve known people
go on to have very successful careers
elsewhere due to their experiences here.
The key thing when deciding where to
apply is to talk to as many people in a firm
as possible: not just trainees, but associates,
partners and those on the business side. Our
vacation scheme students, for instance, often
contact me and ask if we can find time to
talk because they’d appreciate insights to aid
their decisions. Most law firms will look
‘shiny’ from the outside; it is through talking
to people that you gain a real insight into
their culture – and the culture of a law firm
comes from its people.
I
Innovative and collegiate
Clifford Chance doesn’t stand still; we have
an innovative mindset and are always
thinking about what’s coming next. I see this
in the diverse, headline-grabbing nature of
the work we do and in our culture, which is
very collegiate. We’re all encouraged to be
very honest and open in our views. That’s
not to say that your views won’t be
challenged, but they will be valued. There’s
not a closed-shop mentality regarding
6 | UK 300 2019/20
leadership and one of the things I have
valued since starting at Clifford Chance is
that there is so much opportunity to shape
the future of the firm.
Law and diversity
I’d interviewed at a number of top firms
before my Clifford Chance training contract
interview. The thing that stuck with me, as a
black British African woman, was that
Clifford Chance was the most diverse firm
I’d visited. As I toured the office, I saw lots
of people who looked liked me; I genuinely
couldn’t say that about the other firms. This
was important to me.
THERE IS SO MUCH
OPPORTUNITY TO SHAPE THE
FUTURE OF THE FIRM.
I think, like many law firms, we slowed
on diversity for a while. However, we are
rebuilding momentum and making a
genuine difference. For example, until a
couple of years ago we didn’t have anyone
visible in leadership and management roles
from a diverse background. Now we do and
these are not token appointments.
I set up our BAME network because I’d
been inspired by the networks I’d found
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300
Chinwe Odimba-Chapman
when I’d gone onto secondments with
investment banks. One of our most recent
initiatives has been reverse mentoring, when
a more junior BAME employee is paired
with a more senior non-BAME employee. It
has been something of a revelation; it has
helped our more senior colleagues feel more
comfortable talking about race issues and it
has given more junior colleagues greater
access to senior-level partners. In fact, it has
been so successful that we have introduced
reverse mentoring across the firm.
An employment specialist
I really enjoy the work I do: one day I might
be working on a whistleblowing claim, the
next day the implications of a global merger
and acquisition, the next on a regulatory
action. There is sometimes a perception
among trainees that being a non-commercial
specialist in a commercial firm means that it
can be harder to be promoted. However,
being a specialist means becoming known
for your expertise, which can work to your
advantage. As an example, I was recently
appointed as co-global relationship partner
for a major investment bank alongside a
finance partner, a key leadership role across
the firm.
Throughout your time with firm, you
continue to receive a range of opportunities
for personal and professional development,
no matter how junior or senior you are – if
you are open to accepting them. A recent
JOB TITLE Partner
SPECIALISM Employment law
CAREER MILESTONES Joined as a trainee in
2002; became partner in 2018
UNDERGRADUATE DEGREE
LLB, London School of Economics
example of my own is when I went to our
most recent partnership annual meeting.
We’d just elected a senior partner – for
whom I was a reverse mentor – and he
asked me to contribute to his speech, giving
my insights into diversity and reverse
mentoring. I was nervous, as I am a fairly
new partner and would be speaking to over
600 partners from around the world.
However, what I said had real impact and I
received a genuinely positive response, with
lots of people coming up to me afterwards.
Not shying away
Looking back, a pivotal moment for my
personal development was being told I
almost didn’t qualify into employment
because I was thought too shy. I thought,
‘I’m not shy’ – and then realised that I
wasn’t bringing my authentic self to the
workplace. I began thinking of ways I could
contribute to meetings and started to more
actively build one-on-one relationships with
colleagues. We still laugh at how ‘shy’ I was!
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The top law firms for 2019/2020
Rank
2019/20 Employer
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
Rank
2018/19 Δ
Clifford Chance
Allen & Overy LLP
Slaughter and May
Linklaters
Baker McKenzie
Irwin Mitchell
DLA Piper
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP
White & Case LLP
Bird & Bird
Herbert Smith Freehills LLP
Pinsent Masons LLP
Norton Rose Fulbright
Hogan Lovells
Clyde & Co LLP
Eversheds Sutherland
Simmons & Simmons
Womble Bond Dickinson
Dentons
Shoosmiths
CMS
Blake Morgan
Kirkland & Ellis International LLP
Mishcon de Reya
Addleshaw Goddard
Reed Smith
8 | UK 300 2019/20
2
1
4
9
5
3
8
7
13
10
6
18
20
11
15
12
17
14
25
19
27
21
31
35
16
30
Rank
2019/20 Employer
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
Ashurst LLP
Jones Day
Burges Salmon
Latham & Watkins LLP
Gowling WLG
Kennedys
Brodies LLP
Mayer Brown International LLP
Macfarlanes LLP
Anthony Gold Solicitors
Shearman & Sterling LLP
Withers LLP
Bristows
Taylor Wessing
Osborne Clarke LLP
Mills & Reeve LLP
Weightmans
DWF LLP
Travers Smith LLP
Shakespeare Martineau
Morgan, Lewis & Bockius UK LLP
Squire Patton Boggs
Browne Jacobson LLP
Digby Brown
Cooley LLP
Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner
Rank
2018/19 Δ
22
37
45
46
28
26
38
32
34
24
40
80
65
72
36
41
56
23
54
48
55
42
33
52
49
64
L AW S U PPLE M E N T S P ONS OR
Focus on law
Rank
2019/20 Employer
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
Hill Dickinson LLP
RPC
Farrer & Co
DAC Beachcroft LLP
Charles Russell Speechlys
Ashfords
TLT LLP
BLM
Freeths
Ropes & Gray International LLP
Sullivan & Cromwell LLP
Fieldfisher
Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld
Morrison & Foerster LLP
Sidley Austin LLP
Pennington Manches Cooper LLP
Trowers & Hamlins
Watson, Farley & Williams
Debevoise & Plimpton LLP
Lewis Silkin
Taylor Vinters
Rank
2018/19 Δ
47
50
58
44
63
29
61
39
43
NEW
68
59
NEW
66
76
77
87
70
NEW
92
95
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP
71
Ince & Co
62
Vinson & Elkins LLP
NEW
Premier Solicitors
53
Howard Kennedy
88
Rank
2019/20 Employer
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
UK
300
Rank
2018/19 Δ
Stephenson Harwood
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher UK LLP
Weil, Gotshal & Manges
Stevens & Bolton
Winckworth Sherwood LLP
Dechert
K&L Gates LLP
Horwich Farrelly
Covington and Burling
Gateley Plc
Hewitsons LLP
Capsticks
Forsters LLP
Walker Morris
Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP
HFW
Veale Wasbrough Vizards
Orrick LLP
Bevan Brittan LLP
Bishop & Sewell
McDermott Will & Emery UK LLP
Collyer Bristow LLP
BDB Pitmans LLP
Tods Murray LLP
Pannone
51
NEW
74
81
83
79
78
86
97
67
75
57
73
84
82
60
98
90
69
96
93
85
NEW
94
89
NB: Bishop & Sewell appeared in the survey questionnaire under the name of Fisher Meredith and BDB Pitmans as Bircham Dyson Bell LLP.
UK 300 2019/20 | 9
UK
300
L AW S U PPLE M E N T S P ONS OR
Focus on law
38
A changing of the guard
The UK 300 analyses the survey results and finds
big changes in the ranks compared with last year.
raditionally, law firms in the UK
have been divided into distinct
types, each offering differences in
the nature of work, geographic
reach, typical clients and working culture.
These categories include ‘the magic circle’,
‘US firms’, ‘international firms’, ‘national
firms’, ‘regional firms’, and ‘high street’.
Recently, however, the lines have blurred
(partly due to a trend over the last decade or
so towards mergers between firms). It is not
unusual to find a traditional regional firm
with a ‘national reach’ or a national firm
being able to advise on international
matters, for example. This may make it
more difficult for aspiring trainee solicitors
to distinguish between firms, but it also
means that firms can offer a wider range of
career opportunities.
T
47
International
ambitions
Within the list of the
most popular law
firms, we find that
the top 20 is
dominated by the
magic circle firms and
international firms that
have strong commercial
practices. However, Irwin Mitchell – which
would arguably be seen by traditionalists
10 | UK 300 2019/20
as a regional firm, with 13 offices in
England and one in Glasgow, and is
particularly well known for its personal
injury practice – is at position 6. Similarly,
Shoosmiths, which has offices in England,
Scotland and Northern Ireland and pitches
itself as an alternative to mainstream City
firms, comes in at number 20.
There have been considerable changes in
where law firms rank compared to last year.
Only two of the top ten law firms are in the
same position as they were the year before
and, most notably, Clifford Chance has
taken the top spot from its fellow magic
circle firm Allen & Overy LLP. Elsewhere,
the biggest climber within the ranks has
been the international law firm Withers LLP,
which is known for its commercial and
private client work; it rose 42 places to rank
at number 38. Taylor Wessing, another
international law firm, is close behind it,
having improved by 32 places to come in at
number 40. But it isn’t only the
internationals doing well: Scottish firms
Brodies LLP and Digby Brown have risen
by five and two places respectively.
4
16
84
Spot the difference
We also looked at the top ten preferred law
firms of students who studied law and those
who studied non-law subjects, and of those
who came from lower and higher socio-
L AW S U PPLE M E N T S P ONS OR
Focus on law
UK
300
Lower socio-economic group
59
43
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Allen & Overy LLP
Clifford Chance
Irwin Mitchell
Linklaters
DLA Piper
Slaughter and May
Baker McKenzie
Womble Bond Dickinson
Eversheds Sutherland
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP
Higher socio-economic group
economic
backgrounds.* There
are surprisingly few
differences. Non-law
students included Simmons &
Simmons on their list, while law
students had DLA Piper instead, but
otherwise the same law firms appeared on
both lists. Students from the higher socioeconomic group, meanwhile, seemed to
want to target the magic circle firms, as they
took the top five places; in contrast, Irwin
Mitchell and DLA Piper made it on to the
lower socio-economic group’s top five.
Look beyond the stereotypes
Certain types of firms have reputations – for
example, that US firms tend to pay
exceptionally well but also demand
particularly long hours – that may or may
not be deserved. Ultimately, you should
conduct your own investigations into law
firms to find the right one for you. Read
trainee surveys, such as the Insider Reviews
on targetjobs.co.uk/law, and meet firms’
representatives at careers fairs. Try to join
them for an insight day or week and/or a
vacation scheme, too.
* The survey identifies students as coming from a lower socioeconomic background if they are state educated, receive
means-tested funding and have parents/guardians who did not
go to university; the reverse defines those from a higher socioeconomic background.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Clifford Chance
Allen & Overy LLP
Linklaters
Slaughter and May
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP
White & Case LLP
Hogan Lovells
Herbert Smith Freehills LLP
Baker McKenzie
Bird & Bird
25
Law
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Clifford Chance
Allen & Overy LLP
Slaughter and May
Linklaters
Baker McKenzie
Irwin Mitchell
DLA Piper
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP
White & Case LLP
Bird & Bird
Non-law
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Clifford Chance
Allen & Overy LLP
Slaughter and May
Linklaters
Irwin Mitchell
Baker McKenzie
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP
White & Case LLP
Simmons & Simmons
Bird & Bird
UK 300 2019/20 | 11
UK
300
L AW S U PPLE M E N T S P ONS OR
Focus on law
Tip top strategies for
securing a training contract
The UK 300 looks into the results of the survey to find out what
actions students are taking to secure their future employment.
urrently, all aspiring solicitors in
England and Wales must complete
the legal practice course (LPC),
with non-law students completing
either a graduate diploma in law, GDL, or
common professional examination, CPE,
beforehand. All students then complete a
two-year training contract. A new
qualification process is due to be introduced
from September 2021. The solicitors
qualifying exam (SQE) involves two stages
of exams and requires two-years of
qualifying work experience (such as a
training contract). Students who have begun
studying before September 2021 will still
have the option to qualify through the LPC
and/or the GDL/CPE.
You apply for your training contract
earlier than you would apply for jobs in
other sectors: in your second year of
undergraduate studies if you’re law student
and in your final year if studying a non-law
subject. While it is possible to apply as a
graduate or as a career changer instead, it
pays to apply earlier: many firms will fund
your conversion course and LPC. Using data
from the Graduate Survey, we look at the
strategies that students are (or should be)
employing to gain a training contract.
open days, insight weeks and two-week
vacation schemes. It isn’t unusual for firms
to run specific work experience
opportunities for particular groups of
students and graduates at different times of
year: for example, some open days will be
aimed at non-law students and graduates,
and some insight weeks will be aimed
primarily at first-year students.
Gain as much law-related experience as
you can. Only 21% of final years interested
in law firms in the survey had completed
a vacation scheme and only 32% had
completed an employer insight day or
week – but those who do obtain such work
experience increase their chances of being
offered a training contract offer with the
firm. In fact, some firms only recruit trainees
from their vacation schemes.
However, don’t underestimate the value
of undertaking part-time jobs, actively
participating in student societies and
completing voluntary work in developing
skills that will make you a more desirable
candidate. Bear in mind that 70% of finalyear students had had a part-time job, 64%
had undertaken voluntary work and 35%
had had a leadership role in a student
society (not necessarily a law society).
Advance through work experience
The largest law firms offer a variety of work
experience opportunities – most commonly,
Career ahead with careers events
Our survey respondents interested in law
firms were much more likely than the
C
12 | UK 300 2019/20
L AW S U PPLE M E N T S P ONS OR
Focus on law
Who are the students
surveyed?
Of the 74,746 students who took part in the
survey, we are specifically looking here at those
students who expressed an interest in law firms.
The vast majority (79%) were studying law; the
next biggest group by subject (8%) were
studying a degree in the social sciences. In
terms of year group, 31% of respondents were in
their first year, 24% were mid-degree, 38% were
finalists and 7% had already graduated from an
undergraduate degree. The majority, 72%, were
from a lower socio-economic background and
28% from a higher socio-economic background.*
*Percentages are rounded. Students are identified as
coming from a lower socio-economic background if they are
state educated, receive means-tested funding and have
parents/guardians who did not go to university; the reverse
defines those from a higher socio-economic background.
For more information on the methodology behind the
survey, please see the ‘How this survey will help your job
hunt’ feature in the UK 300.
UK
300
average student to have attended careers
fairs and networking events: for example,
83% had attended a university careers fair,
47% a subject-specific fair and 43% an
employer networking event (compared to an
average across all sectors of 74%, 32% and
22% respectively).
Such events are a great way to find out
more about firms. Plus, meeting candidates
at career events has long been an informal
part of a firm’s recruitment process, as the
firm’s representatives remember the names
of impressive students. Go to events having
researched the firms in attendance, so that
you can ask informed questions – not ‘what
do you do?’ or ‘why should I apply to you?’.
You can also find out more about firms
and network with professionals via social
media: 84% of students interested in law
firms had used LinkedIn for careers
purposes and 24% had used Twitter. Use
these channels in order to follow, show
interest in and research firms. Just make
sure that you present yourself on all social
media as an aspiring professional: avoid
anything controversial. Set up new profiles
if necessary.
Timing is everything
Most training contract deadlines fall in July,
so you might think you have plenty of time
to apply for them – but don’t be beaten to it
by other applicants. The survey asked finalyear students in which month they had
applied, or were planning to apply, for their
graduate career. The majority said during
their autumn term: 38% in October, 15%
November and 17% December. Our advice
is to make the best possible application as
early as possible.
UK 300 2019/20 | 13
UK
300
L AW S U PPLE M E N T S P ONS OR
Focus on law
Career choices made
easy with checklists
The UK 300’s law firm research
checklists will help you to
identify the best firm for you.
ou shouldn’t spread yourself too
thinly when it comes to applying
for training contracts. If you apply
to lots of firms, the chances are
you will be wasting your efforts by putting
in poorly researched, poorly written and
poorly argued applications. Instead,
prioritise those firms that are best
placed to help you achieve your
career goals, that most closely share
your values and that provide a
work culture in which you’ll thrive.
Identifying your priority firms first
requires some self-reflection into
what you want from a training
contract and then some
detailed investigation into
employers. Use online
research, careers fairs and
events and work
experience to find the
answers to the questions
in the checklists opposite.
Then you will have the
information you need on
the firms to decide which
are the best firms for you.
Y
14 | UK 300 2019/20
Firm facts












Which areas of law does the firm
practise? What is it particularly well
known for?
What type of clients does it serve?
What are some of its notable cases,
transactions or matters?
Is the firm growing and, if so, in which
areas of practice and in which locations?
How is it faring against similar or
competitor firms?
Where are its offices located?
What are its values and how are they
demonstrated or enacted throughout the
firm?
How do the people working there – from
paralegals and trainees to partners –
describe its culture?
What initiatives are in place to support
and promote diversity and inclusion?
What is the work/life balance really like?
What are the office facilities like?
How does the firm distinguish itself from
its competitors? Why does it think it is
unique?
L AW S U PPLE M E N T S P ONS OR
Focus on law
UK
300
Trainee life and beyond















What academic results are required: for
example, does the firm ask for a
minimum number of UCAS points?
Does the firm sponsor your GDL/LPC and,
if so, to what extent? Does the firm
require you to take particular electives?
What skills and qualities does the firm
seek in trainees?
What is the structure of the training
contract: rotational or non-rotational?
Does it take a large or small intake of
trainees each year?
In which offices are its training contracts
located?
What choices of seats are typically
available? Do you have to undertake a
seat in a particular area or type of law?
What is the likelihood of you gaining your
first choice of seat?
Does the firm offer international and/or
client secondments to trainees?
What is the nature of the work like? How
much responsibility and client contact
will you be given?
What is the quality of the supervision?
What training, learning and development
and mentoring opportunities are given to
trainees?
What socialising opportunities are there:
among the trainees and more broadly
within the firm?
What are the trainee salaries and the
accompanying benefits package like?
What do other trainees say about the
training contract and the firm?
What are the retention rates after the
training contracts? What are your
chances of qualifying into your preferred
practice area?
UK 300 2019/20 | 15
WHERE
W
DR
RIVEN
MIN
NDS
MEET
SPARK
A
OUR AW
WARD-WIN
A
NNING
PROGRAMME FO
OR FIRST YEARS
This is an opportunity to lear n – but in a very different kind of
classroom. It’s a chance to find a role that will challenge
g you
y
– in a law firm you’ll love. This is where you find out who you could
become. Meet people who are down to earth but also inspira
ational.
This is your time to forge your future. And to get ahead of the
e
game. Not least because it co
ould see you landing
a Training Contract.
So, are you ready?
Lear n more at careers.cliffordchance.com/ukgrads
d
Follow us:
@CCGradsUK
/CliffordChanceGrads
/company/clifford-chance
e-llp
@cliffordchancecareers
/user/CliffordChanceGrad
ds
Sign in/register to:
Organise your job search
Get headhunted
Receive job alerts
@TARGETjobs
@TARGETjobs.co.uk
@TARGETjobsUK
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The results of the survey
UK
300
S E C T I O N
3
The 300 most
popular graduate
employers
in the UK
For the first time in print, we present this year’s results
from the most comprehensive survey of student
aspirations and opinions: the top 300 most popular
graduate employers in the UK, according to 74,746
survey responses.
The 300 most popular
graduate recruiters 2019/2020 ........................................36
UK 300 2019/20 | 35
UK
300
The results of the survey
The 300 most popular graduate
recruiters 2019/20
Rank
2019/20 Employer
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
Rank
Profile
2018/19 Δ page
Google
Cancer Research UK
Amazon
MI6 – Secret Intelligence Service
GSK
Channel 4 Television
J.P. Morgan
Microsoft
Rolls-Royce
PwC
MI5 – The Security Service
Unilever
British Airways
Deloitte
Goldman Sachs
The Civil Service Fast Stream
Penguin Random House
Jaguar Land Rover
Airbus
GCHQ
AstraZeneca
adidas Group
L’Oréal
KPMG
British Council
EY
Teach First
Arup
Samsung
European Commission
Apple
Local Government – National Graduate Development Programme (NGDP)
Barclays
IBM
BAE Systems
NHS Leadership Academy
Pfizer
Procter & Gamble (P&G)
1
2
4
3
5
6
12
13
11
14
9
18
10
16
22
15
19
8
21
39
27
17
23
24
28
29
20
43
50
44
33
25
32
36
30
7
38
45
240
148
306
244
268
340
304
190
216
238
236
162
280
278
364
156
346
178
172
322
Rank
2019/20 Employer
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
HSBC Bank
Morgan Stanley
McKinsey & Company
BP
Bloomberg
Johnson & Johnson
Shell
Sky
Accenture
Aston Martin
AECOM
John Lewis Partnership
Boston Consulting Group
Rockstar Games
Oxfam
McLaren
Boeing
BMW Group
Clifford Chance
Dyson
HM Revenue & Customs
Siemens
The Royal Air Force
The Bank of England
40
51
64
52
49
56
55
35
48
59
54
26
69
75
53
63
NEW
47
82
78
34
81
58
31
Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains 61
Allen & Overy LLP
67
British Army
37
Arcadia Group
42
Virgin Media
65
Deutsche Bank
70
Mondelez International
77
Hilton
41
BlackRock
85
Network Rail
60
Bank of America
66
Marks & Spencer
46
STFC (The Science and Technology Facilities Council) 72
The Royal Navy
80
Since the survey was compiled, some organisations have merged or changed their name. These changes will be implemented in the 2020/21 survey.
36 | UK 300 2019/20
Rank
Profile
2018/19 Δ page
252
312
186
262
350
354
140
188
204
224
250
176
144
192
152
218
248
184
294
342
The results of the survey
UK
300
Position in career sector rankings – details start page 49.
Rank
2019/20 Employer
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
Mars
Ubisoft
Facebook
Bayer
Nestlé
Slaughter and May
Mott MacDonald
Bain & Company
Lloyds Banking Group
EDF Energy
Linklaters
ExxonMobil
Aldi
Citi
Transport for London
Boots
Roche
Baker McKenzie
Intel
Cisco
BT
Abercrombie & Fitch
GE (General Electric)
Credit Suisse
Toyota
Irwin Mitchell
Merlin Entertainments
American Express
National Grid
Police Now
Arm
Capital One
DLA Piper
Diageo
Santander
Merck
Sony
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP
Rank
Profile
2018/19 Δ page
83
91
84
94
79
97
88
99
62
71
130
87
57
115
96
76
131
105
92
109
89
86
95
113
98
93
68
90
102
74
132
111
127
106
100
138
107
122
296
358
314
290
286
228
142
338
174
202
196
210
258
334
154
200
220
Rank
2019/20 Employer
Rank
Profile
2018/19 Δ page
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
101
152
143
114
166
116
110
125
NEW
245
134
133
108
136
173
135
NEW
157
142
120
129
117
164
121
160
148
119
169
140
103
165
145
175
146
156
168
147
171
Balfour Beatty
White & Case LLP
nucleargraduates
Jacobs
Thales
Frontline
Lloyd’s
National Audit Office
Visa
DESG
PA Consulting Group
Bird & Bird
Financial Conduct Authority
Tesco
UBS
Kier Group
WSP
Ministry of Defence
Capgemini
Herbert Smith Freehills LLP
Schlumberger
Grant Thornton
Aon
Mace
Bosch
Thames Water
The Royal Bank of Scotland Group
Pinsent Masons LLP
Volkswagen Group
Lidl
Danone
Yorkshire Water
Norton Rose Fulbright
Hogan Lovells
Clyde & Co LLP
Nissan
Eversheds Sutherland
Abbott UK
374
328
260
234
288
316
372
182
232
274
246
242
150
332
284
214
326
206
324
Since the survey was compiled, some organisations have merged or changed their name. These changes will be implemented in the 2020/21 survey.
UK 300 2019/20 | 37
UK
300
The results of the survey
Position in career sector rankings – details start page 49.
Vote for your favourite employers in the UK’s
most comprehensive careers survey…
trendence
RESEARCH
Rank
2019/20 Employer
Rank
Profile
2018/19 Δ page
Rank
2019/20 Employer
Rank
Profile
2018/19 Δ page
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
137
167
104
159
155
112
202
180
124
126
154
182
187
170
151
139
225
194
NEW
161
206
73
195
198
176
190
179
238
149
228
NEW
181
231
118
216
186
203
207
191
192
193
194
195
196
197
198
199
200
201
202
203
204
205
206
207
208
209
210
211
212
213
214
215
216
217
218
219
220
221
222
223
224
225
226
227
228
226
123
158
153
163
197
215
183
218
141
128
233
184
178
174
144
250
172
229
240
191
196
188
193
199
210
257
211
212
209
177
230
205
NEW
214
235
200
217
DSTL
Simmons & Simmons
TK Maxx
BNP Paribas
Womble Bond Dickinson
AWE (Atomic Weapons Establishment)
Dentons
Jagex
Allianz
BAM Construct UK
Ford
Babcock
ScottishPower
Shoosmiths
Zurich Insurance
WPP
Fidelity International
Caterpillar
Leonardo
E.ON
CMS
Atkins
ABB
BASF
Blake Morgan
Nomura
Anglian Water
Morgan Sindall
Laing O’Rourke
Wood
Savills
MBDA
Total
BDO
Kirkland & Ellis International LLP
Sellafield
Honda
Dell
366
376
168
146
170
352
230
208
164
282
300
180
276
348
Mishcon de Reya
O2 (Telefónica)
Aviva
Barratt Developments
Addleshaw Goddard
Tata Steel
Reed Smith
Ashurst LLP
BuroHappold Engineering
Next plc
Enterprise Rent-A-Car
Jones Day
Lloyd’s Register
QinetiQ
EE
Sainsbury’s
Burges Salmon
DHL
Johnson Matthey
Oracle
Skanska
Nationwide
AkzoNobel
SSE (Scottish and Southern Energy)
Severn Trent
Société Générale
Latham & Watkins LLP
Gowling WLG
JCB
AXA
Asda
UK Power Networks
Kennedys
CBRE
British Sugar
Brodies LLP
McDonald’s
United Utilities
Since the survey was compiled, some organisations have merged or changed their name. These changes will be implemented in the 2020/21 survey.
38 | UK 300 2019/20
166
138
360
336
160
318
226
266
198
264
270
302
The results of the survey
UK
300
Position in career sector rankings – details start page 49.
...and win either a weekly prize of
£100 Amazon gift card or one of two
£500 prizes at the close of the survey.
www.trendence.co.uk/graduatestudy
Rank
2019/20 Employer
Rank
Profile
2018/19 Δ page
Rank
2019/20 Employer
Rank
Profile
2018/19 Δ page
229
230
231
232
233
234
235
236
237
238
239
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241
242
243
244
245
246
247
248
249
250
251
252
253
254
255
256
257
258
259
260
261
262
263
264
223
220
222
271
189
247
208
237
219
NEW
162
201
282
NEW
287
204
NEW
296
NEW
227
239
284
185
267
NEW
279
262
283
246
254
241
221
234
NEW
248
276
265
266
267
268
269
270
271
272
273
274
275
276
277
278
279
280
281
282
283
284
285
286
287
288
289
290
291
292
293
294
295
296
297
298
299
300
232
266
295
NEW
263
272
261
251
NEW
270
286
278
256
249
253
NEW
264
294
NEW
281
243
273
213
280
291
265
275
292
242
236
244
NEW
NEW
300
259
260
RSM
Mayer Brown International LLP
Macfarlanes LLP
RB
Anthony Gold Solicitors
Veolia
npower
Shearman & Sterling LLP
Cummins
Skyscanner
Hewlett Packard Enterprise
Standard Life Aberdeen
Fujitsu
McKesson UK
London Stock Exchange Group
Morrisons
Withers LLP
Bristows
Taylor Wessing
Osborne Clarke LLP
Mills & Reeve LLP
Weightmans
DWF Group PLC
INEOS
NFU Mutual
Travers Smith LLP
Shakespeare Martineau
Morgan, Lewis & Bockius UK LLP
Centrica (British Gas)
Qualcomm
Squire Patton Boggs
Browne Jacobson LLP
Amey
TPP
Mercer
Digby Brown
298
292
356
362
330
308
222
254
320
370
310
194
368
Phillips 66
Cooley LLP
Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner
Inmarsat
Petrofac
RPC
Hill Dickinson LLP
Air Products
Bechtel
eBay Inc.
Farrer & Co
King
Sir Robert McAlpine
DAC Beachcroft LLP
SAP
Softwire
Vodafone
Charles Russell Speechlys
Croda
Tessella
Kerry Group
Expedia
Ashfords
Dialog Semiconductor
Atos
ConocoPhillips
FirstGroup
TLT LLP
Alstom
BLM
Freeths
Ropes & Gray International LLP
Symantec
Sullivan & Cromwell LLP
Kimberly-Clark
CGI
256
344
212
272
158
Since the survey was compiled, some organisations have merged or changed their name. These changes will be implemented in the 2020/21 survey.
UK 300 2019/20 | 39
Boosting your employability
S E C T I O N
UK
300
4
Boosting your
employability
When a degree isn’t enough... ..........................................42
Prepare for success in the recruitment process ..........44
Reach up for the stars: climb that
career ladder higher ..........................................................46
UK 300 2019/20 | 41
UK
300
Boosting your employability
When a degree isn’t enough...
Use your time at university to gain the skills, knowledge, behaviours
and connections that will make you the most employable candidate.
ou’ll need more than your
degree if you want to
compete for a role with the
type of employer that
features in this publication. Recruiters
seek evidence that you have a wide
range of skills and qualities, some of
which you may only be able to gain
outside of academic study. Taking
part in activities outside of your
course will also help you discover
your strengths and what kind of work
suits you. We analyse the results of
the Graduate Survey and talk to the
professionals featured in this
publication to suggest how best to
spend your time at university.
Y
Work experience works
Internships, placement years, parttime jobs, work-shadowing days,
open days or weeks, informally
arranged weeks in a workplace: these
all count as work experience. The
graph below shows how many of our
survey respondents have gained
different forms of experience; try to
be one of them. Your university
careers service can help you find
vacancies.
Any form of work experience
makes you a stronger candidate for
graduate roles. ‘I didn’t do an
internship at university and the work
experience I did get doesn’t sound
very special,’ says Christina Colgan
of the nucleargraduates scheme (page
124). ‘I worked in a café for two
years, which showed that I could
work in a team and balance my
studies with a job. An assessor on the
nucleargraduates programme told me
that supervising the café when my
boss went out showed that I could be
trusted with a lot of responsibility.’
You can also explore different
sectors and roles through work
experience. Claire Grainger of Tata
Steel (page 128) used her placement
year at a powerplant to discover
what she liked in a workplace:
‘It confirmed that I didn’t want a
standard office job and I found that
I liked working for a big company,’
she says. Work experience with a
graduate employer could even lead
to a job offer: a spring week at
Goldman Sachs turned into an
internship and then a job for Baba
Bob-Soile (page 115).
I’ve attended:
A university careers fair 74%
A subject-specific
careers fair at my university 32%
A freshers’ fair 63%
A national careers fair 8%
An employer networking event 22%
An invitation-only careers event 10%
The work experience I have
First years
18% 2% 22% 69% 59% 23%
42 | UK 300 2019/20
Middle year(s)
32% 2% 18% 71% 57% 27%
Finalists
46% 4% 16% 68% 53% 28%
Already graduated
40% 3% 15% 69% 49% 20%
 An internship
 A legal vacation
scheme
 An employer insight
day/week
 A part-time job
 Voluntary/charity work
 A leadership role in a
student society
Boosting your employability
Added extras
Work experience isn’t the only route
to becoming more employable; there
are all sorts of activities on and off
campus in which you can become
involved. One activity isn’t better
than another and it doesn’t have to
involve a leadership role, as long as
you make a tangible contribution.
For example, you could:
• undertake voluntary or charity
work, on campus or off, in this
country or abroad, as 53% of finalyear students in our survey had.
Lauren Cowey, now a junior events
and partnership manager for
Samsung (page 126), volunteered as
a teacher in Kenya: ‘This improved
my teamworking ability – in
particular, encouraging others to
work to their strengths,’ she recalls.
• become actively involved in a
student society. Baba (page 115)
was part of the business team for
the Cambridge University Eco
Racing team. ‘As it was my role to
build relationships with sponsors,
I became used to communicating
and liaising with senior
professionals,’ he says.
• take part in on-campus skills
initiatives or university projects;
these could be course-related or
organised by your careers service
or students’ union. Josh Mesout of
AstraZeneca (page 109) took part
in an entrepreneurship scheme at
his university. ‘It’s helped give me a
problem-solving mindset that has
been extremely useful in the
workplace,’ he says.
Make connections
Many of the rising star graduates in
our publication have found out
about careers or specific
opportunities through networking.
Some, such as Rukayat Adeyemi
from KPMG (page 118), went along
to careers-related workshops, events
and fairs. Others had chance
conversations with acquaintances:
Tori Shepherd from Kier Group
(page 117) was offered two weeks’
work experience by the person who
was selling her a dog!
UK
300
So, discuss your degree and career
ideas with your wider circle, such as
family friends or work experience
managers, and attend careers fairs
and workshops. ‘Firstly, plan your
time at an event by finding out the
companies attending and deciding
which ones to approach,’ advises
Alex Curtis (page 120), who has
represented Lidl at careers fairs.
‘Secondly, try not to be shy; we want
to meet students and answer their
questions, so don’t worry about
asking them.’
You may also find social media a
useful tool; 79% of students in our
survey have used LinkedIn for
careers purposes. Use it as a channel
for contacting professionals and
university alumni working in roles
or for employers that interest you.
We suggest that you start by asking
about their work-related experiences
and insights, and for their advice on
how you could get into their
profession, rather than going straight
in and asking if they know of any job
or work experience opportunities.
UK 300 2019/20 | 43
UK
300
Boosting your employability
Prepare for success in the
recruitment process
Get ready to impress recruiters by finding out about the employer and figuring
out – and showing – what makes you the perfect fit for the position.
he best candidates show
their suitability for the
employer and the role
throughout the recruitment
process. This includes demonstrating
where your skills, interests and
values match both the organisation
and the job role. It also means being
able to evidence and show – rather
than just state – that you’re a strong
candidate. By preparing for this
before starting applications, you’re
more likely to be successful at every
stage. Read the points below for
direction on your job-hunting
strategy.
T
The typical process
Graduate recruitment processes vary
between employers, but it’s typical
for you to be asked to complete an
application form – which sometimes
includes uploading a CV and
covering letter or answering
application questions. Many
companies will then ask you to
undertake online ability tests,
followed by a first-round interview,
normally conducted by phone or
through video. You will then be
invited either to a face-to-face
interview or an assessment centre;
the assessment centre typically
includes a range of group and
individual tasks, along with a final
interview.
Research and revise
Undertaking detailed research into
an employer will help you to give
informed reasons for applying and
convincing answers at interview. You
should find out about the position:
what you’ll be doing and the
experience and skills required. Use
44 | UK 300 2019/20
your research to get a core
understanding of the organisation,
too. Look at what it does, how it
operates, how it compares to its
competitors and its corporate values.
Our ‘Graduate employers in
detail’ (starting at page 137) will give
you an insight into organisations and
what they look for in employees.
You should also take a look at the
websites of those employers that
interest you. Searching for news
articles about them and reading their
competitors’ websites will allow you
to demonstrate your interest and
commercial awareness.
To make it easier to jog your
memory during interviews, note
down a few bullet points from your
research and learn them in the way
that suits you best – perhaps the
same way you revise for an exam at
university. When Will Dixon (page
111) was preparing for his position
on the commercial graduate scheme
with Danone, he said, ‘I found
examples of where I’d demonstrated
Danone’s values and rehearsed them
in front of a wall in my bedroom.’
Tailor your application
Create a new application for each
vacancy you apply for, rather than
copying and pasting from one
application form or covering letter to
another. ‘I spent time developing and
tailoring each employer I applied to,’
says Holly Brown, graduate civil
engineer at AECOM (page 108).
‘Writing specific responses showed
recruiters that I had researched the
company and genuinely wanted to
Don’t miss the boat: when will I start applying for my
graduate career?
‘In which month did you start/will you start applying for graduate careers?’
October
35%
November
15%
December
11%
January
12%
February
5%
March
5%
April
3%
May
4%
June
3%
July
2%
August
2%
September
5%
The results of the Graduate Survey
suggest that most students in their
final year of university (35%) started
– or were planning to start – applying
for graduate careers in October. You
should try to be in this group. Most
top graduate employers begin taking
applications for graduate positions in
September/October and many set
their deadlines in November/
December. Some companies will set
open deadlines but they may still
withdraw their advertisement once
they’ve got the number of
applications they want. So, plan to
start applying in September or
October and make sure you have the
time to do so.
Boosting your employability
work for them.’ Keep a copy of the
job description next to you when
you’re writing your application for a
position. That way, you can write
about the specific skills and experience
the employer is looking for.
Connect your employer research
to your own interests and
aspirations. For instance, in your
covering letter, you might write that
what you’ve learned about the
employer’s environmental initiatives
indicates that you share a passion for
sustainability, as evidenced by your
involvement in your university’s
sustainability society.
Evidence your skills
At each stage of the process, you
have the scope to demonstrate your
skills. When talking or writing about
your qualities, support each one with
an example. This might be taken
from work experience, education or
extracurricular activities. For
instance, your people management
abilities may have been improved by
your time organising a trip abroad
with your friends.
Show your skills
You should make the most of the
opportunity to demonstrate – rather
than just talk or write about – your
skills. When you’re writing
applications, keep your
communication concise and well-
Don’t jump ship: when am
I most likely to drop out of the
application process?
‘At which stage of the application
process are you most likely to drop out
(before completing)?’
 Face-to-face interview 8%
 Phone interview 9%
 Assessment centre 13%
 Live video interview 10%
 Recorded video interview 23%
 Game-based assessment 10%
 Online numerical/verbal/situational judgement test 15%
 Online application form 13%
Like many respondents, you might find video interviews particularly daunting. Still,
our number one tip is don’t jump ship! The employer isn’t trying to trip you up; they
can see your potential if you’ve been successful at earlier stages. Practising and
following our advice to portray confidence could help you to feel prepared and up to
the task.
UK
300
written, with good spelling and
grammar. At interviews and
assessment centres, you’ll have the
opportunity to show your
communication and presentation
skills. Making a mental note of the
skills the employer wants to see
beforehand will help you to do so.
Make sure employers can observe
you using the skills needed for the
job. This can be difficult in a
pressured environment such as an
assessment centre or interview, but
you should try not to let nerves
prevent you from showing your
capabilities and passion. Prepare for
the parts of the recruitment process
you think you could find difficult;
your university careers service
typically offer workshops on
improving your presentation skills or
practice interviews. Matt Jones, a
graduate management trainee at
Lloyds Banking Group (page 122),
also found it helpful to talk to other
candidates during the assessment
centre – as this showed him that
everyone else felt nervous, too.
The image of confidence
Finding it tough to show certain
skills doesn’t mean you haven’t got
them or you’re not right for the job.
Many students don’t like presenting
in front of a group of people, for
example. Christina Colgan (page
124) of the nucleargraduates scheme
says, ‘I was shy in groups and
crowds at university and the advice
I would give when going through
recruitment processes is to imitate
confidence.’ However, she also
suggests that you shouldn’t
compromise your integrity. Acting as
a more confident version of yourself
can help you to show your qualities
to employers, but don’t feel that you
have to play a part.
UK 300 2019/20 | 45
UK
300
Boosting your employability
Reach up for the stars:
climb that career ladder higher
Having talked with high-performing graduates and executives, we’ve discovered
the mix of attitudes and attributes that makes for a stellar career.
Be a goal-setter and
a goal-scorer
When Alex Curtis, graduate management
trainee for Lidl (page 120), was asked to
manage a store, she wasn’t sure that
she was ready for the responsibility.
Success didn’t come to her quickly; in
six months, she hadn’t met any of her
targets. However, by the end of the year,
she’d completed all her objectives to the
highest standard. ‘In one year, I’d moved
from thinking I couldn’t manage a store
to running one successfully,’ Alex
reflects. As well as having a ‘can do’
attitude, setting long-term goals and
working out the steps you’ll need to take
to attain them will help you to stay
focused when you’re met with setbacks
and challenges.
46 | UK 300 2019/20
Put your ideas
forward – and into
action
‘I’d urge you to express your ideas for
improvements during a graduate
scheme; this will help to get you noticed
as a strong employee,’ suggests Will
Dixon, account manager at Danone
(page 111). Once you’ve made sure
you’re familiar with your day-to-day
responsibilities, you could impress by
analysing how things are done in the
organisation and giving ideas for ways
to improve things. The organisations
represented in this publication all
provide support to new recruits,
meaning there will be someone to
discuss an idea with, to advise you on
its viability and/or usefulness and often
to help you if you’re the person who
puts it into action.
Boosting your employability
UK
300
Take opportunities
outside your day job
Know yourself and
be yourself
Find a role model
‘Observing and learning from other
people is a great way to develop as an
employee,’ says Georgia Trupia, branch
manager at Enterprise Rent-A-Car (page
113). When she secured her current
managerial position, she replicated the
positive elements she saw in the
leadership style of her manager when
she was a trainee. Seeing how other
people bring about positive outcomes
and trying out some of these methods
yourself should help you to find a
working style that suits you. As Elaine
Scott, head of engagement at NOW TV
(page 133), suggests, ‘You might gain
insights through having a mentor or
shadowing someone.’ A role model can
be any colleague who inspires or
informs you.
Many of the graduates and executives
we spoke with used the phrase ‘be
yourself’. Matt Jones, a graduate at
Lloyds Banking Group (page 122), puts
it bluntly: ‘If you are working hard to
pretend to be someone you’re not, you
won’t play to your strengths’. Use your
initial inductions and training sessions
in the workplace to identify where your
strengths lie and capitalise on them.
Perhaps counter-initiatively, this also
involves accepting where there are
gaps in your knowledge or skills set.
Manisha Mehrotra, head of diversity and
inclusion for Europe, Middle East and
Africa at Bloomberg (page 130), has
learned, ‘It’s OK not to know something
and I’m confident in the experience and
knowledge I bring to the organisation.’
‘The start of your career is often when
you have the most flexibility and time to
get involved in projects outside of your
immediate job role,’ reflects Amanda,
number theory researcher for GCHQ
(page 114). Taking up opportunities
offered by your employee (such as by
joining a network or sports team) will
allow you to learn about yourself and
your skills at the same time as helping
to strengthen your working
relationships. By volunteering to get
involved in a corporate social
responsibility initiative, Tori Shepherd,
assistant design manager at Kier Group
(page 117), built relationships with
colleagues across the country. She
mentions how this has benefited her
working life: ‘Now, if I have a question or
want to ask colleagues for advice, I can
just ring them up.’
Make use of your mistakes
Having accidentally sent 500 pampas grass plants to a TK Maxx store, Alberto Schena
(buyer for TJX) was not only proactive in dealing with his mistake, but he later used it
as the basis for training sessions with graduates – on how to ship to your store and what
precautions to take (page 127). You should try to anticipate and avoid mistakes, but you
will make them. Overcoming an error as effectively and efficiently as possible and
thinking about how you can turn it into something positive – at least by ensuring you
avoid making the same mistake again – will mean it won’t lower the level of trust your
colleagues have in you.
UK 300 2019/20 | 47
EDUCATION
BROUGHT TO LIFE BY INCREDIBLE PEOPLE
Just like the kids that use our tuition centres, we never stop learning.
Learning and development is part of our daily work life, and the
direction that you take your professional journey on is completely up
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explorelearning.co.uk/careers
The top employers by career sector
UK
300
S E C T I O N
5
The top employers
by career sector
Accounting and financial
management ..................................................50
Banking, insurance and
financial services............................................52
Charity and not-for-profit................................54
Construction, civil engineering
and surveying ................................................56
Consulting........................................................58
Consumer goods – manufacturing
and marketing ................................................60
Energy and utilities ........................................62
Engineering, design and manufacturing......64
Hospitality, leisure and tourism....................66
Investment banking and investment ..........68
IT and technology............................................70
Law – barristers ..............................................72
Law – solicitors................................................74
Logistics, transport and supply chain..........76
Media and advertising ....................................78
Property ..........................................................80
Public sector ....................................................82
Retail ................................................................84
The difference between the UK 300 rankings and sector rankings
The UK 300 ranks graduate recruiters from all sectors of work by their popularity with students as ‘first
employers’. The sector top tens rank graduate recruiters by their popularity with students thinking
mainly of working within that sector.
Some recruiters, of course, are popular with students considering other careers or operate in more than
one sector, so their ranking in the UK 300 is a measure of their popularity with all students completing
the survey. It is not uncommon, for example, for an engineering company to be popular with students
looking for a management career – and this is taken into account when the UK 300 is compiled.
Scientific research and development ..........86
UK 300 2019/20 | 49
UK
300
The top employers by career sector
Accounting and
financial management
Graduate accountants can work
for a huge variety of employers.
usinesses and organisations of all types need
accountants to ensure that they are financially
sound and complying with relevant, up-to-date
legislation. As an accountant you could work for
an accountancy firm, providing financial services to other
businesses and organisations. Other accountants work in
industry, which means working for businesses and
organisations themselves, whether a large multinational
or a small independent business. Alternatively, public
sector accountants work for local authorities and
governmental bodies, making sure public money is being
used responsibly. Whoever your employer is, you will
have an influence on business strategy through your
assessment of their finances.
Accountants tend to specialise in a practice area (these
include assurance, auditing, tax, insolvency, and business
and financial advice), while some accountants focus on a
particular business area – for example, a management
accountant helps managers plan and budget ahead, while a
forensic accountant investigates possible financial fraud.
People working in this sector are not always office
based. The amount of time you spend behind a desk will
depend on your specialism and your employer. If you
work for an accountancy firm, you will probably spend a
considerable amount of time at clients’ offices.
A range of professional bodies provides qualifications
that graduates work towards as they train and specialise.
While many accountants stay and progress in the
financial services industry, gaining these qualifications
also opens up routes to other business areas, which are
often highly paid.
B
THIS REMAINS A STABLE CAREER
CHOICE FOR GRADUATES.
Opportunities for graduates
All kinds of organisations – from the ‘Big 4’ firms
(KPMG, Deloitte, EY and PwC) to small accountancy
firms, plus many public and private sector employers –
recruit graduates as accountants. Any degree discipline is
accepted, but having a finance background can gain you
exemption from some exams.
50 | UK 300 2019/20
Graduates typically work within a firm while they
complete a professional qualification, either on a training
programme or in a junior post. Programmes usually
involve exposure to all functions or departments within
the organisation and can be intense, due to the
combination of work, study and exams. However, many
firms offer study leave and a great deal of support, along
with a pay rise once you’ve gained your qualifications.
To get a job with a firm, students need to show
excellent numeracy skills and commercial awareness
along with good communication, time management,
analytical and teamwork skills. The sector remains a
stable career choice for graduates and, once qualified,
financial rewards in the profession can be substantial.
Students interested in accounting and financial
management…
• would probably seek out international careers, being
much more likely than the average student to want to
work for a large international employer (47% versus
28%) and to rate ‘international interaction/
opportunities’ as an ‘important’ or ‘very important’
factor when choosing employers (74% versus 69%).
• ranked personal development and training more highly
than students interested in any other sector: 72% rated
‘personal development’ and 70% ‘training and
development’ as ‘very important’ when choosing
employers, the highest percentages across all sectors.
• were more likely than average to have attended careers
events: 83% had attended a university careers fair,
33% an employer networking event and 12% an
invitation-only event (compared to an average of 74%,
22% and 10% respectively).
• were likely to have undertaken an internship by the
time they reached their final year: 56% of final-years
had, which is 10% more than average.*
*Statistics have been rounded.
Turn to page 35 to see the full survey results and to
page 10 to find out how the survey was compiled.
Find out more about starting your graduate career in
this sector at targetjobs.co.uk/finance.
The top employers by career sector
UK
300
Use of social media for careers
My uni year:
� First years 28%
16%
� Middle year(s) 22%
18%
7%
89%
22%
14%
19%
� Finalists 40%
� Already graduated 10%
I identify as:
I expect to earn...
£29,531
28%
� Male 42%
� Female 58%
say ‘a high starting salary
is very important to me’.
Top rated employers
56%
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
I’ve attended:
A university careers fair 83%
say ‘a good work/life balance
is very important to me’.
A subject-specific
careers fair at my university 36%
A freshers’ fair 59%
72%
A national careers fair 8%
PwC
Deloitte
KPMG
EY
National Audit Office
Grant Thornton
BDO
RSM
1
2
3
4
7
5
6
8
An employer networking event 33%
An invite-only careers event 12%
say ‘personal development at
work is very important to me’.
The work experience I have:
First years
Middle year(s)
21% 2% 31% 67% 63% 25%
Finalists
39% 1% 22% 69% 56% 26%
Already graduated
56% 2% 16% 66% 49% 30%
51% 2% 19% 71% 46% 25%
� An internship
� A legal vacation
scheme
� An employer insight
day/week
� A part-time job
� Voluntary/charity work
� A leadership role in a
student society
Top subjects of study (top six only)
1
Business &
administrative
studies
2
Social studies
3
Mathematical
sciences
4
Computer
sciences
5
Historical &
philosophical
studies
6
Languages
UK 300 2019/20 | 51
UK
300
The top employers by career sector
Banking, insurance
and financial services
Graduates don’t need to have a finance or
business degree to work in this sector.
rom high street retail banks such as HSBC, to
insurance giant Aviva, and central bank and
regulator the Bank of England, many different
companies and organisations fall into this sector.
Some are specialist and niche, such as Lloyd’s (not to be
confused with Lloyds Banking Group), while others, such
as global banking and financial services company Barclays,
are multinational, with a presence in excess of 40 countries.
A financial or business degree isn’t essential to a
successful job application, so don’t discount this sector if
you have a degree that seems totally unrelated to it – it
may well have equipped you with the traits employers are
looking for. Among those skills cited as important for
working in this sector in employers’ recruitment literature
are teamwork, commercial acumen, leadership potential
and the ability to work under pressure, as well as
communication and numerical skills.
Bloomberg’s employees, for example, could find
themselves analysing financial data for traders across
global markets, while at American Express a graduate
might opt to work in lifestyle and travel services. A
typical day in another company could include dealing
with pension policies, financial management matters,
insurance claims or risk analysis.
As you pin down which field of banking, insurance or
financial services you want to work in, consider the likely
locations that your chosen company operates in. Leeds,
Manchester and Scotland are all considered alternative
financial services districts and so you may find yourself
not living in London at all. This may be a blow if you
want to forge a career in the City, but a blessing if you
want to avoid setting up home in one of the most
expensive locations in the UK.
This career sector is one of the most scrutinised –
some might say justifiably, given its importance to the
British economy. The two regulatory bodies are the
Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) at the Bank of
England and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). If
you’d rather be a watchdog than watched over, the FCA
usually offers graduate programmes and internships, and
the Bank of England has been known to offer a graduate
programme in regulatory operations that supports the
work of the PRA.
F
52 | UK 300 2019/20
Opportunities for graduates
Many employers in this sector offer internships and the
best chance of securing one of these is to get an
application in place early in the penultimate year of your
degree. Though the openings are for the summer, the
internship deadlines are typically in December, so check
out company profiles and available opportunities
promptly. As far as career progression is concerned,
UK-qualified workers in this sector are valued the world
over. If you’re at the top of your tree in a leading
banking, insurance or financial services firm, there will be
numerous chances to travel and you may find yourself
offered posts in Hong Kong, the Middle East, the US and
beyond, with a six-figure salary included.
Students interested in banking, insurance and financial
services…
• were less likely than those interested in other finance
careers to have completed an internship by their final
year: 51% of final-year students interested in this
sector had, compared to 56% for accounting and
63% for investment banking.
• valued a high starting salary more than the average
student, with 29% ranking it a ‘very important’ factor
when choosing an employer compared to a 25%
average.
• were more likely than average to want to connect with
employers over networking evenings/dinners (at 44%
versus 39%) and to have done so: 25% had attended
an employer networking event and 11% had attended
an invitation-only event (compared to an average of
22% and 10% respectively).
• were more likely than average to use LinkedIn and
Google+ for careers purposes, but less likely to use the
other social media channels asked about.*
*Statistics have been rounded.
Turn to page 35 to see the full survey results and to
page 10 to find out how the survey was compiled.
Find out more about starting your graduate career in
this sector at targetjobs.co.uk/finance.
The top employers by career sector
UK
300
Use of social media for careers
My uni year:
� First years 30%
17%
� Middle year(s) 20%
21%
9%
84%
22%
16%
17%
� Finalists 38%
� Already graduated 12%
I identify as:
I expect to earn...
£28,639
29%
� Male 43%
� Female 57%
say ‘a high starting salary
is very important to me’.
Top rated employers
56%
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
I’ve attended:
A university careers fair 77%
say ‘a good work/life balance
is very important to me’.
A subject-specific
careers fair at my university 30%
A freshers’ fair 60%
66%
A national careers fair 8%
An employer networking event 25%
An invite-only careers event 11%
say ‘personal development at
work is very important to me’.
Barclays
2
HSBC
4
Bloomberg L.P.
5
HM Revenue & Customs
3
Bank of England
1
Lloyds Banking Group
6
American Express
7
Capital One
NEW
Santander
8
Lloyd’s
10
The work experience I have:
First years
Middle year(s)
21% 2% 24% 69% 57% 22%
Finalists
35% 2% 19% 67% 54% 24%
Already graduated
51% 1% 14% 68% 47% 26%
39% 1% 16% 70% 49% 18%
� An internship
� A legal vacation
scheme
� An employer insight
day/week
� A part-time job
� Voluntary/charity work
� A leadership role in a
student society
Top subjects of study (top six only)
1
Business &
administrative
studies
2
Social studies
3
Mathematical
sciences
4
Computer
sciences
5
Historical &
philosophical
studies
6
Languages
UK 300 2019/20 | 53
UK
300
The top employers by career sector
Charity and
not-for-profit
This sector enables graduates to
work for a cause they believe in.
he charity and not-for-profit sector, also known
as the ‘third sector’, offers a variety of job roles.
These range from roles most obviously
associated with charity work (such as
fundraising, hands-on humanitarian or community work
and political lobbying) to the more corporate (such as
roles in finance, marketing and web development). Notfor-profits operating in the medical field (such as cancer
prevention charities) may also employ medical or
research and development specialists.
People working in the charitable and not-for-profit
sector may find themselves employed by charities, nongovernmental organisations (which are often, but not
always, charities), social enterprises (organisations that
use commercial means to raise money rather than rely on
donations) or for international government organisations
such as a United Nations body.
While most, if not all, charitable organisations rely
heavily on volunteers, having paid employees is essential.
Be aware, however, that the pay is generally less than you
can expect in many other sectors.
T
FORMAL GRADUATE PROGRAMMES DO
EXIST BUT ARE IN RELATIVELY SHORT
SUPPLY. MOST GRADUATES WILL NEED
TO APPLY FOR AD HOC VACANCIES .
Opportunities for graduates
Formal graduate schemes do exist in this sector, but are in
relatively short supply. Due to this, many graduates gain
employment either through applying for specific
graduate-level jobs advertised on an ad hoc basis or
through hearing about opportunities informally while
volunteering or networking (some vacancies are only
advertised internally). Job prospects within the sector are
likely to continue to be affected by strain on charities’
budgets, caused, in part, by continued governmental
funding cuts, fierce competition for grants, fewer private
donations and, in some cases, ever-increasing need for the
charity’s services. For example, it is now typical for jobs
54 | UK 300 2019/20
to be offered on fixed-term contracts rather than
permanent ones, partly because of funding uncertainty.
You may also find that career progression comes from
taking on different projects or responsibilities as they
arise, rather than through climbing a predefined ‘ladder’.
When applying for graduate-level roles, having
previous volunteering experience with the organisation or
a similar one will be advantageous. It is one of the most
convincing ways that graduates can demonstrate
dedication to the organisation’s mission and an
understanding of any challenges the organisation is
facing.
Students interested in charity and not-for-profit...
• were considerably more likely to have undertaken
volunteering/charity work than the average student
(76% compared to 55%) and they were also slightly
more likely to have taken on a leadership role in a
student society (28% compared to 25%).
• were more interested in working for a small/mediumsized organisation than for a large, international
organisation (19% versus 26%), although even more
(39%) would work for any size of employer.
• valued ‘diversity/equal opportunities’ and ‘corporate
social responsibility’ more highly than other students
when choosing employers (65% and 45% of students
respectively ranked these as ‘very important’ factors,
the highest percentages across all sectors to do so).
• appeared to place less importance on job security and a
high starting salary than other students (only 40% and
16% respectively rated these as ‘very important’ factors
when choosing an employer, the lowest percentages
across all sectors).
• were much more likely than the average student to
look for their first job abroad: 18% compared to an
average of 11%.*
*Statistics have been rounded.
Turn to page 35 to see the full survey results and to
page 10 to find out how the survey was compiled.
Find out more about starting your graduate career in
this sector in the public service, charity and social work
careers advice section of targetjobs.co.uk.
The top employers by career sector
UK
300
Use of social media for careers
My uni year:
� First years 24%
23%
� Middle year(s) 23%
14%
9%
74%
33%
23%
10%
� Finalists 42%
� Already graduated 11%
I identify as:
I expect to earn...
£25,756
� Male 20%
16%
� Female 77%
� Non-binary
or other 3%
say ‘a high starting salary
is very important to me’.
64%
Top rated employers
1
2
3
4
5
I’ve attended:
A university careers fair 69%
say ‘a good work/life balance
is very important to me’.
A subject-specific
careers fair at my university 28%
6
7
8
9
10
A freshers’ fair 68%
63%
A national careers fair 5%
An employer networking event 15%
An invite-only careers event 4%
say ‘personal development at
work is very important to me’.
Amnesty International
1
Mind
NEW
Cancer Research UK
6
British Red Cross
3
WWF (World Wildlife
Fund for Nature)
2
Save the Children
4
Oxfam
5
NSPCC
NEW
WaterAid
8
Macmillan Cancer Support NEW
The work experience I have:
First years
Middle year(s)
22% 1% 32% 75% 75% 27%
Finalists
29% 1% 10% 83% 70% 22%
Already graduated
47% 1% 13% 71% 83% 32%
35% 0%
0% 68% 63% 23%
� An internship
� A legal vacation
scheme
� An employer insight
day/week
� A part-time job
� Voluntary/charity work
� A leadership role in a
student society
Top subjects of study (top six only)
1
Social studies
2
Historical &
philosophical
studies
3
Languages
4
Creative arts
& design
5
Business &
administrative
studies
6
Mass
communication
UK 300 2019/20 | 55
UK
300
The top employers by career sector
Construction, civil
engineering and surveying
Graduates working in construction love
being able to say ‘I helped build that!’
he construction industry offers many different
careers for graduates, including roles as site
managers, civil and structural engineers,
building services engineers, architectural
professionals, quantity surveyors, project managers and
facilities managers. In general, graduates tend to work for
one of two types of construction employer: consultants or
contractors. Consultants work on the pre-construction
and design phases of the projects, while contractors work
on site at the actual building phase. However,
increasingly, large construction firms are offering both
consultant and contractor (design and build) services to
clients.
Most graduates who work within construction love
being able to say ‘I helped build that!’ when they see
projects completed. Many graduate roles offer a great
deal of responsibility, particularly if the graduate is in a
management role, and it is not uncommon for graduates
to work abroad, both on a graduate scheme and later on.
However, if you work for a contractor, you will tend to
have a longer working day and you’re likely to need to
relocate or commute. If you work for a consultant, there
is often a delay before you see your project being built
and completed.
T
GETTING WORK EXPERIENCE
WITHIN THE INDUSTRY WILL GIVE YOU
A HUGE ADVANTAGE IN SECURING A
GRADUATE JOB.
Opportunities for graduates
In general, you need to have done a related construction,
engineering or surveying degree (accredited by a relevant
professional body) to secure a graduate job. However, a
few roles are open to those studying a science or maths
subject; it is also possible for aspiring site managers and
surveyors to study another undergraduate degree and
then ‘convert’ to surveying by studying an accredited
postgraduate degree. Indeed, some employers will hire
56 | UK 300 2019/20
you without an accredited degree and pay for you to
complete the conversion course. Facilities managers can
often get a graduate role with any degree background,
too. Construction companies are also increasingly
offering business-focused roles, for which a business
subject is often advantageous.
Whatever role in construction you are interested in,
getting work experience within the industry will give you
a huge advantage in securing a graduate job. Many
construction employers offer summer internships and
year-in-industry placements (also known as industrial
placements).
Students interested in construction, civil engineering
and surveying…
• were much more likely than average to have
undertaken an internship: 53% of final-year students
had, compared to a 46% average across all sectors;
38% of mid-degree students had, compared to a 32%
average; and 27% of first years had, compared to an
18% average.
• were less likely than average to have had a part-time
job or completed voluntary work (overall across all
year groups only 63% had a part-time job, compared
to a 69% average across all sectors and just 49% had
volunteered compared to a 55% average).
• put less importance on a high starting salary than the
average student (21% ranked it as a ‘very important’
factor when choosing an employer, compared to a 25%
average) and more on training and development (69%
rated it as ‘very important’, compared to a 64%
average).
• were likely to compare an employer’s innovative track
record and projects when choosing where to apply:
41% of students rated ‘innovation’ as ‘very important’,
the highest percentage of students to do so across all
sectors.*
*Statistics have been rounded.
Turn to page 35 to see the full survey results and to
page 10 to find out how the survey was compiled.
Find out more about starting your graduate career in
this sector at targetjobs.co.uk/construction.
The top employers by career sector
UK
300
Use of social media for careers
My uni year:
� First years 25%
13%
� Middle year(s) 18%
18%
7%
86%
25%
14%
19%
� Finalists 41%
� Already graduated 16%
I identify as:
I expect to earn...
£29,434
� Male 55%
21%
� Female 44%
� Non-binary,
other or prefer
not to say 1%
say ‘a high starting salary
is very important to me’.
59%
Top rated employers
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
I’ve attended:
A university careers fair 80%
say ‘a good work/life balance
is very important to me’.
A subject-specific
careers fair at my university 41%
A freshers’ fair 59%
69%
A national careers fair 8%
An employer networking event 24%
An invite-only careers event 10%
say ‘personal development at
work is very important to me’.
Arup
AECOM
Mott MacDonald
Balfour Beatty
Kier Group
WSP
Mace
BAM Construct UK
Atkins
Morgan Sindall
1
2
4
5
9
NEW
7
8
3
NEW
The work experience I have:
First years
Middle year(s)
27% 1% 25% 63% 56% 24%
Finalists
38% 1% 25% 65% 51% 33%
Already graduated
53% 1% 16% 61% 47% 29%
43% 1% 20% 69% 41% 23%
� An internship
� A legal vacation
scheme
� An employer insight
day/week
� A part-time job
� Voluntary/charity work
� A leadership role in a
student society
Top subjects of study (top six only)
1
Engineering &
technology
2
Architecture,
building &
planning
3
Physical
sciences
4
Social studies
5
Biological
sciences
6
Business &
administrative
studies
UK 300 2019/20 | 57
UK
300
The top employers by career sector
Consulting
Consulting offers intellectual challenges, the
opportunity to travel and pretty high salaries.
lients use management consultants to help
improve their business: consultants analyse the
way a business is currently being run and then
make suggestions on how to improve its
performance. Some consultancy firms specialise in
specific areas, for example HR or IT, while others will
cover all aspects of a business’ practice. Similarly, some
firms will work with specific sectors, for example retail or
the public sector, while others will be more general. Some
of the highest graduate starting salaries are in
management consultancy.
During a project a consultant will be involved with a
variety of different tasks that will require a range of
different skills and techniques. New graduates will often
work on areas such as making recommendations,
attending meetings, fact-finding and keeping clients up to
date with progress.
Consultancy is a popular sector for graduates as it
offers variety and intellectual challenges as well as perks
such as high starting salaries and the possibility of travel.
As such, it can be a very competitive sector to get into, so
internships offered by some of the larger firms can be
helpful in gaining experience. These are usually available
to undergraduates in their penultimate year, providing a
great opportunity to learn more about the job, build
work relationships and impress recruiters before applying
for a full-time graduate role.
C
A HIGH LEVEL OF ACADEMIC
ACHIEVEMENT IS MORE IMPORTANT
THAN A SPECIFIC DEGREE SUBJECT.
Graduate opportunities
Many consultancy firms recruit graduates onto training
programmes; the majority have structured application
processes where they recruit annually, usually closing
between October and December. However, some firms
recruit throughout the year and close positions when they
are filled.
Key competencies are far more important to
consultancy firms than specific degree backgrounds.
These competencies include attention to detail, great
communication skills and commercial awareness
(knowledge of the industry). A high level of academic
achievement is also a requirement. Work experience or an
internship will help a candidate stand out.
Graduates can be given lots of responsibility early on
in their careers, as well as opportunities for a lot of
personal development due to the varied nature of the job.
Some firms will sponsor graduates while they complete
an MBA.
A GOOD LEVEL OF WORK
EXPERIENCE AND AN INTERNSHIP
WILL HELP YOU STAND OUT.
Students interested in consulting...
• were much more likely than average to have completed
an internship by the time they reached their final year:
60% of final-year students had, compared to an
average across all sectors of 46%.
• were likely to be keen networkers, with 88% of
students having used LinkedIn for careers purposes and
34% having attended an employer networking event
(compared to an average across all sectors of 22%).
• would probably prefer working for a leading employer
in its field: 84% of students rated an ‘employer’s
success in the market’ to be an ‘important’ or ‘very
important’ factor when choosing an employer
(compared to an average of 78%).
• placed a lot of importance on a high starting salary
when choosing an employer, with 30% saying it was a
‘very important’ factor, the highest percentage across
all sectors apart from investment banking.*
*Statistics have been rounded.
Turn to page 35 to see the full survey results and to
page 10 to find out how the survey was compiled.
Find out more about starting your graduate career in
this sector at targetjobs.co.uk/consulting.
58 | UK 300 2019/20
The top employers by career sector
UK
300
Use of social media for careers
My uni year:
� First years 27%
16%
� Middle year(s) 20%
18%
7%
88%
24%
14%
18%
� Finalists 42%
� Already graduated 11%
I identify as:
I expect to earn...
£30,957
� Male 46%
30%
� Female 53%
� Non-binary,
other or prefer
not to say1%
say ‘a high starting salary
is very important to me’.
55%
Top rated employers
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
I’ve attended:
A university careers fair 82%
say ‘a good work/life balance
is very important to me’.
A subject-specific
careers fair at my university 35%
A freshers’ fair 58%
71%
A national careers fair 7%
An employer networking event 34%
An invite-only careers event 13%
say ‘personal development at
work is very important to me’.
PwC
1
Deloitte
2
KPMG
3
EY
4
IBM
NEW
McKinsey & Company
6
Accenture
5
Boston Consulting Group 7
Bain & Company
8
BT
NEW
The work experience I have:
First years
Middle year(s)
24% 1% 30% 66% 60% 26%
Finalists
43% 1% 22% 67% 54% 29%
Already graduated
60% 2% 16% 64% 49% 33%
50% 2% 17% 70% 46% 24%
� An internship
� A legal vacation
scheme
� An employer insight
day/week
� A part-time job
� Voluntary/charity work
� A leadership role in a
student society
Top subjects of study (top six only)
1
Business &
administrative
studies
2
Social studies
3
Computer
sciences
4
Mathematical
sciences
5
Historical &
philosophical
studies
6
Engineering &
technology
UK 300 2019/20 | 59
UK
300
The top employers by career sector
Consumer goods –
manufacturing and marketing
Creative and innovative graduates are valued
by employers in this competitive sector.
onsumer goods are any products bought to be
used directly by consumers, rather than being
bought by manufacturers to be used in the
production of other goods. Within this, fastmoving consumer goods (FMCGs) are usually highvolume, low-cost products that are sold quickly and in
large quantities, such as toiletries, cosmetics, cleaning
products, food and drink.
The consumer goods industry is fast paced and highly
competitive; the pace means that changes and results can
be seen quickly. Efficiency is key during the processes
involved in producing consumer goods to meet demands
and maximise returns. In this industry, graduates are
likely to go far if they are creative and innovative, and
can come up with practical new ideas that will put their
employer ahead of the competition.
Corporate social responsibility has become a
substantial part of this sector, particularly with regard to
sourcing from overseas, as stakeholders and consumers
are more aware of the social, ethical and environmental
concerns involved. Having an awareness of these issues is
advisable for impressing employers and progressing in a
consumer goods career.
C
Opportunities for graduates
FMCG manufacturers and distributors are known for
recruiting into graduate training programmes. However,
they may also recruit directly into established junior or
assistant roles. Roles in the industry range from
researching and developing new goods to marketing the
final product. Jobs also exist in IT, finance, logistics, HR
and management.
Graduates from all disciplines are welcome in this
sector, although numerical and analytical degrees can be
an advantage. Graduates on training programmes usually
gain experience in a number of areas of the business
before choosing to specialise in a function or department
appropriate to their discipline and level of experience.
Recruiters in this field expect graduates to have a good
knowledge of their brands and of their competitors’
products, as well as the trading environment in general.
Consumer goods employers also particularly value skills
such as teamworking, organisation, problem-solving,
60 | UK 300 2019/20
communication, planning and entrepreneurism combined
with strong business acumen. Graduates will have an
advantage when applying if they have work experience
through business placements or have worked in a fastpaced customer service setting.
RECRUITERS EXPECT GRADUATES TO
HAVE A GOOD KNOWLEDGE OF THEIR
COMPANY’S BRANDS AND OF THEIR
COMPETITORS’ PRODUCTS.
Students interested in consumer goods – manufacturing
and marketing...
• were more likely than the average student to have
completed an internship by their final year: 54% of
final-year students had compared to an average of
46%.
• would probably have met employer representatives at
careers fairs: 63% actively wanted to engage with
employers via stands at careers fairs and 76% had
attended a university careers fair, with 35% having
attended a subject-specific fair.
• were slightly more likely than average to judge an
employer based on its products and position in the
market: 72% rated ‘attractive products/services’ as an
‘important’ or ‘very important’ factor when choosing
employers (versus a 68% average across all sectors)
and 81% ranked an ‘employer’s success in the market’
similarly (versus a 78% average).
• were slightly more likely than average to rate a ‘good
work/life balance’ as a ‘very important’ factor when
choosing employers – 61% versus 58%.*
*Statistics have been rounded.
Turn to page 35 to see the full survey results and to
page 10 to find out how the survey was compiled.
Find out more about starting your graduate career in
this sector in the FMCG and consumer goods careers
advice section of targetjobs.co.uk.
The top employers by career sector
UK
300
Use of social media for careers
My uni year:
� First years 31%
15%
� Middle year(s) 20%
21%
9%
84%
26%
16%
18%
� Finalists 39%
� Already graduated 10%
I identify as:
I expect to earn...
£27,555
� Male 28%
24%
� Female 71%
� Non-binary,
other or prefer
not to say 1%
say ‘a high starting salary
is very important to me’.
61%
Top rated employers
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
I’ve attended:
A university careers fair 76%
say ‘a good work/life balance
is very important to me’.
A subject-specific
careers fair at my university 35%
A freshers’ fair 68%
67%
A national careers fair 7%
An employer networking event 20%
An invite-only careers event 8%
say ‘personal development at
work is very important to me’.
Unilever
2
adidas Group
1
L’Oréal
3
Procter & Gamble (P&G)
4
Johnson & Johnson
NEW
Mondelez International
5
Mars
7
Nestlé
6
GSK
8
Diageo
9
The work experience I have:
First years
Middle year(s)
18% 1% 22% 70% 63% 23%
Finalists
39% 1% 17% 73% 58% 28%
Already graduated
54% 2% 16% 70% 56% 32%
41% 1%
9% 68% 50% 22%
� An internship
� A legal vacation
scheme
� An employer insight
day/week
� A part-time job
� Voluntary/charity work
� A leadership role in a
student society
Top subjects of study (top six only)
1
Business &
administrative
studies
2
Biological
sciences
3
Social studies
4
Physical
sciences
5
Engineering &
technology
6
Subjects allied
to medicine
UK 300 2019/20 | 61
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300
The top employers by career sector
Energy and utilities
The energy and utilities sector manages resources such
as gas, water, and nuclear and renewable energy sources.
he energy and utilities industry is concerned with
the sourcing, supplying, distribution and
management of the natural resources that we
rely on every day. These resources include gas,
oil, water and electricity as well as nuclear energy and
renewable energy sources. It’s a high-profile sector, with
the question of how we generate sufficient power to meet
our needs attracting significant political, environmental
and media attention.
Due to its scale and significance, there are many
companies at work across the energy and utilities
industry. They can broadly be categorised by the type of
energy or natural resource they provide (for example, as a
water company). Many employers carry out multiple
functions as energy and utility providers (for example,
sourcing or generating, transportation and selling). As
such, there is a wide range of careers available within the
industry – from technical, engineering and logistics roles
to corporate functions, such as customer services,
marketing and business management.
T
IT’S A HIGH-PROFILE SECTOR, WITH
THE QUESTION OF HOW WE GENERATE
SUFFICIENT POWER TO MEET OUR
NEEDS ATTRACTING SIGNIFICANT
POLITICAL, ENVIRONMENTAL AND
MEDIA ATTENTION.
Opportunities for graduates
There are lots of graduate programmes available within
the energy and utilities industry. In most cases, companies
will offer graduate schemes that focus on a particular
area or role within their business. For example, a
company may run a finance scheme, an engineering
scheme, a commercial scheme and a technical scheme.
Entry requirements for graduate programmes differ.
While some employers still require at least a 2.1, it is
increasingly common for 2.2s to be accepted or for no
minimum degree result to be set. The degree subject
required will usually vary depending on the scheme. For
62 | UK 300 2019/20
example, whereas finance or commercial programmes are
less likely to require a particular degree subject, more
technical roles almost certainly will. Many engineering
programmes ask for a masters-level qualification, too.
Each employer will have its own unique list of skills,
attributes and behaviours that it requires in new graduate
recruits. However, no matter which employer or graduate
scheme you join, there are some competencies that’ll help
ensure your success in any energy and/or utilities company.
Your communication and relationship-building skills will
need to be top notch, as you’ll need to work with a variety
of different professionals. Commercial awareness is also
vital because your actions will contribute to the success of
the business. If you can match your commercial mindset
and great communication skills with innovative thinking,
recruiters will be glad to hire you.
Students interested in energy and utilities…
• were more likely than average to have completed an
internship by the time they reach their final year: 52%
of finalists had undertaken one, compared to a 46%
average across all sectors.
• would probably look at the career development paths
offered by employers: higher numbers of students than
average rated ‘good career prospects’, ‘personal
development’ and ‘training and development’ as ‘very
important’ factors when choosing employers.
• were slightly more likely than average to have attended
a university careers fair (78% had, compared to a 74%
average) and a subject-specific careers fair (36% had,
compared to a 32% average), but less likely to have
attended a freshers’ fair (59% had, compared to a 63%
average).
• were most likely to be studying a technical degree:
37% were studying engineering and technology (NB:
not IT-related) and 23% were studying a physical
science.*
*Statistics have been rounded.
Turn to page 35 to see the full survey results and to
page 10 to find out how the survey was compiled.
Find out more about starting your graduate career in
different roles at energy and utility companies at
targetjobs.co.uk.
The top employers by career sector
UK
300
Use of social media for careers
My uni year:
� First years 30%
16%
� Middle year(s) 21%
22%
7%
85%
28%
16%
22%
� Finalists 38%
� Already graduated 11%
I identify as:
I expect to earn...
£30,244
� Male 53%
28%
� Female 46%
� Non-binary,
other or prefer
not to say 1%
say ‘a high starting salary
is very important to me’.
59%
Top rated employers
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
I’ve attended:
A university careers fair 78%
say ‘a good work/life balance
is very important to me’.
A subject-specific
careers fair at my university 36%
A freshers’ fair 59%
67%
A national careers fair 9%
An employer networking event 23%
An invite-only careers event 7%
say ‘personal development at
work is very important to me’.
BP
Shell
EDF Energy
ExxonMobil
Yorkshire Water
ScottishPower
E.ON
Anglian Water
Wood
Total
1
2
3
4
5
10
7
8
NEW
NEW
The work experience I have:
First years
Middle year(s)
20% 1% 26% 65% 58% 25%
Finalists
33% 1% 16% 69% 53% 32%
Already graduated
52% 2% 17% 66% 55% 29%
40% 3% 13% 67% 51% 24%
� An internship
� A legal vacation
scheme
� An employer insight
day/week
� A part-time job
� Voluntary/charity work
� A leadership role in a
student society
Top subjects of study (top six only)
1
Engineering &
technology
2
Physical
sciences
3
Business &
administrative
studies
4
Biological
sciences
5
Social studies
6
Mathematical
sciences
UK 300 2019/20 | 63
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300
The top employers by career sector
Engineering, design
and manufacturing
The best engineers combine technical knowledge with
effective teamworking and client management skills.
ost graduates are attracted to engineering
because of the ability to apply their problemsolving skills within a practical environment.
Many also appreciate the relatively high starting
salaries on offer and the strong likelihood of being able to
travel during their career. On the flipside, most engineers
cite significant workloads and time pressures as sources
of stress.
It won’t surprise you to learn that engineers can find
work in a broad range of different sectors and industries.
It also won’t surprise you that the day-to-day work can
differ considerably within that industry, depending on the
engineer’s employer and the focus of their role. For
example, an engineer working in the nuclear industry
might find themselves designing elements of a pipe for a
new-build power facility or authorising and reviewing
maintenance work for nuclear submarines. Graduates
should gain a solid understanding of what each role
involves before applying for a graduate scheme or
entry-level job.
M
Opportunities for graduates
Some employers recruit a number of engineering
disciplines on to general engineering graduate schemes,
while others run specialist graduate schemes for
particular disciplines. Employers that specialise in a
number of different sectors – or, as they may call them,
‘service areas’ or ‘business lines’ – may run a separate
scheme for each of them.
Engineering recruiters require graduate applicants to
have a range of non-technical skills, as well as technical
knowledge. Problem solving, analytical thinking,
leadership potential, teamwork, good communication
and time management are just some of the ‘softer’ skills
sought. Those students who have engineering-related
work experience will have an advantage over those who
don’t when job seeking. Many employers offer a range of
summer internships and placement years (also known as
years-in-industry) to penultimate-year students – in fact,
they often offer jobs to students who impress them.
Career progression in engineering can be rapid, but
is often linked to gaining a professional qualification –
incorporated (IEng) or chartered (CEng) status – via a
relevant professional body.
64 | UK 300 2019/20
Graduates who have an MEng or MSc can start work
towards CEng status (the highest level of qualification)
immediately. Those who have a BEng have to work
towards IEng status before going on to study for
chartership if they wish. Some employers prefer graduates
with masters-level qualifications because they can attain
chartership more quickly.
SOME EMPLOYERS PREFER
GRADUATES WITH MASTERS-LEVEL
QUALIFICATIONS BECAUSE THEY
CAN ATTAIN CHARTERSHIP MORE
QUICKLY.
Students interested in engineering, design and
manufacturing…
• would probably consider companies’ track records
of innovation when comparing employers: 39%
considered ‘innovation’ to be a ‘very important’
factor, 5% more than average.
• wanted to engage with employers via off-campus
events more than the average student (47% versus
44%), but were slightly less likely to have done so:
20% had attended an employer networking event and
9% an invitation-only careers event (compared to an
average of 22% and 10% respectively).
• were only slightly more likely than average to have
undertaken an internship by their final year (47%
compared to 46%), despite the high number of
internships available in this sector.
• were more likely to have used LinkedIn, Skype and
YouTube for careers purposes than the average
student.*
*Statistics have been rounded.
Turn to page 35 to see the full survey results and to
page 10 to find out how the survey was compiled.
Find out more about starting your graduate career in
this sector at targetjobs.co.uk/engineering.
The top employers by career sector
UK
300
Use of social media for careers
My uni year:
� First years 36%
16%
� Middle year(s) 19%
20%
8%
80%
25%
16%
21%
� Finalists 34%
� Already graduated 11%
I identify as:
I expect to earn...
£28,698
25%
� Male 54%
� Female 46%
say ‘a high starting salary
is very important to me’.
Top rated employers
59%
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
I’ve attended:
A university careers fair 78%
say ‘a good work/life balance
is very important to me’.
A subject-specific
careers fair at my university 34%
A freshers’ fair 64%
64%
A national careers fair 9%
An employer networking event 20%
An invite-only careers event 9%
say ‘personal development at
work is very important to me’.
Rolls-Royce
British Airways
Jaguar Land Rover
Airbus
BAE Systems
Aston Martin
Boeing
BMW Group
Dyson
Siemens
2
NEW
1
3
4
6
NEW
5
9
10
The work experience I have:
First years
Middle year(s)
18% 1% 23% 69% 56% 23%
Finalists
34% 1% 16% 71% 53% 29%
Already graduated
47% 1% 15% 68% 49% 26%
39% 2% 14% 70% 46% 26%
� An internship
� A legal vacation
scheme
� An employer insight
day/week
� A part-time job
� Voluntary/charity work
� A leadership role in a
student society
Top subjects of study (top six only)
1
Engineering &
technology
2
Business &
administrative
studies
3
Physical
sciences
4
Social studies
5
Biological
sciences
6
Mathematical
sciences
UK 300 2019/20 | 65
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300
The top employers by career sector
Hospitality, leisure
and tourism
This sector would suit graduates who
get a buzz out of working with people.
pportunities in the hospitality, leisure and
tourism sector include catering and hotel
management, events, entertainment, health and
fitness, and heritage. It is a broad sector, so
graduates can tailor their job hunt according to their
interests and can expect opportunities to work abroad as
well as in the UK. Wherever you work, interacting with
people of a range of ages is a key part of the job and
responsibilities are likely to include providing customer
service and solving problems. While the industry allows
graduates to develop transferable management and
planning skills, the hours are often unsociable and
include evenings and weekends.
Some larger employers run schemes where graduates
learn the basics of the business and have hands-on
experience to develop skills, such as leadership. Some
schemes are rotational so graduates can work in different
departments, learning on the job. Smaller organisations,
such as specialist tour operators, may offer the chance to
take on responsibility earlier. Salaries vary depending on
the size of the business and your experience; for example,
the manager of a small hotel may earn about £20,000
a year, but a senior manager of a top hotel can earn
£60,000 or more. Some salaries may include bonuses
and commission.
O
Opportunities for graduates
Graduate schemes are competitive and those applying for
non-management roles may be competing with nongraduates. Work experience, such as a weekend job at a
pub, can show you have practical skills that will be useful
in the industry. Students and graduates can stand out in the
recruitment process by having an excellent understanding
of customer needs, being willing to take the initiative, and
demonstrating communication, teamwork and leadership
skills. Graduates often do not need a degree in the field.
However, a postgraduate qualification in international
tourism or hospitality management can demonstrate a real
interest in the sector as well as provide extra work
experience and useful contacts. Employers may encourage
you to study towards an industry qualification, such as a
diploma in hospitality supervision and leadership, while
working. Some postgraduate studies can lead to
professional industry qualifications.
66 | UK 300 2019/20
OUTSTANDING CANDIDATES FOR JOBS
IN THIS SECTOR DEMONSTRATE
EXCELLENT COMMUNICATION, CUSTOMER
SERVICE AND TEAMWORK SKILLS,
ALONGSIDE THE ABILITY TO TAKE THE
INITIATIVE.
Students interested in hospitality, leisure and tourism…
• were, unsurprisingly, more likely to want to have an
international career: 16% planned to look for their
first graduate job abroad (the highest percentage to do
so, except for those wanting to work for a charity or
not-for-profit) and 36% rated ‘international
interactions/opportunities’ as a ‘very important’ factor
when choosing an employer, compared to a 34%
average.
• were much more likely than average to prefer to work
for a small or medium-sized enterprise – 22%,
compared to a 16% average – although the highest
proportion of students interested in the sector, 31%,
would prefer a large international employer.
• appeared to put a high value on a positive working
environment: students in this sector placed more
importance on ‘friendly colleagues’ and ‘being
appreciated at work’ than students interested in any
other sector, with 54% and 61% rating them ‘very
important’ factors when choosing employers.
• were arguably the most entrepreneurially minded of
students: 30% said that they were thinking of starting
their own company during or immediately after
university, the highest percentage of students to say so
across all sectors.*
*Statistics have been rounded.
Turn to page 35 to see the full survey results and to
page 10 to find out how the survey was compiled.
Find out more about starting your graduate career in
this sector in the hospitality, leisure and tourism
careers advice section of targetjobs.co.uk.
The top employers by career sector
UK
300
Use of social media for careers
My uni year:
� First years 30%
18%
� Middle year(s) 17%
20%
11%
81%
28%
16%
18%
� Finalists 43%
� Already graduated 10%
I identify as:
I expect to earn...
£27,173
� Male 18%
27%
� Female 81%
� Non-binary
or prefer not
to say 1%
say ‘a high starting salary
is very important to me’.
61%
Top rated employers
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Hilton
Merlin Entertainments
Marriott International
Thomas Cook
Camp America
TUI Travel
InterContinental
Hotels Group
8 Fitness First
9 Center Parcs
10 P&O
I’ve attended:
A university careers fair 74%
say ‘a good work/life balance
is very important to me’.
A subject-specific
careers fair at my university 26%
A freshers’ fair 66%
69%
A national careers fair 11%
An employer networking event 19%
An invite-only careers event 6%
say ‘personal development at
work is very important to me’.
1
7
2
3
6
5
4
10
8
9
The work experience I have:
First years
Middle year(s)
22% 1% 18% 81% 57% 15%
Finalists
39% 2% 11% 71% 62% 23%
Already graduated
43% 1% 11% 83% 53% 26%
41% 0%
5% 94% 49% 38%
� An internship
� A legal vacation
scheme
� An employer insight
day/week
� A part-time job
� Voluntary/charity work
� A leadership role in a
student society
Top subjects of study (top six only)
1
Business &
administrative
studies
2
Social studies
3
Creative arts
& design
4
Languages
5
Mass
communication
6
Historical &
philosophical
studies
UK 300 2019/20 | 67
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300
The top employers by career sector
Investment banking
and investment
Careers in investment banking offer high stakes,
generous salaries and demanding office hours.
nvestment banking has money-making at its core
and often attracts those motivated by good
career progression and the chance to reap
significant financial reward. However, a high
pressure working environment and long hours are the
flipside of working in this sector.
Roles are typically available with three types of
employer: investment management firms, which invest
money on behalf of clients; stockbroking firms, which
buy and sell stocks and shares and give advice to
investors; and investment banks, which deal with
securities and assist clients with services.
Working in excess of 12 hours a day is not unusual in
investment banks in particular, even at entry level,
although demands vary with each employer and role.
After all, global financial markets are open 24/7,
requiring employees to work at a fast pace and respond
to unpredictable market events. Despite this, investment
banks can provide a dynamic and stimulating work
environment and draw a high number of graduate
applicants. Actual starting salaries in this sector are
among the highest in any field.
I
INDUSTRY-RELATED WORK
EXPERIENCE IS ALMOST ESSENTIAL
TO SECURING A JOB OFFER. THE
MAJORITY OF GRADUATE VACANCIES
TEND TO BE FILLED VIA WORK
EXPERIENCE ROUTES.
Opportunities for graduates
Investment banks’ roles vary depending on the services they
offer, but can include graduate programmes in: investment
banking, research, trading, operations (making transactions
happen), compliance (ensuring everyone follows the rules)
and technology. Investment management firms are more
specialised and usually only offer graduate programmes in
investment research (researching companies to decide where
would be best for clients to invest their money), technology
68 | UK 300 2019/20
and operations. Stockbroking (or ‘market-making’) firms
tend to be smaller, only offering one or two graduate
programmes – for example, in trading, business or
technology.
Many employers don’t mind what subject your degree
is in, although subjects such as business, economics,
finance, computing, engineering, maths and physics are
preferred by some. A 2.1 is nearly always required by
employers in this sector, and graduates need to be
comfortable dealing with numbers.
Industry-related work experience is almost essential
to securing a job offer and there are increasing numbers
of opportunities for first-year students alongside
penultimate-year students. The majority of graduate
vacancies tend to be filled via work experience routes.
Students interested in investment banking and
investment…
• were much more likely than average to have
undertaken an internship or an employer insight
day/week in their first year (25% had undertaken an
internship, versus 18% across all sectors, and 30% had
completed an insight programme compared to 22%).
• were likely to want an international career: 51%
specifically wanted to work for a large international
employer (versus an average of 28%) and 41% ranked
‘international interactions/opportunities’ as a ‘very
important’ factor when choosing an employer (versus a
34% average).
• placed a higher value on starting salaries and a lower
value on a good work/life balance than students
interested in other sectors did.
• were likely to compare the organisation’s reputation
when choosing employers: 28% rated ‘status and
prestige’ as a ‘very important’ factor (the highest
percentage of students to do so) and 37% rated ‘the
employer’s success in the market’ as ‘very important’
(second only to those wanting to become solicitors).*
*Statistics are rounded.
Turn to page 35 to see the full survey results and to
page 10 to find out how the survey was compiled.
Find out more about starting your graduate career in
this sector at targetjobs.co.uk/finance.
The top employers by career sector
UK
300
Use of social media for careers
My uni year:
� First years 35%
16%
� Middle year(s) 20%
19%
7%
86%
23%
14%
18%
� Finalists 36%
� Already graduated 9%
I identify as:
I expect to earn...
£33,015
� Male 52%
37%
� Female 47%
� Non-binary
or prefer not
to say 1%
say ‘a high starting salary
is very important to me’.
49%
Top rated employers
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
I’ve attended:
A university careers fair 80%
say ‘a good work/life balance
is very important to me’.
A subject-specific
careers fair at my university 33%
A freshers’ fair 58%
67%
A national careers fair 7%
An employer networking event 32%
An invite-only careers event 16%
say ‘personal development at
work is very important to me’.
J.P. Morgan
Goldman Sachs
Barclays
HSBC
Morgan Stanley
Deutsche Bank
BlackRock
Bank of America
Citi
Credit Suisse
1
2
3
NEW
4
6
7
5
9
8
The work experience I have:
First years
Middle year(s)
25% 2% 30% 66% 56% 27%
Finalists
45% 2% 26% 65% 52% 29%
Already graduated
63% 2% 15% 63% 46% 28%
43% 4% 17% 68% 42% 20%
� An internship
� A legal vacation
scheme
� An employer insight
day/week
� A part-time job
� Voluntary/charity work
� A leadership role in a
student society
Top subjects of study (top six only)
1
Business &
administrative
studies
2
Social studies
3
Mathematical
sciences
4
Computer
sciences
5
Historical &
philosophical
studies
6
Languages
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The top employers by career sector
IT and technology
IT jobs can be found across many sectors and
aren’t just for graduates with technology degrees.
ompanies that are big in the IT and technology
business are considered among the most
desirable to work for by graduates, with Google
heading not only this sector’s rankings, but
topping the entire survey for the fourth year running.
Technology roles in the banking, finance, public and
retail sectors (among others) are also sought after by
tech-minded graduates. Developments in technology are
making a big impact in these sectors and employers are
investing heavily in their online and technology
departments. Smaller niche companies can also offer
good entry roles for graduates – many offer more
specialised work and in such a fast-moving industry
today’s start-up could be tomorrow’s multinational.
It’s not essential to have an IT-related degree to
work in this sector and, in turn, a degree in IT doesn’t
guarantee a job on graduation, no matter what headlines
state about there being too few STEM (science, technology,
engineering and maths) graduates to fill the skills gap. The
right attitude, strong interpersonal and organisational skills
and evidence of enthusiasm for technology can also open
doors.
C
Opportunities for graduates
There are a number of different roles available to
graduates in this sector, from the technical, such as
IT support, software development and testing, big data
analysis, cyber security, infrastructure and telecoms,
to business-focused roles including project management,
marketing, sales and consulting. The latter roles in
particular require an ability to develop relationships with
customers and clients, and to bridge the gap between the
technical and the practical.
Graduates with IT-related degrees or those with
science- or maths-focused degrees, such as engineering or
physics, are welcomed by recruiters for their problemsolving capabilities and technical knowledge, but some
employers look at all disciplines and are willing to train
up the right applicant, depending on their aptitude.
Graduates who have a non-IT degree could sharpen their
skills with a postgraduate conversion course, adding a
technical edge to a broader background. Demonstrating a
willingness to learn programming languages alongside or
after another degree can also open doors.
70 | UK 300 2019/20
There are employers who admit they actively seek
graduates who see IT as a pastime as well as a day job, but
communication skills and a keen interest in developing
trends, as well as creativity and enthusiasm, are also seen
as necessary attributes, depending on the role.
IT’S NOT ESSENTIAL TO HAVE AN
IT-RELATED DEGREE TO WORK IN THIS
SECTOR AND, IN TURN, A DEGREE IN
COMPUTER SCIENCE DOESN’T
GUARANTEE A JOB ON GRADUATION.
Students interested in IT and technology...
• would probably want to meet employers with the help
of careers advisers, with more than average wanting to
engage with employers through stands at careers fairs,
on-campus career workshops and via their careers
service in general.
• were more likely than the average student to have
completed an internship in any year: 20% of first years
had (versus an average across all sectors of 18%), 39%
of mid-degree students had (versus 32%), 53% of
finalists had (versus 46%) and 42% of graduates had
(versus 40%).
• were slightly less likely than average to have
volunteered or had a part-time job: overall, across all
year groups, 51% had undertaken voluntary work
(compared to an average of 55%) and 67% had a parttime job (compared to 69%).
• were more likely than average to have used LinkedIn,
Skype and Twitter for careers purposes.*
*Statistics are rounded.
Turn to page 35 to see the full survey results and to
page 10 to find out how the survey was compiled.
See page 89 onwards to read our special ‘Spotlight on
technology’ section for more information and advice.
Find out more about starting your graduate career in
this sector at targetjobs.co.uk/it.
The top employers by career sector
UK
300
Use of social media for careers
My uni year:
� First years 32%
17%
� Middle year(s) 20%
20%
10%
84%
25%
17%
19%
� Finalists 37%
� Already graduated 11%
I identify as:
I expect to earn...
£28,978
� Male 49%
28%
� Female 50%
� Non-binary,
other or prefer
not to say 1%
say ‘a high starting salary
is very important to me’.
59%
Top rated employers
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
I’ve attended:
A university careers fair 77%
say ‘a good work/life balance
is very important to me’.
A subject-specific
careers fair at my university 31%
A freshers’ fair 63%
66%
A national careers fair 8%
An employer networking event 23%
An invite-only careers event 10%
say ‘personal development at
work is very important to me’.
Google
Amazon
Microsoft
Samsung
Apple
IBM
Bloomberg
Sky
Accenture
Rockstar Games
1
NEW
2
5
3
4
NEW
NEW
NEW
7
The work experience I have:
First years
Middle year(s)
20% 1% 22% 67% 57% 22%
Finalists
39% 1% 15% 66% 52% 24%
Already graduated
53% 1% 15% 66% 48% 28%
42% 2% 14% 73% 46% 24%
� An internship
� A legal vacation
scheme
� An employer insight
day/week
� A part-time job
� Voluntary/charity work
� A leadership role in a
student society
Top subjects of study (top six only)
1
Business &
administrative
studies
2
Computer
sciences
3
Social studies
4
Engineering &
technology
5
Creative arts
& design
6
Mathematical
sciences
UK 300 2019/20 | 71
UK
300
The top employers by career sector
Law – barristers
Competition for places at the Bar is exceptionally
high, but the intellectual rewards are great.
arristers provide legal advice, accept instruction
from solicitors and, where necessary, represent
their clients in court. This is a well-respected and
popular career path, offering a variety of work
and intellectual challenges. However, entry into the
profession is competitive and it can be a difficult field in
which to make your mark.
Most barristers are self-employed but work alongside
other barristers as part of a collective office known as a
set of chambers. However, around a fifth of barristers
are employed directly by the Crown Prosecution Service
(CPS), the Government Legal Profession (GLP) or private
companies.
You can become a barrister with any degree, although
non-law graduates will need to complete a graduate
diploma in law conversion course. Then, all aspiring
barristers need to complete an additional qualification
known as the Bar professional training course (BPTC).
To enrol on the BPTC, you need to pass the Bar course
aptitude test (BCAT), which assesses an individual’s
suitability for the Bar via psychometric tests; there may
also be additional admission screening criteria. The final
qualifying stage is to complete a pupillage, a one-year
training period, supervised by a senior barrister. The
qualifying process is therefore long and costly; you need
to plan carefully to finance the training and to gain the
required experience. However, the Bar Standards Board
(BSB) has announced changes to Bar training that are
likely to come into force in September 2020. This could
include revisions to the BPTC and open up additional
pathways to the Bar. More information is due to be
published over the next year.
Most barristers specialise in a particular area of legal
practice. Commercial law typically offers the most
earning potential, while sustained public funding cuts to
legal aid have particularly put pressure on those working
in criminal and family law.
B
Opportunities for graduates
Obtaining a pupillage is always a fiercely competitive
process and it is almost impossible to do so without having
undertaken law-related work experience, such as a minipupillage. Most pupillages are advertised on the Bar
Council’s Pupillage Gateway online application system.
The majority will be with barristers’ chambers, but the
72 | UK 300 2019/20
CPS and GLP typically offer a small number too. It’s
important to note that, after passing the BPTC, there’s a
five-year time limit during which to secure pupillage.
Those who are unsuccessful with their first round of
applications could increase their chances of success the
next time around by gaining further work experience in the
field, for example by working as a paralegal in a law firm.
OBTAINING A PUPILLAGE IS ALWAYS A
FIERCELY COMPETITIVE PROCESS AND
IT IS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO DO SO
WITHOUT HAVING UNDERTAKEN
LAW-RELATED WORK EXPERIENCE.
Students interested in a career as a barrister…
• were more likely to have attended careers fairs and
employer events than the average student.
• placed more importance on job security than other
students, with 61% rating it as a ‘very important’
factor when choosing where to apply (compared to an
average of 53%); this might be because of the difficulty
in obtaining a place in chambers after pupillage.
• placed a high value on an organisation’s leadership
when choosing an employer (56% said that a ‘good
leadership style’ was a ‘very important’ factor, the
highest percentage of students to do so apart from
those interested in hospitality).
• were considerably more likely to have undertaken
voluntary/charity work: across all year groups, 64%
of students interested in becoming barristers had,
compared to an average across all sectors of 55%.
• were more likely than the average student to use
Twitter and Facebook for careers purposes, but less
likely to use LinkedIn.*
*Statistics have been rounded.
Turn to page 35 to see the full survey results and to
page 10 to find out how the survey was compiled.
Find out more about starting your graduate career in
this sector at targetjobs.co.uk/law.
The top employers by career sector
UK
300
Use of social media for careers
My uni year:
� First years 33%
23%
� Middle year(s) 23%
27%
10%
77%
21%
24%
22%
� Finalists 35%
� Already graduated 9%
I identify as:
I expect to earn...
£30,219
� Male 30%
23%
� Female 68%
� Non-binary,
other or prefer
not to say 2%
say ‘a high starting salary
is very important to me’.
54%
Top rated employers
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
I’ve attended:
A university careers fair 79%
say ‘a good work/life balance
is very important to me’.
A subject-specific
careers fair at my university 44%
A freshers’ fair 68%
67%
A national careers fair 16%
An employer networking event 32%
An invite-only careers event 12%
say ‘personal development at
work is very important to me’.
Crown Prosecution Service 1
Government Legal Service 2
Kings Chambers
4
Blackstone Chambers
3
1 King’s Bench Walk
6
Matrix Chambers
8
No5 Chambers
NEW
1 Garden Court
5
2 Bedford Row
10
One Essex Court
9
The work experience I have:
First years
Middle year(s)
16% 6% 27% 71% 59% 22%
Finalists
16% 8% 28% 80% 69% 37%
Already graduated
38% 14% 29% 69% 66% 36%
32% 8% 26% 64% 65% 26%
� An internship
� A legal vacation
scheme
� An employer insight
day/week
� A part-time job
� Voluntary/charity work
� A leadership role in a
student society
Top subjects of study (top six only)
1
Law
2
Social studies
3
Historical &
philosophical
studies
4
Languages
5
Business &
administrative
studies
6
Creative arts
& design
UK 300 2019/20 | 73
UK
300
The top employers by career sector
Law – solicitors
Students wishing to train need to plan ahead
as it’s a long and competitive process.
olicitors advise clients about different areas of
law, resolve disputes and represent clients in legal
matters. Clients can be individuals, groups of
people or companies. Typical duties include
researching cases, drafting letters and documents, keeping
financial records, attending meetings and preparing papers
for court. Solicitors can work in private practice, in-house
for companies or for the government, as part of the
Government Legal Profession or Crown Prosecution
Service.
Training to become a solicitor is a lengthy process and
is highly competitive, so aspiring solicitors need to be
sure they have made the right career choice. Work
experience offers students an understanding of how law
firms operate and the chance to find out which area of
practice suits their skills. Bigger law firms offer paid
vacation schemes through the summer, spring and winter.
These schemes are often open to penultimate-year law
students, final-year non-law students and graduates.
Vacation schemes can be a crucial step towards securing a
training contract, as larger law firms often hire a good
proportion of their trainees from their vacation schemes.
Smaller firms sometimes offer less structured work
experience placements, such as work shadowing, or
informal placements. Some graduates work as paralegals
while applying for training contracts. Law firms also
believe in the importance of non-legal work experience.
S
VACATION SCHEMES CAN BE A
CRUCIAL STEP TOWARDS SECURING
A TRAINING CONTRACT.
Opportunities for graduates
If you are a law graduate, you must currently complete
a one-year vocational course known as the legal practice
course (LPC), which is designed to prepare students for
working life and give them an awareness of the law and
its application to practical issues. Non-law graduates
must currently complete a conversion course, known as
the graduate diploma in law (GDL), before undertaking
the LPC. The final stage of qualifying as a solicitor is the
74 | UK 300 2019/20
training contract. However, the qualifying process is
currently planned to change in autumn 2021 with the
introduction of the solicitors qualifying examination or
SQE. From that time, students will no longer need to take
the GDL and/or LPC, although it would be advisable for
non-law students to undertake the GDL.
Many firms, especially larger commercial firms, hire
for training contract positions two years in advance. City
law firms, including the ‘magic circle’ of leading UK law
firms and their international counterparts, offer a higher
number of graduate opportunities and often include
secondments abroad. Training contracts are paid and
usually rotational, allowing trainees to experience a
number of seats. Successful completion and admission
to the role will allow you to call yourself a solicitor.
Students interested in a career as a solicitor…
• were unlikely to have undertaken a vacation scheme,
despite the fact that they are a recognised entry route
into the sector: by the time of their final year, only
21% of students had completed one.
• were much more likely than the average student to
have attended employer events: 43% had attended an
employer networking event (compared to a 22%
average) and 22% had attended an invitation-only
event (compared to a 10% average).
• were likely to seek out an international career: 45%
actively wanted to work for a large, international firm
and 40% rated ‘international interactions/
opportunities’ as a ‘very important’ factor when
choosing employers (compared to an average across
all sectors of 28% and 34% respectively).
• were likely to be interested in employers’ career
development opportunities: 78% rated ‘good career
prospects’ as a ‘very important’ factor when choosing
an employer, the highest percentage across all sectors.*
*Statistics have been rounded.
Turn to page 35 to see the full survey results and to
page 10 to find out how the survey was compiled.
See our ‘Focus on law’ pull-out supplement to find out
more about the most popular firms.
Find out more about starting your graduate career in
this sector at targetjobs.co.uk/law.
The top employers by career sector
UK
300
Use of social media for careers
My uni year:
� First years 31%
19%
� Middle year(s) 24%
23%
8%
84%
18%
24%
23%
� Finalists 38%
� Already graduated 7%
I identify as:
I expect to earn...
£34,807
29%
� Male 27%
� Female 73%
say ‘a high starting salary
is very important to me’.
Top rated employers
50%
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Clifford Chance
Allen & Overy LLP
Slaughter and May
Linklaters LLP
Baker McKenzie LLP
Irwin Mitchell
DLA Piper LLP
Freshfields Bruckhaus
Deringer LLP
9 White & Case LLP
10 Bird & Bird LLP
I’ve attended:
A university careers fair 83%
say ‘a good work/life balance
is very important to me’.
A subject-specific
careers fair at my university 47%
A freshers’ fair 67%
68%
A national careers fair 11%
An employer networking event 43%
An invite-only careers event 22%
say ‘personal development at
work is very important to me’.
2
1
4
9
5
3
8
7
NEW
10
The work experience I have:
First years
Middle year(s)
22% 5% 34% 66% 66% 28%
Finalists
32% 10% 38% 70% 66% 39%
Already graduated
46% 21% 32% 70% 64% 35%
41% 15% 29% 70% 59% 28%
� An internship
� A legal vacation
scheme
� An employer insight
day/week
� A part-time job
� Voluntary/charity work
� A leadership role in a
student society
Top subjects of study (top six only)
1
Law
2
Social studies
3
Historical &
philosophical
studies
4
Languages
5
Biological
sciences
6
Business &
administrative
studies
UK 300 2019/20 | 75
UK
300
The top employers by career sector
Logistics, transport
and supply chain
Businesses are changing their supply change management
in response to commercial and environmental concerns.
ogistics and supply chain is to do with the fast,
safe and efficient movement of goods, materials
and services, while transport planning and
management concern the designing of transport
systems and the movement of freight or people by road,
air, sea or rail. Employers within the sector include retail
and consumer goods chains, supermarkets, transport
companies, courier services, manufacturers, and thirdparty logistics and distribution companies. Within
transport planning the main employers are local
authorities, specialist consultancies, civil engineering
firms and transport providers.
L
THE ABILITY TO COMMUNICATE
WELL WITH A RANGE OF PEOPLE IS
IMPORTANT IN THIS SECTOR.
A complex international supply chain network has
emerged over recent years – increasing demand for
cheaper goods has resulted in sourcing and
manufacturing overseas. The industry is now having to
find ways to balance many customers’ expectations of
receiving goods cheaply and speedily with increased
pressure to reduce its environmental impact and to
maintain an ethical supply chain. Many organisations are
investing in newer and green technologies. Within
transport, for example, many have moved towards the
more environmentally friendly biofuels and the
collaborative transportation of goods to reduce wasted
space in transit is becoming more common.
Opportunities for graduates
Employers in this sector tend to fall into three broad
categories: third-party logistics companies; other employers
with supply chain or logistics functions such as
supermarkets; and organisations that require transport
planners, such as specialist transport planning
consultancies, local authorities, engineering consultancies,
planning consultancies, urban design practices and
management consultancies.
There is a variety of roles available within this sector.
Graduates might work in sourcing, storage, distribution,
76 | UK 300 2019/20
operations management and supply chain analysis within
logistics and supply chain, but could also apply for roles
within support functions such as finance, HR and
marketing.
In transport planning, graduates might start out in
research or data modelling roles. Transport planners
usually have degrees in transport, geography, a social
science, civil engineering or another analytical subject
such as maths.
Roles in logistics and supply chain are open to business
and engineering graduates as well as those from an
unrelated discipline. Employers run specialist or more
general introductory training programmes. Graduates in
logistics, transport and supply chain require excellent
problem-solving and analytical skills as many roles involve
planning and organisation. The ability to communicate
well with a range of people is particularly important in
logistics and supply chain roles, as graduates often spend
time in warehouses and factories.
Students interested in logistics, transport and
supply chain…
• were, perhaps unsurprisingly, likely to be studying an
engineering or business subject.
• were slightly more likely than average to have
undertaken an internship and a part-time job by the
time they reached their final year: 48% of finalists had
completed an internship and 70% of finalists had held
a part-time job, compared to averages across all sectors
of 46% and 69% respectively.
• were slightly more likely than average to have attended
a university careers fair – at 76% versus a 74% average
across all sectors – but were less likely to have attended
the other careers events asked about in the survey.
• were likely to look into an employer’s track record in
innovation when choosing where to apply: 83% rated
it as a ‘very important’ or ‘important’ factor when
choosing between employers.*
*Statistics have been rounded.
Turn to page 35 to see the full survey results and to
page 10 to find out how the survey was compiled.
Find out more about starting your graduate career in
these sectors in the logistics, transport and supply
chain careers advice section of targetjobs.co.uk.
The top employers by career sector
UK
300
Use of social media for careers
My uni year:
� First years 37%
15%
� Middle year(s) 18%
23%
9%
79%
27%
17%
22%
� Finalists 34%
� Already graduated 11%
I identify as:
I expect to earn...
£28,260
� Male 53%
24%
� Female 46%
� Non-binary,
other or prefer
not to say 1%
say ‘a high starting salary
is very important to me’.
58%
Top rated employers
1
2
3
4
5
6
I’ve attended:
A university careers fair 76%
say ‘a good work/life balance
is very important to me’.
A subject-specific
careers fair at my university 30%
British Airways
McLaren
Boeing
Transport for London
DHL
FirstGroup
1
NEW
NEW
4
5
NEW
A freshers’ fair 62%
63%
A national careers fair 9%
An employer networking event 20%
An invite-only careers event 8%
say ‘personal development at
work is very important to me’.
The work experience I have:
First years
Middle year(s)
19% 1% 19% 69% 56% 22%
Finalists
31% 1% 13% 74% 52% 23%
Already graduated
48% 1% 13% 70% 49% 24%
44% 4% 13% 71% 52% 26%
� An internship
� A legal vacation
scheme
� An employer insight
day/week
� A part-time job
� Voluntary/charity work
� A leadership role in a
student society
Top subjects of study (top six only)
1
Engineering &
technology
2
Business &
administrative
studies
3
Social studies
4
Physical
sciences
5
Biological
sciences
6
Mathematical
sciences
UK 300 2019/20 | 77
UK
300
The top employers by career sector
Media and advertising
The media and advertising professions seek commercially
aware, digitally savvy, creative and analytical graduates.
rofessionals across media and advertising share
an essential purpose of conveying messages and
information to target markets, and so the media
and advertising worlds often overlap. Broadly
speaking, however, media careers involve working in one
of the three main types of mass communication – print,
online and broadcasting (although they are increasingly
converging) – while those in advertising use the media
to persuade people to buy a product or to increase
awareness of its branding or activities.
Job roles in the media encompass the creative (such as
writing, editing, journalism and design), the more
commercially focused (such as sales and marketing) and
the more technical (such as web development and search
engine optimisation). In advertising there are: creative
roles (in which you develop the concepts, words and
artwork for campaigns); account management roles (in
which you liaise with the client); strategic planning roles;
and media planning/buying roles (in which you decide on
the print space or air time needed for the campaign and
then negotiate deals with the media channels).
Decisions in both media and advertising are
increasingly being driven by data – particularly by
internet users’ behaviour (the sites they use, what they
click on and so on) – and social media is now seen as an
essential part of any media or advertising campaign. As
such, data analysts, market researchers and social media
experts are in demand.
Advertising professionals typically work for specialist
advertising agencies, marketing consultancies or for inhouse marketing departments at larger organisations.
Media companies span the traditional publishers, news
outlets, and TV and radio broadcasters, but roles can
increasingly be found with technology companies and
retailers as they need people to communicate
compellingly online.
position to apply for any graduate opportunities that arise
during or after their internship. You may need to apply
speculatively for work experience, as opportunities aren’t
always advertised. Possibly because of this, the media, in
particular, is renowned for having high numbers of unpaid
internships, but there are paid opportunities available.
Many jobs are open to graduates of all degree
disciplines, but some (particularly on the design or
technical side) require a particular degree. It should go
without saying that excellent communication skills are
essential, but it is worth noting that analytical skills are
increasingly important. Combining these skills with a
creative and innovative mindset, commercial savviness
and good attention to detail will impress media and
advertising recruiters.
Opportunities for graduates
There are a few graduate programmes available with
media and advertising employers, but most graduates need
to apply for individual entry-level roles that are advertised
on an ad hoc basis. Having relevant work experience is a
huge advantage and current interns are also in prime
Turn to page 35 to see the full survey results and to
page 10 to find out how the survey was compiled.
P
78 | UK 300 2019/20
Students interested in media and advertising…
• perhaps surprisingly, seemed to place less importance
on an employer’s track record on innovation than the
average student: 26% ranked ‘innovation’ as a ‘very
important’ factor when choosing an employer,
compared to a 34% average.
• didn’t appear to be motivated by money: only 18%
considered a ‘high starting salary’ to be a very
important factor when choosing an employer, versus a
25% average.
• were less likely than average to have completed an
internship by the time of their final year – 41% of
finalists had versus a 46% average – but were more
likely to have undertaken voluntary/charity work, with
59% of finalists having done so, versus a 53% average.
• were slightly less likely than average to use LinkedIn
for careers purposes (77% versus a 79% average across
all sectors) but more likely than average to use Twitter
(24% versus a 19% average).*
*Statistics have been rounded.
Find out more about starting your graduate career in
these sectors in the media, marketing and advertising
careers advice sections of targetjobs.co.uk.
The top employers by career sector
UK
300
Use of social media for careers
My uni year:
� First years 28%
20%
� Middle year(s) 20%
22%
17%
77%
26%
24%
20%
� Finalists 40%
� Already graduated 12%
I identify as:
I expect to earn...
£24,364
� Male 26%
18%
� Female 73%
� Non-binary,
other or prefer
not to say 1%
say ‘a high starting salary
is very important to me’.
63%
Top rated employers
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
I’ve attended:
A university careers fair 72%
say ‘a good work/life balance
is very important to me’.
A subject-specific
careers fair at my university 27%
A freshers’ fair 74%
63%
A national careers fair 8%
An employer networking event 18%
An invite-only careers event 8%
say ‘personal development at
work is very important to me’.
BBC
2
Channel 4
10
Penguin Random House
4
Sky
5
ITV
7
Guardian Media Group NEW
Bloomsbury Publishing
3
The Independent
NEW
Condé Nast
NEW
HarperCollins
9
The work experience I have:
First years
Middle year(s)
12% 1% 21% 76% 65% 20%
Finalists
27% 0% 16% 75% 59% 27%
Already graduated
41% 1% 15% 77% 59% 30%
35% 0% 11% 76% 52% 21%
� An internship
� A legal vacation
scheme
� An employer insight
day/week
� A part-time job
� Voluntary/charity work
� A leadership role in a
student society
Top subjects of study (top six only)
1
Business &
administrative
studies
2
Creative arts
& design
3
Social studies
4
Historical &
philosophical
studies
5
Mass
communication
6
Languages
UK 300 2019/20 | 79
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300
The top employers by career sector
Property
Roles are available throughout the UK and internationally
for graduates who can prove their enthusiasm for property.
he property industry generates revenue from
land and real estate in a variety of ways, from
acquiring and disposing of property and land to
overseeing the development of new properties to
strategically investing in real estate on a client’s behalf.
Broadly speaking, property firms can specialise in just
one or two of these services or offer a full range (these
firms are known as ‘full service’ firms). Property firms
also operate in one or a combination of the commercial,
residential and rural markets. Property is closely linked to
both construction and finance and picks up or slows
down in line with how these industries perform.
T
RECRUITERS SEEK COMMERCIALLY
AWARE GRADUATES WHO HAVE GREAT
RELATIONSHIP-BUILDING SKILLS.
Graduates working within property are generally
expected to work towards a professional qualification
with a relevant professional body, usually either the
Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) or the
Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI). This testifies to
their on-the-job expertise. Property professionals can
expect a lot of choice over the path their career will take.
Different positions will suit different personalities: you
could be involved in the renovation of property, for
example, or you could work in ratings – number
crunching to set the government’s business rate taxes or
helping your client pay the lowest ratings possible. Most
property firms rotate you around a number of areas as a
graduate, expecting you to specialise when you are
professionally qualified. However, some employers will
require you to specialise from the start.
Opportunities for graduates
Graduate schemes offered by full-service property firms
are a popular choice. They last for two to three years.
Smaller, local property companies also take on graduates,
usually on an ad hoc basis. There are a number of other
companies that own or deal with land, such as retailers,
who will also hire graduates into property-related roles.
80 | UK 300 2019/20
While many employees join the sector with a propertyrelated degree, this is not the only route to entry.
Graduates with other undergraduate degrees can study
an accredited postgraduate conversion course before
applying, but some property employers will hire nonproperty graduates and pay for them to complete the
postgraduate conversion course while working.
Most property firms offer summer internships and
placement-year work experience opportunities to
students. Property-related work experience is particularly
advantageous, but other work experience that builds your
transferable skills is also seen as valuable. This is
particularly the case with any customer service or
customer-facing work experience jobs because property
professionals require excellent client management skills.
Recruiters also seek graduates with commercial
awareness, relationship-building skills and analytical
ability, alongside a genuine interest in property.
Students interested in property...
• may well be interested in working internationally: a
higher proportion of students specifically wanted to
work for a large international employer than they did
for any other size of employer.
• were most likely to start researching graduate careers
in their final year, despite the number of internships
aimed at penultimate-year students: 41% of final-year
students waited until then to begin their career
research; 35% of final-year students had started
researching in their penultimate year; and 24% in their
first year.
• were most likely to want to engage with employers via
their university careers service (67%), having them as
guest lecturers (48%) and via on-campus careers
workshops (48%).
• were likely to be very active on LinkedIn, with 86%
using the social network for careers purposes.*
*Statistics have been rounded.
Turn to page 35 to see the full survey results and to
page 10 to find out how the survey was compiled.
Find out more about starting a graduate career in this
sector at targetjobs.co.uk/property.
The top employers by career sector
UK
300
Use of social media for careers
My uni year:
� First years 19%
17%
� Middle year(s) 23%
28%
11%
86%
26%
17%
19%
� Finalists 40%
� Already graduated 18%
I identify as:
I expect to earn...
£26,702
27%
� Male 45%
� Female 55%
say ‘a high starting salary
is very important to me’.
Top rated employers
66%
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
I’ve attended:
A university careers fair 69%
say ‘a good work/life balance
is very important to me’.
A subject-specific
careers fair at my university 43%
A freshers’ fair 61%
68%
A national careers fair 12%
An employer networking event 35%
An invite-only careers event 21%
say ‘personal development at
work is very important to me’.
Savills
1
BNP Paribas Real Estate
2
Strutt & Parker
10
Knight Frank
3
Grosvenor
5
Cushman & Wakefield NEW
British Land
4
Countryside Properties
7
Foxtons
NEW
Jones Lang LaSalle
8
The work experience I have:
First years
Middle year(s)
35% 0% 13% 41% 60% 5%
Finalists
41% 0% 33% 69% 64% 41%
Already graduated
56% 0% 20% 61% 44% 21%
38% 0% 68% 79% 61% 61%
� An internship
� A legal vacation
scheme
� An employer insight
day/week
� A part-time job
� Voluntary/charity work
� A leadership role in a
student society
Top subjects of study (top six only)
1
Architecture,
building &
planning
2
Engineering &
technology
3
Social studies
4
Business &
administrative
studies
5
Languages
6
Historical &
philosophical
studies
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The top employers by career sector
Public sector
Public sector vacancies can be found across
the UK, not just in capital cities.
he wide-ranging careers offered by the public
sector often attract graduates who want to
make a difference to people’s daily lives, or want
to work on projects that have national or
international significance. Public-facing jobs in this sector
include teachers and police officers, while the numerous
other roles are lesser known and behind the scenes. These
include working for local or central government, public
bodies, the Civil Service, and institutions concerned
with health, sport, defence, education, broadcasting and
the environment.
The public sector recruits people to specialist areas as
well as more general roles. Employers in this sector are
strongly committed to recruiting from a diverse range of
backgrounds as it’s essential that their workforce reflects
and understands the needs of the people it serves. The local
nature of many public sector jobs means that vacancies can
be found across the country; however, most ministerial
government departments are based in London. Nonministerial departments and other public bodies are often
centred in other UK cities; the Met Office is headquartered
in Exeter, for example, while GCHQ is based in
Cheltenham, Bude, Harrogate, Scarborough, Manchester
and Lincolnshire as well as in London.
Public sector institutions are powerful, particularly
those that devise and deliver changes to policy. However,
the impact that these institutions have is often the result
of years of work and decision making, and as a
consequence graduates may not see the immediate results
of their work, but rather changes in the long term.
The skills valued by public sector employers include
being interested in public issues, good communication
skills that you can adapt to your audience, teamworking,
time management, problem solving and – particularly for
graduate schemes in this sector – leadership skills.
T
Opportunities for graduates
Competition for jobs has tended to be fierce due to the
perceived security of employment and the availability of
flexible working arrangements, generous holidays, career
breaks and job sharing. Further training or study may also
be subsidised, and progression is likely to be via established
hierarchies. However, government cuts over the last few
years have affected recruitment into this sector.
82 | UK 300 2019/20
Some local authorities and health organisations –
alongside the Civil Service – offer graduate schemes that
can lead to management roles. Sandwich-year placements
and summer internships are also available at a handful of
government departments each year. Other public sector
bodies typically advertise graduate-level roles and work
experience opportunities on an ad hoc basis, rather than
through a centralised programme.
EMPLOYERS IN THIS SECTOR ARE
STRONGLY COMMITTED TO RECRUITING
FROM A DIVERSE RANGE OF
BACKGROUNDS.
Students interested in the public sector…
• were less likely than average to have undertaken an
internship (28% of all students interested in public
sector employers had, versus a 34% average), but more
likely to have undertaken voluntary/charity work (61%
versus a 55% average).
• were very slightly less interested in the starting salary
and more in work/life balance than average when
choosing between employers: 23% rated a ‘high
starting salary’ as ‘very important’ (2% lower than
average) and 60% rated a ‘good work/life balance’
similarly (2% more than average).
• were unlikely to want to be self-employed: 64% of
students interested in public sector employers weren’t
planning to set up their own business during or straight
after their studies, compared to a 58% average.
• were less likely than average to have attended an
employer networking event (18% versus a 22%
average), but more likely than average to want to (41%
would like to engage with employers via networking
evenings, compared to a 39% average).*
*Statistics have been rounded.
Turn to page 35 to see the full survey results and to
page 10 to find out how the survey was compiled.
Find out more about starting your graduate career in
this sector in the public service, charity and social work
careers advice section of targetjobs.co.uk.
The top employers by career sector
UK
300
Use of social media for careers
My uni year:
� First years 31%
18%
� Middle year(s) 21%
21%
8%
79%
24%
19%
18%
� Finalists 37%
� Already graduated 11%
I identify as:
I expect to earn...
£27,025
� Male 36%
23%
� Female 63%
� Non-binary,
other or prefer
not to say 1%
say ‘a high starting salary
is very important to me’.
60%
Top rated employers
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
I’ve attended:
A university careers fair 74%
say ‘a good work/life balance
is very important to me’.
A subject-specific
careers fair at my university 33%
A freshers’ fair 70%
64%
A national careers fair 8%
An employer networking event 18%
An invite-only careers event 8%
say ‘personal development at
work is very important to me’.
MI6 – Secret Intelligence Service 1
MI5 – The Security Service 3
Civil Service Fast Stream
4
GCHQ
9
British Council
7
Teach First
5
European Commission
10
Local Government (NGDP) 6
NHS Leadership Academy 2
HM Revenue & Customs NEW
The work experience I have:
First years
Middle year(s)
15% 1% 23% 74% 65% 23%
Finalists
27% 1% 18% 78% 60% 30%
Already graduated
38% 1% 16% 75% 59% 30%
33% 1% 10% 73% 56% 19%
� An internship
� A legal vacation
scheme
� An employer insight
day/week
� A part-time job
� Voluntary/charity work
� A leadership role in a
student society
Top subjects of study (top six only)
1
Social studies
2
Business &
administrative
studies
3
Historical &
philosophical
studies
4
Languages
5
Computer
sciences
6
Mathematical
sciences
UK 300 2019/20 | 83
UK
300
The top employers by career sector
Retail
The retail sector is full of recognisable names, but you may
not be aware of all the graduate opportunities available.
etail is highly important to the British economy,
and the largest retailers have significant ability
to influence and shape it. As such, it is a sector
that receives a great deal of media attention. To
be successful, retailers need to anticipate and respond to
changing consumer needs and trends, while maintaining
profit margins.
Challenges currently facing the traditional retailers
that operate a ‘bricks and clicks’ offering – that is a
combination of physical stores and online shops – include
the high costs of renting and managing physical stores.
Many are reducing the number of their physical stores,
while trying to ensure that their flagship stores offer
added experiences for customers (many department stores
have added hairdressers and nail bars, for example).
Alongside this, there is increasing demand to ensure that
retailers’ websites and delivery promises keep up with
consumers’ expectations.
Across traditional and online-only retailers alike, there
is also concern about where products come from and
how much is wasted.
R
Opportunities for graduates
There is a vast range of job roles available with retailers.
Some of the most highly sought-after roles include
working as a retail manager at store or area level, as a
buyer or as a merchandiser. However, depending on the
nature of the store, there may also be vacancies in food
and product technology and fashion design. With the
continued growth of online retailing, there are many
technology-related roles available. Retailers are also
employers for graduates who can be employed in other
sectors: for example, they can also hire accountants and
commercial managers, logistics managers and even
construction and property graduates to work on the
maintenance and development of new stores.
A few retailers hire graduates on to general graduate
schemes and rotate them around different areas of their
business, but most retailers offer a selection of job-specific
schemes, such as in buying, merchandising, retail
management and e-commerce. Some graduate schemes
may require specific degree backgrounds. For example,
product technology schemes require a related degree,
merchandising schemes often prefer a numerate degree and
84 | UK 300 2019/20
a few e-commerce jobs stipulate a technology-related
subject. However, most schemes are open to students
studying any subject. In general, retail offers excellent
opportunities for progression. Within three to five years an
ambitious retail management graduate could be managing
a large store with a multimillion-pound turnover and
hundreds of staff – sooner if they join an accelerated fasttrack programme. However, in a store-based (rather than
head office) position, shift work is to be expected.
Recruiters look for graduates who have good
communication, analytical, leadership and teamwork
skills. They will prefer you to have done some work
experience on a shop floor – for example, through a parttime job – no matter what role you apply for. However,
any work experience within a commercial or customer care
environment will put you at an advantage. Many retailers
offer summer internships, industrial year placements and
shorter, more informal work experience weeks, too.
RECRUITERS PREFER YOU TO HAVE
HAD A JOB ON THE SHOPFLOOR.
Students interested in retail…
• were likely to be studying a business subject (30%) or a
degree related to computer science (15%).
• were more likely than average to have undertaken an
internship by their final year (50% of finalists had
versus an average of 46%) and also more likely to have
had a part-time job (71% versus 68%).
• would probably compare a retailer’s products and
services when choosing where to apply: 74% said
‘attractive products/services’ were an ‘important’ or
‘very important’ factor, compared to a 68% average.
• were among the most entrepreneurial: 27% said they
were thinking of founding their own business during or
after their studies, compared with an average of 23%.*
*Statistics are rounded.
Turn to page 35 to see the full survey results and to
page 10 to find out how the survey was compiled.
Find out more about starting your graduate career in
this sector at targetjobs.co.uk/retail.
The top employers by career sectors
UK
300
Use of social media for careers
My uni year:
� First years 30%
15%
� Middle year(s) 19%
23%
11%
82%
24%
17%
18%
� Finalists 41%
� Already graduated 10%
I identify as:
I expect to earn...
£27,590
� Male 40%
26%
� Female 59%
� Non-binary,
other or prefer
not to say 1%
say ‘a high starting salary
is very important to me’.
62%
Top rated employers
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
I’ve attended:
A university careers fair 76%
say ‘a good work/life balance
is very important to me’.
A subject-specific
careers fair at my university 29%
A freshers’ fair 64%
66%
A national careers fair 8%
An employer networking event 21%
An invite-only careers event 9%
say ‘personal development at
work is very important to me’.
Amazon
1
Apple
NEW
John Lewis Partnership
2
BMW Group
NEW
Arcadia Group
3
Marks & Spencer
4
Aldi
5
Boots
6
Abercrombie & Fitch
7
Tesco
NEW
The work experience I have:
First years
Middle year(s)
18% 1% 19% 67% 55% 18%
Finalists
38% 0% 13% 68% 52% 23%
Already graduated
50% 1% 16% 71% 49% 26%
40% 2% 12% 75% 45% 22%
� An internship
� A legal vacation
scheme
� An employer insight
day/week
� A part-time job
� Voluntary/charity work
� A leadership role in a
student society
Top subjects of study (top six only)
1
Business &
administrative
studies
2
Computer
sciences
3
Social studies
4
Engineering &
technology
5
Creative arts
& design
6
Languages
UK 300 2019/20 | 85
UK
300
The top employers by career sector
Scientific research
and development
University departments, private companies and the public
sector offer opportunities for graduates in this sector.
he NHS and private medicine and healthcare
companies rely on scientists to help make
medical breakthroughs as well as work on
pharmaceuticals, medical devices and
diagnostics. Energy companies also depend on scientists
to advise, implement and plan renewable energy sources
such as wind farms, solar conversions and biofuels.
Scientists can also decommission old nuclear sites across
the UK as part of the government’s plan.
Science graduates are often drawn towards the
scientific research and development sector so they can use
their skills and knowledge in a hands-on role to address
real-life problems. Most students and graduates are
aware of the research and development that takes place in
university departments and in industry, but there are also
opportunities in government departments and agencies, in
charitable-funded institutes and in hospitals. Science
graduates will usually specialise in a specific area; they
may be undertaking fundamental health research,
developing IT technologies or refining manufacturing
processes, for example. There is a broad range of
possibilities.
T
Opportunities for graduates
Typical starting roles include a laboratory technician or
a quality assurance officer with the chance to progress on
to working as a laboratory manager or project manager.
There may be an opportunity to become a chartered
scientist, which recognises the highest levels of
professionalism in science.
Although graduates do not necessarily need a
doctorate to work in scientific research and development,
directing the development of a research idea usually
requires postgraduate study. A PhD is often essential if
you want to stay in academia as a researcher, as it shows
your academic credibility. Choose a relevant research
topic for the industry you wish to work in if you
undertake postgraduate study.
Science-focused employment often involves regular
hours and a structured working environment, but
researchers may sometimes have to work in the evenings or
at weekends. Some roles in industry may require shift work.
86 | UK 300 2019/20
There are many graduate schemes available.
Employers include GSK, AstraZeneca and Pfizer. The
NHS offers a scientist training programme through
which graduates undertake postgraduate work-based
training, leading to a masters degree in areas including
microbiology, genomics and bioinformatics.
Employers find strong technical, analytical,
organisation, communication and time-management
skills desirable. Great attention to detail is also crucial.
Organisations such as P&G and Unilever offer
internships, which are usually aimed at penultimate-year
students. There are also science-based internship
opportunities with the British Council. Work shadowing
or work experience allows students to gain an insight into
their area of interest and ask professionals for advice.
You may also be able to obtain research experience at
your university during the summer break – often called
undergraduate or vacation studentships.
Students interested in scientific research and
development…
• were the most flexible of all students about the size of
organisation they worked for: 40% would be happy
working for any size of employers, the largest
percentage of students to say so.
• were likely to have attended university careers fairs:
75% had attended general fairs and 40% subjectspecific fairs.
• were less likely than average to have undertaken an
internship: 43% of finalists had, compared to a 46%
average.
• put emphasis on career progression and training when
comparing employers: 72% rated ‘good career
prospects’ as a ‘very important’ factor and 66% rated
‘training and development’ similarly. *
*Statistics have been rounded.
Turn to page 35 to see the full survey results and to
page 10 to find out how the survey was compiled.
Find out more about starting your graduate career in
this sector in the scientific research and development
careers advice section of targetjobs.co.uk.
The top employers by career sector
UK
300
Use of social media for careers
My uni year:
� First years 35%
15%
� Middle year(s) 21%
20%
6%
79%
26%
17%
21%
� Finalists 34%
� Already graduated 10%
I identify as:
I expect to earn...
£27,924
22%
� Male 32%
� Female 68%
say ‘a high starting salary
is very important to me’.
Top rated employers
62%
1
2
3
4
5
I’ve attended:
A university careers fair 75%
say ‘a good work/life balance
is very important to me’.
A subject-specific
careers fair at my university 40%
Technology Facilities Council)
6
7
8
9
10
A freshers’ fair 70%
66%
A national careers fair 8%
An employer networking event 17%
An invite-only careers event 8%
say ‘personal development at
work is very important to me’.
GSK
AstraZeneca
Pfizer
Johnson & Johnson
STFC (The Science and
Bayer
Boots
Roche
Merck
nucleargraduates
1
2
3
4
5
6
NEW
8
9
10
The work experience I have:
First years
Middle year(s)
18% 1% 20% 67% 66% 23%
Finalists
34% 1% 18% 69% 64% 29%
Already graduated
43% 2% 16% 71% 57% 29%
36% 0% 10% 69% 53% 23%
� An internship
� A legal vacation
scheme
� An employer insight
day/week
� A part-time job
� Voluntary/charity work
� A leadership role in a
student society
Top subjects of study (top six only)
1
Biological
sciences
2
Physical
sciences
3
Engineering &
technology
4
Social studies
5
Subjects allied
to medicine
6
Business &
administrative
studies
UK 300 2019/20 | 87
Spotlight on technology
TECH
SUPPLEMENT
SPONSOR
UK
300
S E C T I O N
6
Spotlight on
technology
With the help of our sponsor BT,
we shine a spotlight on careers
in technology. Read on to
discover:
• what BT graduate employees
appreciate most about their
employer
• what a tech career in a variety
of different industry sectors –
including financial services
and pharmaceuticals and
healthcare – could offer you
• how you can start a career in
technology with any degree
subject
• why you need to gather
evidence of your passion for
technology before applying
• how you can impress during
the recruitment process.
Packed with insights and tips
from AstraZeneca, Barclays, BT,
Deloitte, Lloyds Banking Group,
MI5 and Skyscanner, this
section will give you a valuable
steer on how to begin a
successful career in tech.
UK
300
UK 300 2019/20 | 89
UK
TECH
SUPPLEMENT
SPONSOR
300
Spotlight on technology
EMPLOYER SHOWCASE
How to choose the best tech
employer for you, by BT
Innovative work. Training and personal development. The chance to make an impact.
Graduates at BT give you insights into what to look for when choosing a tech employer.
hat comes across most
strongly when you talk
to employees on BT’s
technology graduate
programmes is how they are
supported to complete innovative,
impactful work while achieving their
own personal and professional
ambitions. ‘One of the main reasons
I joined BT was the incredible
learning opportunities it offered,’
says Justyna Banaszkiewicz, a
graduate software engineer. ‘It’s a
very innovative company and I’ve
already improved my technical
and non-technical skills just by
being here.’
Vincent Duong, a graduate
software engineer in the technology
tools, orchestration and exposure
department agrees: ‘When applying
for jobs, BT stood out. It’s the
company that shaped the
infrastructure our country is built on
and is at the forefront of 5G, which
is a massive achievement in itself.
Who wouldn’t want the chance to
work for one of the biggest and most
influential companies in the UK?’
W
Innovative, impactful work
‘One of the most enjoyable things
about my job is seeing the impact of
our work every day,’ says Vincent.
‘It quickly becomes clear how critical
our applications are. My team
creates and maintains a number of
tools that are utilised by operations
teams, include monitoring and data
visualisation to name but a few.’
90 | UK 300 2019/20
An exhibition at a BT Connected Industry event.
Vincent explains that graduates
make a tangible contribution to the
work: ‘I recently worked with a
colleague to develop a new monitoring
tool focusing on PDH and SDH nodes
(which transport huge quantities of
telecommunications data). It’s already
being used and has received a lot of
positive feedback. Not only was the
project a huge learning experience, but
it also felt amazing to work on a small
project that has nevertheless had a big
impact on our customers.’
Andrew Stump is a graduate
development and operations
specialist in the cloud team for TV
and broadband, and has found the
same opportunities to make a
difference in his work. ‘Even as a
graduate, BT has been keen to get me
involved in any projects my team is
working on,’ he says. ‘This is not just
to help me gain experience, but also
because BT understands that fresh
ideas and innovation often come
from outside perspectives.’
His team supports and creates
cloud-based infrastructure, such as
the virtual private cloud and security
designs and BT’s partnership with
Amazon Web Services (AWS).
‘Currently our team is working on
an entire redesign of the AWS
account structure, streamlining it
TECH
SUPPLEMENT
SPONSOR
Spotlight on technology
UK
300
Find out more about BT on pages
196–197.
BT graduates on a Gradventure initiative.
for the customer. I was involved in
this project at the initial stages,
looking at how the current account
structure fits together and designing
the new architecture,’ he says. ‘This
is a very in-depth and involved role
for a graduate on such an important
project.’
Developing the ‘wow’ factor
Learning opportunities at BT help
graduates to achieve their
professional potential and further
develop an innovative mindset.
Graduates have benefited from the
graduate programme’s new
rotational structure, for example. ‘It
allows you to experience and learn
from experts in many different
areas,’ says Vincent. ‘You learn
things no other company can teach
you.’ Andrew agrees: ‘A great aspect
of BT is the ability to explore the
company through your graduate
scheme. You can easily avoid being
pigeon holed into a specific role.
There are so many opportunities to
discover different areas of the
business to find something you really
enjoy and can see yourself doing for
a long time.’
Learning and innovation are also
encouraged by activities and events
outside of your core role, such as
through hackathons, workshops and
personal projects. ‘In my team, we
have three days every month in
which we can take on personal
projects, personal learning tasks or
tackle the requests of any customers
who want something with that
“wow factor”, such as AR
(augmented reality) and voicecontrolled assistants,’ says Vincent.
Justyna attended a conference in
London called IT SummIT and it
enabled her to practise her skills and
then apply them for the benefit of the
company. ‘I worked alongside
professionals from across the
business to design a solution to a
problem for a customer. During the
event, I also had a chance to see how
a hologram can be used to promote
a business. I have since been able to
use this idea in my work for
Gradventure,’ she says. Gradventure
is BT’s community of graduates
devoted to giving back to the
community through doing charity
work and is supporting UNICEF
this year.
She has also benefited from
development activities in nontechnical areas. ‘One of my best
highlights has been a leadership
programme run by BT, which
provided an introduction to
fundamental leadership and
teamworking skills needed in the
business world,’ she says. ‘However,
I have also had great on-the-job
learning experiences. Between my
day-to-day tasks, attending BT events
and engaging in fundraising for
Gradventure, I am always looking
forward to starting the new day.’
A supportive network
Justyna’s primary reason for joining
was the learning opportunities; her
second was the people. ‘Every day,
I have the privilege to meet and work
both with the most technically minded
of individuals and with senior people
within the business,’ she says.
Andrew also finds the people he
works with one of the most
enjoyable aspects of his job. ‘Within
my team there is a huge amount of
support and investment directed
towards me,’ he says. ‘It is never
hard to find someone to give some
guidance when trying to develop a
new solution. From the moment
I joined, the team made sure I was
involved in decision making and that
my voice was heard.’
For Vincent it is the team
environment that stands out: ‘It is the
perfect balance of relaxed and
hardworking; we get the job done,
but don’t forget to have fun.’ He also
points out that the competitive rate
of pay doesn’t hurt either!
UK 300 2019/20 | 91
UK
TECH
SUPPLEMENT
SPONSOR
300
Spotlight on technology: choosing a sector
Where could technology take you?
The sky’s the limit when it comes to picking
an employer that needs technology expertise.
echnology plays an integral – and increasingly
important – role in so many organisations,
meaning jobseekers in this field have a wide
range of employers to choose from. Professionals
working at Barclays, Deloitte, Lloyds Banking Group and
Skyscanner talk about their experiences of work in
technology in these businesses. Over the page, discover
how your talents in technology could transform lives in
the pharmaceutical and healthcare industry.
T
Transforming travel:
solving searching
problems
Technology touches everything. It has transformed every aspect
of travel and Skyscanner has been at the forefront of this, by
bringing travel metasearch to millions of travellers and so
expanding the amount of choice they have. The travel industry
is solving fascinating problems and growing massively. That
makes it a great place to start a career and thrive.
I applied to Skyscanner because I saw a blog post by one of its
designers about taking paternity leave and how supportive the
CEO had been. I’ve since discovered that Skyscanner does
support employees. For instance, I wanted to learn about iOS
development and about accessibility, and my manager backed
this. I’m able to choose what I work on, according to my
interests, where possible. I’m also able to work from home
when I need.
You get plenty of perks when you work for Skyscanner. The
most important thing for me, however, is that I’m finding it
awesome to be solving interesting problems while surrounded
by great people.
George Gillams studied software engineering at the University of
Southampton and is now a software engineer at Skyscanner.
92 | UK 300 2019/20
Technology
consulting: testing
apps and travelling
As an analyst working in technology consulting, I test whether
mobile apps and websites work. There are great opportunities
for me here, because digital testing is a growing area and
there’s a clear progression path set out for graduates.
My last project was particularly exciting, as I got to be there for
the ‘go live’. I was working for a challenger bank, where you can
open a current account completely online, and I was involved
in testing the account opening process. The project used
exciting, innovative pieces of technology, such as taking a
selfie to verify yourself online.
I spend a lot of time travelling. I’m in Edinburgh from Monday to
Thursday and I work in our digital space in London on Fridays.
Both the surrounding areas are incredible, especially for lunch
on a Friday.
I chose to apply to Deloitte after university because of the
graduate scheme’s emphasis on learning and development and
I haven’t been disappointed. Since joining, I’ve had training in
automation and testing. In addition, the multiple opportunities
to practise presentations have been particularly helpful.
I’ve also had the chance to develop myself through charity
work – by getting involved with ‘BeyondMe’, which pairs
Deloitte employees with charities for essentially free
consulting. A group of us are helping a water sanitation charity.
It’s a great feeling knowing your work is directly helping people
who need it.
Catherine Jamieson studied computer science with
mathematics at the University of Leeds and is now an analyst at
Deloitte.
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SUPPLEMENT
SPONSOR
Spotlight on technology: choosing a sector
UK
300
Banking: delivering
change for customers
The recent evolution of customers’ technology expectations
and digital behaviour in the financial sector has provided
exciting opportunities to shape and deliver technological
solutions for customers. I applied to Lloyds Banking Group
because I was impressed by how it had placed technological
investment at the heart of its strategy and because its
transformation graduate scheme offered the right balance
between technical and non-technical skills development.
My first position was as a product owner in the credit card
team, which was a business-focused role within a team of
engineers. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I engaged with stakeholders
to shape and prioritise my product’s new features, delivered a
whole new journey on a new technology stack and an upgraded
codebase! For my second position I have chosen to move to a
software engineering role, in which I will continue to contribute
to the implementation of new technologies across the bank.
I’ve been provided with a vast range of learning opportunities,
guidance and support, but I think what has been most
important for my development is the trust my colleagues
placed in me. Even as a graduate, I was still given a lot of
responsibility and actually made an impact in delivering
change.
Emmanouela Rokofyllou studied mechanical engineering at
UCL and is now a software engineer on the transformation
graduate programme at Lloyds Banking Group.
Financial services:
introducing new
technologies
Technology is fast becoming the core driver of growth in the
financial services industry. I find the pace of change in
financial services to be exciting, as I work to deliver pilots
through collaboration with start-ups and established
technology companies and I engage with clients to discuss
how we can provide cutting-edge solutions to serve their
needs.
The emergence of new technologies such as artificial
intelligence, blockchain, IoT, cloud, biometrics and APIs are
changing the way traditional banking models work and my job
role has allowed me to be at the heart of this. The number of
new challenges facing the industry is a prime opportunity for
someone eager to be creative and entrepreneurial.
Working in technology within the financial services industry
requires you to be able to understand and analyse large
volumes of information, so you can identify and assess
opportunities, solutions and business strategies. I’ve also seen
that strong teamwork skills and the potential to be an effective
leader are also useful.
The global nature of the industry is astounding, with talented
individuals from around the world all working in one diverse
and thriving culture. I like the opportunity to work with a
combination of challenges and serve a variety of clients. This
means I continue learning and developing, both personally and
professionally.
Ajwad Hashim studied chemical engineering at University
College London and is now the vice president of innovation and
emerging technology at Barclays.
UK 300 2019/20 | 93
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Spotlight on technology: choosing a sector
Improving lives through tech
AstraZeneca explains how graduates working in technology within the healthcare
industry can use the latest innovations to help people at their most vulnerable.
he power of technology to
change people’s lives for the
better is never more evident
than when it is applied
within the pharmaceutical and
healthcare sectors. ‘Graduates can
use their skills and knowledge to
help target molecules to fight cancer
and give the most vulnerable people
in our society a lifeline,’ explains
Adam Isle, global talent acquisition
lead (early talent and MBA
programmes) at bio-pharmaceutical
giant AstraZeneca. Technology is
transforming the industry and
AstraZeneca is at the forefront of
that change.
T
AI-ding patients and leading the way
You only have to look at the
company’s NiCoLA-B drug discovery
robot to see how seriously
AstraZeneca takes its mission to
improve patients’ lives and benefit
society. The world’s most advanced
drug discovery robot, NiCoLA-B
tests millions of potential compounds
against diseases at a rate three times
faster than other robots.
AstraZeneca also specialises in
creating partnerships with other
leading companies to advance
discoveries. ‘As an example, by
combining our expertise and datasets
with BenevolentAI’s leading AI and
machine learning capabilities, we aim
to turn vast data into powerful
insights that will improve our
understanding of complex disease
biology and identify new ways to treat
debilitating diseases,’ explains Adam.
This means that if you join the
data sciences and AI graduate
programme, for example, you could
be: identifying, assessing and
recommending the most innovative
and high-impact technologies; using
advanced machine learning models
to improve drug discovery; or even
developing Bayesian machine
learning models to predict the
probability of drug toxicity in the
liver, heart and other organs.
If you join the IT leadership
programme, meanwhile, you could
be using your data skills to support
business decisions and strategies or
even discovering and implementing
technical solutions to support
process animation. The point is:
whichever team you are in, you will
be helping to improve the lives of
patients, helping your colleagues to
do their best work, and pushing the
AstraZeneca graduates from the data science and AI, and R&D programmes.
94 | UK 300 2019/20
boundaries of technology in order to
unlock the potential of science.
Joining AstraZeneca
At AstraZeneca you can access all of
the training, development and
support that you’d expect from a
global company: from formal
training sessions to ‘on-the-job
learning’ through a variety of
rotations to flexible arrangements to
support your life outside work.
Entry requirements for
AstraZeneca’s graduate programmes
vary, but recruiters seek those who
are curious, results-focused and
unafraid of challenging the status
quo – ultimately, those who are
dedicated to doing the right thing.
‘We look for candidates who are
open minded and ready to embrace
new ideas, who are excited about
being able to improve the lives of
patients,’ says Adam. ‘People who
work in tech at AstraZeneca are
valued as real assets to our
organisation: they help make ideas
about what’s possible a reality and
are vital to our business.’
Join an AstraZeneca Graduate Programme
oundaries of science
and help push the bo
to deliver life-changin
ng medicines
We have exciting opportunities
in the following areas:
࠮
࠮
࠮
࠮
࠮
Operations
IT
Research and Development
Data Science & AI
Pharmaceutical Te
Technology
and Development
AstraZeneca is an equal opportunity employer
careers.astrazeneca.com/students
Starting salary for 2020
£30 000+
£30,000+
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“I’m building
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Physics
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Data
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Programme
400 hours
Python coding
training
WHERE WILL YOUR
JOURNEY BEGIN?
Daniel’s journey started with a Lloyds Banking Group internship. He now
develops digital tools that drive our business and help people across
Britain learn about technology. Join our team and help Britain prosper.
Discover careers with real impact at
lloydsbankinggrouptalent.com
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Turn any degree into a
career in technology
You don’t need a STEM degree
to construct a career in a
technology-related role.
es, there are a number of technology
jobs that require a degree in computer
science, electrical/software engineering
or maths. But there are also roles open
to students from any degree background, as long
as they can show a love of technology. Perhaps
you’re someone who needs to know how machines
work, who is always taking things apart to see what
makes them tick. It’s hard to generalise
about the types of vacancies that require
certain backgrounds because it differs
hugely across employers. When you join
a technology company of the likes
featuring in the top 300, you will be
given training appropriate to your role.
Y
Make sure you’re made for the role
As employers’ requirements for different roles vary
so much – even down to whether they require a
minimum number of UCAS points – it may be wise
to start looking at employers that interest you, before
taking a look at what their requirements are for
specific positions. Begin with the employers featuring
in this publication, because they are likely to have
training schemes in place for you.
Prove your passion
Something that all technology recruiters seek in all
graduates is a genuine interest in technology: whether
for its inner-workings or for its practical applications in
the wider world. If you aren’t able to point to your
degree choice as proof of your interest, it is particularly
important that you back up your stated passion with
evidence when you apply. Turn to pages 100–101 for
ideas on how to create this evidence.
Before you apply, too, you should gain a detailed
understanding of what the role you are applying for
involves on a day-to-day basis, as well as what to expect
when working at that type of employer. For example,
if you work for a technology consulting firm you can
UK 300 2019/20 | 97
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Spotlight on technology: getting in
Protecting the UK
with technology
A technology professional at MI5 shares how technology plays
a vital role in the Security Service’s work and how you don’t
already have to be an expert to apply, but you will need a
passion for technology.
A diverse range of ideas, backgrounds and degree disciplines is
crucial for MI5 to be at the leading edge of technical innovation
to help keep the country safe. Disrupting terrorist threats and
the work of hostile foreign states involves complex challenges.
An increasing number of these threats the UK now faces have
an online element and our technologists are vital to
understanding this online behaviour.
We’re not expecting candidates to be the finished article when
they apply to join MI5. We want candidates who have used
technology to solve a problem or have been interested in some
tech and actively gone and learned more. There is a wealth of
online tools and tutorials that can help students build their
technology knowledge.
MI5’s technology graduate development programme provides
coaching, a mentor, a peer-buddy and funding for you to gain
qualifications in your chosen technical profession. There are
also opportunities for graduates to gain wider experience,
including working with our partners GCHQ and MI6.
98 | UK 300 2019/20
expect to travel widely and work mostly at clients’
offices, whereas if you join a retailer you are more likely
to be based in its head office. This type of knowledge is
important for candidates with technical backgrounds,
too, but having this information at your fingertips will
help show that you have made an informed and
considered choice to go into technology.
Focus on the skills your degree gave you
You may be asked a direct question about your degree
choice and why you want to work in technology or you
might be asked in general about how your skills make
you right for the role. Either way, this is a good time to
stress how the skills your degree has given you will help
you in the role you are applying for.
Your degree is likely to have given you strong
communication skills that will help you liaise with clients
and write reports; it will probably have honed your
analytical thinking and problem-solving. Employers
recruit from a range of backgrounds because of the
variety of skills and knowledge that different degrees
provide, so don’t under-sell yours.
Be willing to learn
Recruiters do not expect you to have the same level of
technical knowledge as someone with a technical
background, but they do expect you to pick up concepts
quickly. You can put any fears about your ability to do this
to rest by highlighting in interviews and applications times
when you have learned something new: for example,
budgeting skills when you became treasurer of a student
society, learning basic code or taking piano lessons. If you
don’t have a ready example, use your time at university to
acquire one if you can; it will be time well spent!
Where are solutions
before they’re found?
Welcome to the home of the curious.
A place for those who know that imagination,
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across all industries, to those who are true
to themselves. Those who set no limits to
their dreams and ambitions.
deloitte.co.uk/careers
What impact will you make?
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Spotlight on technology: getting in
Back up your passion with evidence
Use your time at university to build up evidence of your enthusiasm in technology, so
you can impress employers by putting your passion on show.
f you have set your sights on a technology
career, you will definitely need to demonstrate to
recruiters a passion for technology, even if you
are not aiming for a specialist technical role.
Use your time at university to acquire evidence of your
interest, so that you have something compelling to
write about in applications and to discuss in interviews.
You could…
I
100 | UK 300 2019/20
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Spotlight on technology: getting in
Gain technology work experience
Many large organisations offer technology-focused
summer internships and sandwich-year placements to
students – these are usually, but not always, aimed at
those in their penultimate year. Deadlines vary, but expect
them to fall between November and March. Another
option is to apply for a temporary job in IT, if you have
the relevant skills, or to ask smaller employers whether
they can offer you some work experience or a workshadowing (observation) day. Over half of final-year
students interested in a career in IT and technology
(53%) had done an internship, so it’s worth prioritising
relevant work experience. However, you will learn useful
skills through any form of work experience; 69% of
students interested in this career sector had carried out
part-time work. You should try to be in one of these
groups.
Start your own projects
There are plenty of ways to use your own initiative to
develop your technical skills. For example, if you are
studying a technology subject, you could find out which
programming languages are used by the employers that
interest you and make sure that you are familiar with
them; sign up for online tutorials or download open
source software and have a play. If you come from a nontechnical background, you could learn to code from sites
such as Coursera or Codecademy, then show off
examples of your coding skills by linking employers to
your GitHub account. Getting involved in hackathons is
another way you can prove your passion for IT.
Consider the real-world impact of IT
While technology plays an integral part in so many
people’s lives, it’s easy to overlook its influence or to take
it for granted. To show that you have enthusiasm for IT,
you should be able to demonstrate an appreciation for
the way it has had an impact on you and those around
you. Think about how you can use technology to help
others. For example, you might work with a relative or
university society to improve their website’s functionality
or search engine optimisation. You could also volunteer,
where you have the right skills: such as by teaching
coding in primary schools or talking to youth groups
about online security.
UK
300
In applications and interviews, consider how a
company’s work, products and services have a positive
impact on people. This will show that you’re enthusiastic
about getting involved in the real-world uses of
technology and that you’re passionate about a job role
and organisation.
Network online and attend events
Networking can also help provide evidence of your
passion: your interactions with professionals should
further ignite your interest and will provide anecdotes that
you can share at interview. 84% of students interested in a
career in IT and technology have used LinkedIn for careers
purposes, so make sure that you are on there and that you
actively try to connect with employed graduates and
professionals to seek their advice.
Don’t underestimate the value of face-to-face
networking either. For example, many employers attend
events designed to spark students’ interest in technology
careers. Whether these are held on or off campus, attend
at least one and have questions for the event speakers. To
find them, look on your careers service website and seek
out events run by outside recruitment companies, such as
TARGETjobs’ ‘IT’s not just for the boys!’.
Stay up-to-date on industry news
Checking the news and industry-specific publications for
updates will also allow you to build up your knowledge
about the technology industry, ready to write about on
applications or talk about during interviews. Read about
anything technology based that interests you; this will
make showing your passion a more natural process, and
you’ll come across to recruiters as genuinely enthusiastic.
If you know the kind of employer you want to work for,
take a look at news about this sector. For instance, you
might find out how the political or economic climate is
impacting on retailers.
Build your soft skills
Remember that recruiters also look for non-technical, or
soft, skills, such as communication and teamworking.
These do not have to be developed within a technical
environment. Joining a university society that interests
you or taking up a part-time job make for great evidence
of these skills. Whatever you decide to do, spending your
time at university cultivating your passion and your skills
will stand you in good stead for the recruitment season.
UK 300 2019/20 | 101
Combine exciting
opportunities
with fascinating
work
to keep the
country safe
Technology is rapidly evolving and it’s vital for MI5 to stay one step ahead.
That is why we need graduates with a passion for technology who can come
up with innovative solutions to a wide range of technological challenges.
MI5 offers varied and rewarding careers in a supportive and encouraging
environment that puts the emphasis on teamwork. Whichever path you
choose you will be working with technology to help keep the country safe.
Discover your role at www.mi5.gov.uk/careers
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Stand out from the
job-hunting crowd
Follow these four steps to set yourself apart from
the rest by being the best possible candidate.
efore you start applying for jobs in technology,
it’s a good idea to get your head around what to
expect and to think about the skills to mention
and demonstrate during the recruitment process.
This will help you to come across as someone who really
wants the position – as you’ve done your research into
the role – and who would be able to do the job, as you’ve
shown you have the necessary abilities. Feeling prepared
should also ease any nerves you might have about
starting your graduate job search.
B
What to expect from the
recruitment process
The recruitment process that lies ahead of you will differ
according to the scheme and to the employer. Your initial
application may involve submitting a CV and covering letter
and/or writing answers to application form questions focused
around your motivations for applying, your skills and work
experience. This may be followed by online aptitude tests.
The interview stages often include a first-round interview,
sometimes by phone or video, and a second-round interview,
often held as part of an assessment centre. If you have applied
for a role that requires technical knowledge you could be given
practical tests, design exercises or presentations on technical
topics to complete during the assessment centre. However,
you may be asked technical questions during an interview
instead. If the scheme does not require you to have technical
knowledge, you are more likely to be given a problem-solving
exercise. Remember recruiters aren’t looking to trip you up:
they want to give you as many chances as possible to prove
that you would be right for them and, conversely, to prove that
they are right for you.
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Spotlight on technology: getting in
1. Connect your choices and passion
Every technology employer that we’ve come across is
looking for candidates who are genuinely passionate
about technology. At every opportunity you get
throughout the recruitment process, use the evidence that
you have gained to prove your passion – see pages
100–101 for ideas on how to gain that evidence. For
example, in your initial application and at interview,
explain how the experiences you have of interacting with
technology have led you to apply for this specific role in
this specific company in this specific sector.
2. Really do your research
In order to come across as a considered candidate, you
need to complete some thorough research on the
company and the wider industry. If you are seeking a
technology role in a non-technology sector, such as retail,
you also need to understand how technological
developments would affect that sector. You should do
sufficient research to answer application and interview
questions such as: ‘Why have you applied to us?’, ‘Who
are our biggest competitors?’, ‘What are the biggest
challenges we face?’, ‘What new developments in
technology would make the biggest difference to our
clients?’ or ‘What skills do you need in this role?’.
3. Balance your technical and soft skills
If you have a technical background ensure that, in
applications and interviews, you mention specific
modules and projects that you undertook. Most
104 | UK 300 2019/20
important, however, is stating clearly what you have
learned from these. In a technical CV, adding one or two
lines of description and an indication of the level of your
ability underneath each technical skill can prove to
employers that you really are a master of Python or C++.
However, whatever your degree background, don’t
ignore your ‘soft’ skills. You won’t just be working with
IT experts, so being able to communicate complex
technical topics in a way that is easy to understand is
crucial. Demonstrate your ability to do so by writing
concisely and clearly in your CV and covering letter, and
thinking carefully about your answers before you speak
in interviews.
You will also typically need to show that you are able
to work well in a team, as this will be very common in
the workplace. You are certain to have some experience
of teamwork, be it from your degree or a part-time job,
but what is important is that you highlight how you
adapted your own working style in order to contribute to
the overall success of the team.
4. Talk through technical problems
If you are given a technical or problem-solving exercise,
rest assured that recruiters aren’t looking for perfection.
If you are asked to come up with a solution, talk through
your thinking with your interviewers. Jobs such as a
hardware or software engineer involve problem solving
and collaborative engineering, so showing you can talk
your way through problems will be impressive.
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Top tips when applying for tech roles at BT
We’re impressed by those candidates who show genuine
enthusiasm to work with and learn about technology. When
reviewing an online assessment including a video interview, we
are looking at your natural response to problems. So we’d advise
graduates to draw from personal experiences and to give as much
meaningful evidence as they can.
When preparing for interviews, it’s always a good idea to research
the role you’re applying for. This helps you to identify links to your
own hobbies and interests to discuss with the assessor. Keeping
up to date with related news stories and up-and-coming
technologies is always a great way to broaden your knowledge
further.
When you’re given a challenging problem to solve, remember that
assessors aren’t looking for someone who immediately knows
the answer. You can impress by explaining your thought process,
analysing the problem and reaching a plausible conclusion
through logical means – whether or not you reach the right
outcome. Don’t rush into an answer; take your time and
remember that the assessor isn’t there to catch you out!
For some of our more specialist technology graduate roles –
including software, networks, research and technical consultants
– we do require STEM degrees. These roles are designed for you
to become subject matter experts. However, we’ve recently
launched a new technology programme that is open to all types
of degree subjects. So while experience in a relevant technical
area is beneficial, our focus is mainly on your desire and ability to
adapt and learn quickly on the job.
Rebecca Williams is the recruitment marketing manager at BT.
UK 300 2019/20 | 105
An invitation only event
For females
Studying any
STEM degree
18.10.2019 • 22.11.2019
14.02.2020
London
IT’s
not just
for the boys!
Apply now to fast-track your career, meet
global employers and inspirational women,
and build your CV, confidence and contacts.
ITsnotjustfortheboys.co.uk
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Delivered by
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S E C T I O N
7
Rising stars
Graduate employees give a glimpse
into their working lives and share the
top tips they wish they’d been given
when starting out.
Holly Brown, AECOM......................................108
Josh Mesout, AstraZeneca ..........................109
Zara Rose, BT ................................................110
Will Dixon, Danone ........................................111
Caitlin Smith, Deloitte ..................................112
Georgia Trupia, Enterprise Rent-A-Car ........113
Amanda, GCHQ ..............................................114
Baba Bob-Soile, Goldman Sachs ..................115
David Bazaga, GSK ........................................116
Tori Shepherd, Kier Group ............................117
Rukayat Adeyemi, KPMG ..............................118
Alfie Hinchliffe, L’Oréal ..................................119
Alex Curtis, Lidl ..............................................120
Robert Clarke, Lloyd’s....................................121
Matt Jones, Lloyds Banking Group (LBG) ..122
Stephen, MI6 ..................................................123
Christina Colgan, nucleargraduates ............124
Upile Mtitimila, Police Now ..........................125
Lauren Cowey, Samsung..............................126
Alberto Mario Schena, TJX Europe................127
UK 300 2019/20 | 107
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Rising stars
Holly took the time to personalise her graduate
job applications and was impressed that AECOM’s
interviewers took the time to get to know her too.
he modules and projects I had
chosen at university led
me to specialise in water
engineering, but it was only during
my summer placement with a water
company that I started to think about
it as a career option. I worked on a
tunnelling project and, before that point,
I didn’t realise how exciting and technically
challenging the sector was, and how many
projects there were. People often aren’t
aware of how vital the projects are and the
amount of technical work they involve.
T
THE INTERVIEW WAS
ABOUT THE KIND OF
PERSON I AM AND HOW I
WOULD FIT IN THE TEAM,
RATHER THAN BEING
BASED AROUND LOTS OF
TECHNICAL TESTS.
Getting ready to apply
When looking to apply for jobs, I went to an
engineering-specific careers fair and used
websites and careers publications to get a
feel for different employers. We had a good
careers service, with strong links to
employers, and we had an industry liaison
officer who was particularly helpful. She
checked my CV and gave me tips on how to
put my work experience in the best light,
such as ensuring that I included keywords
and started each bullet point with action
words. This is the kind of thing that
improves a CV but you don’t always think
about, so I would advise you make the most
of your careers service.
During the application process, rather than
submitting lots of applications quickly, I only
applied to four or five companies and spent
time developing and tailoring each one. I
think writing specific responses showed
recruiters that I had researched the company
and genuinely wanted to work for them.
I liked the sound of AECOM when I applied
but its interview process made me really
108 | UK 300 2019/20
want to work there: it was a lot more
personal than at other places. It involved
a one-to-one interview rather than an
assessment centre with lots of technical
tests, which can be daunting. The interview
was more about the kind of person I am and
how I would fit in the team. My interviewer
was also keen to explain the development
opportunities to me, so it felt like they were
genuinely interested in me.
Working against the tide
Since starting at AECOM, I’ve worked on
the Thames Tideway project, which is the
biggest infrastructure project ever
undertaken by the UK water industry.
I design surface water drainage systems,
using different software packages to
make calculations.
I work in a large team of different
engineering disciplines (for example,
structural, mechanical and architectural)
and also with professionals at different
companies. AECOM has over 100 people
working on the project, but my core team is
made up of around ten. One valuable lesson
I’ve learned is to coordinate my designs
with the work of others. I found early on that
you can’t design in isolation; you have to be
careful that your work doesn’t negatively
affect that of other professionals.
I find it satisfying to work really hard on
something that has been challenging, to
finally submit it to my managers and the
client, and to look back and realise it has
made a difference. I like that I have the
opportunity to complete my own work,
but I have the right amount of support
when required.
Sharing knowledge
I’m on a two-year graduate development
programme outside of my day-to-day work,
which largely consists of residential training
programmes. These expose you to topics
that you would usually encounter later on in
your career, so they are really useful for
future development. I’ve attended courses
on project management, project delivery
and negotiation, for example. Alongside this,
I am being supported to gain my
professional qualification with the
Institution of Civil Engineers.
Holly Brown is a graduate
civil engineer at AECOM.
2014–2018 Studied for, and graduated
with, an MEng in civil engineering from
Newcastle University.
2015 Completed a week of on-site work
experience at a construction company.
2017 Undertook a project management
and project engineer summer
placement at a water company.
2018 Completed a two-week joint
partnership with industry as part of
degree; joined AECOM’s water resources
and infrastructure team.
At AECOM we have a number of knowledgesharing programmes, too: each month a
different team will run a workshop on the
projects they’re working on and set us a
task so that we can gain exposure to
different types of work. We can also attend
workshops run by suppliers and it’s been
really useful to learn about different
equipment and materials because that
knowledge informs my designs.
Throwing darts... and axes
One of the best things about the graduate
programme has been meeting graduates
working in other offices, with whom you
might not come into contact day to day. In
my office, too, there’s a large number of
other graduates, which is great for
socialising. Everyone’s friendly and there is
a sports and social club that organises all
sorts of events: everything from going to
the pub to axe throwing. I went to a darts
evening two weeks ago.
First week nerves are normal
I relocated for the role. I had a few problems
with my tenancy dates, so AECOM adjusted
my start dates to make things easier. If you
do feel stressed during your first few weeks
in the workplace, know that most graduates
do. Things do get easier and probably in less
time than you’d think. I remember that I was
quite panicked early on because I felt that I
didn’t know anything. However, it only took
a short period of working with colleagues
and clients to pick things up.
Rising stars
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300
Josh uses the latest emerging technologies such
as augmented reality, chatbots, blockchain and
AI to make a difference to patients’ quality of life.
he pharmaceuticals sector is often
overlooked by graduates
interested in technology
careers, but it’s one I’d strongly
recommend for individuals
passionate about solving big
problems. The insights gleaned
from healthcare data are transformational
in the field of genomics and, with a focus
on big data and machine learning,
pharmaceuticals can offer complex
problems at a scale that I don’t think other
industries can match. In fact, it’s a unique
industry that pairs intellectual challenges
with personal fulfilment. The work you do –
no matter how far down the supply chain
you are from providing a patient with
medication – has the aim of improving
someone’s quality of life. One of the main
reasons I wanted to work for AstraZeneca
was its values. When I researched the
company, I found that AstraZeneca had
earned its reputation for doing the right
thing by patients.
T
Acquiring a problem-solving mindset
One of the most beneficial things I did
during my degree was to take part in an
entrepreneurship project sponsored by
my university that aims to turn university
projects into start-ups; many universities
run similar schemes. We worked in teams
to take a business problem and solve it.
We created some early prototypes for a
smart watch to track missing people or to
help parents locate their children. It gave
me a fresh view on how to solve problems
outside of my area of expertise and insights
into working with people from different
disciplines. It’s helped to give me a problemsolving mindset that has been extremely
useful in the workplace.
Innovating for a living
The focus of my current role is to bring
emerging technology such as augmented
reality, virtual reality, blockchain, IoT (the
Internet of Things) and AI into AstraZeneca
and use it to solve business problems and
optimise existing processes. The business
problems could be accelerating cutting-edge
drug discovery, predicting potential
operational failures before they happen or
optimising commercial sales strategies.
I work closely with companies such as
Google, Microsoft, Facebook and Amazon –
alongside venture capitalists and start-up
companies – to evaluate their emerging
technology products to see whether their
work could benefit ours.
We are always chasing the cutting edge
of new technology releases, investigating
developing trends and connecting with
people at the forefront of their discipline.
There are about 20 people in my wider
team and four in my core team; we have a
wide range of people with different skills
sets, ranging from those with strong
technical ability to those with an
understanding and experience of the
business operating models.
WE ARE ALWAYS
CHASING THE CUTTING
EDGE OF NEW
TECHNOLOGY
RELEASES.
Reflecting on the graduate scheme
In my opinion, a role that helps you to build
a diverse skills set and provides a variety
of opportunities will always open doors.
During my IT leadership development
scheme, I rotated around different areas
of the business. I started in finance IT,
where I worked both on a major finance
transformation project and in competitive
intelligence, analysing competitors’
activities in the market.
My next rotation involved several technical
projects, including looking at how we could
use facial emotion recognition, chatbots and
virtual assistants to better understand
our patients. For my final role, however,
I decided to explore something out of my
comfort zone; I worked in a non-technology
role in the supply chain organisation.
I redesigned some of the processes that
ensure that drugs are correctly and
efficiently transported to our patients.
Within AstraZeneca there was loads of
training; we had leadership development
Josh Mesout is a senior
innovation technologist at
AstraZeneca.
2012–2015 Studied for, and graduated
with, a BSc in business computing from
Bournemouth University.
2013–2014 Completed a sandwich-year
placement at pharmaceutical company
Eli Lilly and Company.
2014–2015 Joined an entrepreneurship
programme at university, which led to a
position at J.P. Morgan Chase as a
business analyst.
2015–2017 Completed AstraZeneca’s
future IT leadership development
scheme.
2017 Appointed to current role as senior
innovation technologist at AstraZeneca
Technology Innovation Lab.
modules that mostly focused on soft skills
and we were also allocated a budget for
role-specific training. I can still access lots
of the training now and particularly like the
self-service tools, which suit my learning
style. It was also great having a community
of other recent graduates for support; you
soon learn that your mistakes aren’t unique
to you and, if you relocate to a new area, it is
great to have a ready-made network. I was
fortunate to be able to relocate three times
during the programme, which isn’t the case
for everyone. Each move was based on a
clear business case as well as my
development, and AstraZeneca were very
helpful and supportive (both personally and
financially) throughout the process.
Taking part in a hackathon
One of my favourite experiences at
AstraZeneca was when I took part in a
digital patient hackathon. We worked with
The Christie Hospital to build an app in 48
hours. It was for cancer patients and would
enable them to have better access to and
control of their data. It was amazing to see
our work have an impact on real people and
it has since been reworked into a larger
project. That’s what I love about working in
this sector: what you do is meaningful.
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Rising stars
Zara gained skills that will help her career
progression by proactively seeking opportunities
to take on responsibilities and make changes.
fter graduating with a degree in
biomedical science, I knew
I wanted to work in a role that
was more customer facing than a lot
of science-based roles were. Now I’m
on the client service management
scheme with BT, I’ve found a
programme that marries my desire to work
with customers with my interest in finding
out about the way things work. Graduates
spend six months in each rotation and I
gained my current rotation by talking to
people in the department I was interested
in and asking about opportunities to work
there. While it is possible to be directed to
your next placement by your manager, I’d
encourage graduates to be proactive. In my
current rotation, I manage a multimillionpound project working in cloud technology.
I spend a lot of time talking with clients on
the phone, yet I’ve also had rigorous
training in the products that I sell, so I
have learned a lot.
A
Finding the best employer for me
I started my work with BT not on a graduate
programme but in a contact centre,
responding to and resolving problems that
customers were having with products. I did
this while I was figuring out what I wanted
to do after graduating, but I soon discovered
that BT would be a good company to
progress with. Having asked for and been
given managerial and mentoring
responsibilities in my job, I’d experienced
the encouragement given to those
employees who show ambition. So, when
my trainer in the contact centre
recommended the client service graduate
scheme to me and I’d done some research
into it, I decided to apply.
When I was going through the application
and interview process for the graduate
scheme, it became clear that BT wanted to
see that I could engage with others
effectively and confidently, rather than just
focusing on my ability to answer questions
in the right way or on my grades. This
became particularly apparent during the
assessment centre; we were told that we’d
be assessed individually, so I didn’t feel
I had to compete. I worked collaboratively
during group work – but I made sure I
110 | UK 300 2019/20
contributed, rather than hiding behind other
team members.
Working as a project manager
My job is essentially to direct my team and
to take control of a project. The eight-month
project I’m working on involves transferring
a business’ communication technology –
such as phone lines, email and call centre
manager software – into the cloud.
I’m constantly managing change; this
involves dealing with people and risks.
I identify risks and decide what measures
to take to minimise the chances of it
becoming an issue. I also take control
of customer relationships; it is really
important to build a good rapport with the
companies I work with and to manage
changes in the customer relationship.
My proactivity before BT
When managing change, the ability to
analyse a situation and adapt your
approach is important. Even before working
for BT, I always looked for ways to make
things better – both for me and for my
colleagues. While I was a concessions
manager at Debenhams, part of my role was
to train sales assistants, and I took it upon
myself to produce a training document. This
experience helped me to look at the ‘bigger
picture’ – at how my training would impact
on the experience of the customer. BT likes
graduates who can adapt and consider this
‘bigger picture’.
As well as working at Debenhams while
I was at university, I volunteered at a local
hospital. I supported patients and staff,
such as by helping blind people to get to
their appointments. By balancing other
commitments with my studies, I gained
time management skills, which now help
me when completing my day-to-day tasks
while volunteering for additional
responsibilities.
Keeping up the proactivity
When I began my time on the client service
management scheme, I saw the opportunity
to apply to be the UK and Europe global
graduates’ newsletter editor and decided to
put myself forward. Having gained the
Zara Rose is a graduate
project manager for BT.
2014–2015 Worked as a part-time
concessions manager with Debenhams.
2014–2017 Studied for, and graduated
with, a degree in biomedical sciences
from the University of Manchester.
2014–2017 Volunteered at a hospital.
2017 Worked at a BT contact centre.
2018 Joined the BT client service
management graduate scheme.
position, I now speak to senior employees
and graduates and share their stories, along
with what’s happening in BT globally.
Working in a team of four people from
different countries, I’m finding out more
about BT as an international company.
Learning to lead
Looking back, I think I gained many of the
skills needed to direct my team while I was
working in the contact centre for BT. I was
constantly asking my managers if I could
take on more responsibility – for instance,
by mentoring other employees. They were
impressed by my initiative and, when my
manager had to take time off and I put
myself forward to act as her replacement,
they were confident enough in my abilities
to let me manage a team of eight or nine
people. I was glad that I hadn’t settled for
just doing my nine-to-five job as I learned a
lot about people management.
Now I’m on the graduate scheme, my
leadership skills are progressing even
further and I’m finding out about myself as
a leader. As well as putting on graduate
workshops in different locations across the
country, BT allows all graduates to spend a
week at a workshop in Southampton. I
completed challenges with people I’d never
met before (from different graduate
programmes with BT). Throughout the week,
everyone had opportunities to be team
leaders and team members. By learning
how I lead and engage with others, I’m now
more aware of how to get the best out of
myself when working.
Rising stars
UK
300
By tracking a cereal bar from manufacturing
to shelf on Danone’s graduate scheme, Will
discovered the fascinating journey of a product.
first experienced working for
Danone after my second
year at university, when I
carried out a 12-month placement as
an assistant category manager for
the company, before completing my
degree. I had decided that this
organisation would be the best place for me
to gain experience when I visited a careers
fair at university. Many companies were
represented and I couldn’t see that anything
differentiated one from another – until
Danone. It stood out because of its strong
health mission and the fact that it was
communicating about giving back to society.
In 2013, there weren’t so many businesses
motivated by making a positive social impact
as there are today; I was sold by the fact that
this organisation had greater motivations
than just making money.
I
Preparing for the assessment centre
During my placement, I became even more
convinced that I shared the company’s
values and I had the chance to see the
commercial side of the business – which I
could tell was the side that suited me.
Applying for the commercial (marketing and
sales) graduate scheme with Danone
therefore felt like the natural thing to do.
For the placement, I completed verbal and
reasoning ability tests and two interviews,
but now graduates enter an assessment
centre in place of the final interview. After
performing well in my placement role for
12 months, I was fast tracked to the
assessment centre for the graduate scheme.
When preparing for the assessment centre,
I worked on my knowledge of the market.
This involved Googling and watching TED
talks by people in the industry. I also found
examples of where I’d demonstrated
Danone’s values and rehearsed them in
front of a wall in my bedroom.
Polish production lines
The commercial (marketing and sales)
programme lasted for two years: I spent one
year in sales for Danone’s water brands and
the other in marketing for a brand of cereal
bar for pregnant and breastfeeding women.
What was particularly valuable about my
experience on Danone’s programme was that
I really got to grips with the journey of a
product – from manufacturing to shelf. When
I was working with the pregnancy bar, I
visited a production line in Poland. It was
surreal to see the bar being produced and to
be one of the first people to taste it. When I
later walked into my local chemist and picked
up a packet of the pregnancy bars, this was a
career highlight. I thought: I was there when
they were packaging this in Poland and now
it’s in a chemist on the high street!
Getting to grips with production has shown
me the complexities inherent in the process
of developing goods on an industrial scale,
which has played a useful part in my job.
When you’re selling products you sometimes
encounter delays and it’s useful to
understand the reasons for them, rather than
to just feel frustrated.
Working in account management
As an account manager today, I sell millions
of pounds-worth of products to a retail chain
every year. I work cooperatively with the
retail chain to produce a marketing plan for
the product, which I then help to execute in
the way that will produce the greatest mutual
gain. As well as working with retailers to
discover and capitalise on sales
opportunities, I report back to my bosses
about the state of performance and sales
predictions. My job is very entrepreneurial: I
pitch ideas to generate more sales back to
Danone and tell them the costs and benefits,
and the company decides whether they want
to invest in my plans.
The rapid pace of change is what makes
my job so interesting. Consumers’ shopping
habits are changing so much that the
company is having to adapt quickly to
meet their needs. People are becoming
more health-conscious, which means we’re
having to work hard and think innovatively
to improve the health credentials of our
products. It’s definitely a challenge –
but an exciting one.
Active listening
Being empathetic is really important when
working in sales because a key way to be
successful is to consider what will help the
customer and to craft a proposition
specifically for them. If you’re interested in
Will Dixon is a national
account manager at
Danone.
2011–2015 Studied for, and graduated
with, a BSc in marketing management.
2012 Worked as a marketing assistant
for Vizeum.
2013–2014 Worked as an assistant
category manager for Danone.
2014–2015 Appointed to campus brand
manager.
2015 Joined the two-year commercial
(marketing and sales) graduate scheme
with Danone.
2017–2018 Promoted to brand
manager.
2018 Became national account
manager.
this industry, you should work on your ‘active
listening’ technique. This means you really
hear what someone is saying, understand
them and respond in a meaningful way.
Letting yourself speak
Part of ‘active listening’ is knowing when
to speak. I’m naturally quite an introverted
person; during the assessment centre,
I made an effort to speak up when I had
something useful to say. Whether you’re at
an assessment centre or you’re starting
out in a graduate position, it’s important to
know when your contribution will be
valuable and have the confidence to voice it.
I’d also urge you to express your ideas for
improvements during a graduate scheme;
this will help to get you noticed as a strong
employee. During the first year of my
graduate programme, I discovered that we
had a separate online media plan for the
waters, baby and dairy departments within
one of our retailers. I suggested that these
departments should come together to
discuss ideas and, as a result, a monthly
meeting to discuss opportunities was set
up. This meant that better plans were
created, and everyone involved learned a
lot. The idea that I had initiated positive
change made me feel like a valuable
member of the company.
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Caitlin’s first graduate job was in engineering but
it wasn’t for her; instead she investigated cyber
careers with Deloitte and found a job she loves.
started working as a chemical
engineer in the oil and gas
industry around the time when
oil prices plummeted. There wasn’t
much work on and I wanted
something that would be more
exciting. A school friend worked at
Deloitte and suggested that I look into the
cyber roles offered by the firm. I must admit
that I didn’t know Deloitte even did cyber!
The idea of working in cyber intrigued me.
My friend put me in touch with two
colleagues in the cyber team to find out
more and I found them inspiring. I liked the
idea of working within a constantly
changing industry, where there would be
lots of opportunity to learn, with the
changing threat landscape. I went away and
applied to the graduate programme.
I
A great start
I didn’t know much about cyber when I
joined; I’d gained logical thinking skills from
my engineering degree, but I didn’t consider
myself to be a ‘technical’ person. At Deloitte
I have access to so many learning and
development resources, which is really
valuable. If you want to do some training,
you put forward a business case with your
justification, for example why it may be
beneficial for your role, and more often than
not you’ll receive the approval to go ahead.
THE FIRST TIME THAT
I RESPONDED TO AN
INCIDENT I GOT A REAL
BUZZ.
At the start of the graduate programme, we
had six weeks of training, which included
two weeks away in the Cotswolds and two
weeks in Windsor. There we were taught the
cyber security fundamental skills, as well as
the core Deloitte skills and processes,
which I’ve been able to build on over my
time here. We had presentations from
partners in charge of different cyber
capability areas, going through the range of
opportunities available within the cyber
team. There were a number of teambuilding
112 | UK 300 2019/20
exercises and various games too – even a
murder mystery event. It was a great
introduction to work, to my peers and to
the extended Deloitte team.
A thrilling response
I’m part of a team that a client calls in when
there has been a cyber incident, such as a
data breach. I help to advise clients on how
to respond to incidents if they happen,
taking them through hypothetical
scenarios. The first time I responded to an
incident and had to travel immediately to
the client site, review what had happened
and work out the forensics, I got a real buzz.
It’s not your average desk job and that suits
me. I’ve learned that I like new challenges
and I love my job.
In cyber, you are placed on a project with a
client for a certain amount of time; since
starting I’ve been on at least ten different
projects. My first project was based outside
of London at a client site. As part of a team
of four, you’re pretty much thrown in the
deep end from day one. What I found then,
and since, was that I wasn’t treated as the
‘newbie’ or as a ‘graduate’. My team offers
me a lot of support and everyone is willing
to help me learn, but I never feel as if I am at
the ‘bottom of the food chain’, so to speak.
When I worked in engineering I felt hidden
away from clients, but this is not the case
here. The clients we report to are often senior
executives and, sometimes, I can’t quite
believe I’m part of the team presenting to
them. I think ‘I only have a year of experience
behind me but I have contributed to my
team’s recommendations. Wow!’ It’s a bit
disconcerting, but really cool and my team is
encouraging and supportive.
An inclusive culture
I have a strong support network, which I
think is really special. I’ve been given a
coach to help guide my career progression. I
am also part of the ‘Women in Cyber’ team,
which is led by some great female role
models in the team and is an initiative that
aims to increase gender diversity in cyber
security. I really enjoy it. They bring in a
range of external speakers to come and
inspire and educate our team. It’s lovely to
feel part of a network and I’m motivated by
our speakers. There are other groups across
Caitlin Smith is a
consultant in the cyber
incident response team at
Deloitte.
2010–2014 Studied for and graduated
with a first class MEng in chemical
engineering at Newcastle University.
2013 Captained one of the university
tennis teams and gained a summer
internship in the oil industry.
2014 Won the ‘best design project
presentation’ award at university; the
research of which contributed to a
patent.
2014–2016 Worked as a chemical
engineer in the oil and gas industry.
2016 Joined Deloitte.
the firm, too, and Deloitte is big on
encouraging inclusion and diversity.
I’ve also got involved with the charity work
that Deloitte supports: I’ve just achieved a
place on its sponsored bike ride from Land’s
End to John O’Groats. If you’d said to me three
years ago that I would be working in cyber
security and cycling 969 miles, I’d never have
believed you. In fact, the firm supports you in
doing lots of activities to help the community
outside of your core role. Every month, I am
doing something, such as going into schools
to help with STEM initiatives. I love it. For me,
it’s one of the selling points of Deloitte, but I
don’t think it is something that many
applicants are aware of.
A successful application
In your application and interview, don’t be
afraid to let Deloitte know if you’ve done
something special. There’s a fine line
between selling yourself and boasting. The
key is to pick out two or three achievements
that are relevant to the role you are
applying for – relevancy is essential.
However, before you apply, research the job
role. It’s important to know what the role
actually involves to see if it suits you. I’ve
always been an advocate of changing a job if
you don’t like it – life is far too short – but for
now I am perfectly happy. I have a great team,
great friends and I really enjoy what I do.
Rising stars
UK
300
Georgia enjoys the supportive and goal-driven
working environment at Enterprise and has
learned that you’re only as good as your team.
‘ve worked since I was fifteen and
carried out two jobs
alongside my degree at
university – as a bar manager and
an administrative assistant. I think
the strong work ethic this
demonstrates impressed during the
recruitment process for the role of graduate
management trainee with Enterprise Rent-ACar (Enterprise), as the drive to work hard is
something the company really values. My
bar manager experience was particularly
useful; I was the person that other people
came to with problems and I built a strong
relationship with the rest of my team, so I
could draw on this experience for examples
of teamworking and problem-solving skills
during the interview.
I
The pace of progression
The opportunity to progress quickly and
gain responsibility early on was something
that really struck me as a positive thing
about Enterprise when I was choosing a
graduate programme to apply to. When I had
my interview, I was shown a career timeline
and thought it was amazing how quickly
you can get a significant pay rise – that this
could happen within a year. My experience
has mirrored that career timeline; I was able
to gain my current position as branch
manager in just under two years.
Everyone’s been in the same boat
Because of their strong promote-fromwithin culture, almost all employees at
Enterprise start out in the same position,
as a graduate management trainee. This
really reflects in the working environment
at the company; as soon as I started
working here, I could tell that everyone
wanted me to do well.
This became clear when I was revising for
tests that graduates take to pass their
Management Qualification Interview, on six
different areas of the business. For me, this
was the toughest part of the graduate
programme, yet all employees at Enterprise
have had the same experience so they are
the best people to help you. Head office put
on conference calls in which they give hints
and tips to graduates, but I could also just
pick up the phone to my area manager and
ask for advice; I’d recommend that people
are proactive and do this. Everyone is very
supportive.
Get to know the employer from the get-go
There are plenty of opportunities to interact
with your team on the graduate programme
and, when you first start, you’re given daily
tasks that are focused on helping you to get
to know the business. However, you begin
finding out about Enterprise and its
employees even before you’ve secured a
position, as the branch interview gives you
the opportunity to visit an office and talk to
people there. Graduates should make the
most of this; remember that everyone
working there has been in the same boat, so
you should ask them what you can do as an
employee to impress.
My advice to candidates is to start getting
to know the organisation as early on as
possible. When researching the company
before an interview, make sure you find out
about Enterprise’s values; these are integral
to the organisation’s culture and influence
how each and every employee, from
graduate to manager, behaves.
You could go further than this, too. Since I’ve
been in my role as branch manager, one
interviewee has phoned asking about the
company and for tips before their branch
interview, which demonstrated their
interest and initiative. Don’t worry about
asking a question because you think you
should know the answer; Enterprise looks
for people who are confident enough to talk
to customers and who are more likely to ask
a question than to make a mistake.
Goals and wins
As a graduate management trainee, you’re
set goals and monthly one-to-ones with a
manager help to keep you on the track
towards fulfilling them. Because of this
goal-driven environment, graduates gain a
sense of achievement even if they
experience small setbacks along the way.
One example of this was when a trainee I
work with missed a sales objective but – on
the same day – she found out that she’d
successfully opened a new account, which
Georgia Trupia is a branch
manager at Enterprise
Rent-A-Car.
2012–2015 Studied for, and graduated
with, a degree in psychology from the
University of East Anglia.
2012–2015 Worked as a bar manager
and an administrative assistant.
2015 Joined Enterprise Rent-A-Car as a
graduate management trainee.
2017 Promoted to branch manager.
is an important goal for trainees. By leaning
on the support of the people around you
and celebrating what I like to call your ‘wins’,
you will build up the resilience you need to
deal with challenges.
Learn from others
Observing and learning from other people is
a great way to develop as an employee and
it’s something I’ve been able to do well at
Enterprise. One of the main reasons I valued
my time as a trainee so much was because
of my manager. He gave his employees
plenty of praise and support, which made
our day-to-day working life more enjoyable.
I’ve benefited by trying to replicate his
management style in my current
managerial position. I think part of the
reason my team do well is because I get on
with them, so they don’t want to let me
down. The most important thing I’ve learned
since working at Enterprise is that you’re
only as good as the people around you – so
it’s important to work well with them.
The chance to socialise
The company also encourages strong
working relationships by putting on events
outside of work. One example of this is
attending Pride events across the country,
to show our support for the LGBTQ+
community. But it doesn’t stop there; we
also celebrate promotions and achieving
performance goals. These events are so
much fun and strengthen the bond between
you and your colleagues.
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Amanda’s desire to use her maths degree and
make a difference led to her first role as a
teacher and then to her current job at GCHQ.
spent my first few years after
graduating as a secondary
school teacher. I loved it, but
wanted to find a role that allowed me
to use my maths at a higher level.
I looked for alternative careers and
applied for a range of roles. I only
considered working at GCHQ after I attended
a women in cyber event where they had a
stand. I felt like I’d found a job that would
enable me to keep making a difference to
my community but with the technical
challenge I was looking for.
I
The biggest lesson I’ve learned since
coming here is that there is always more to
learn. You aren’t expected to be an expert
overnight and, unlike uni, there aren’t
answers to everything. You’ll get stuck at
times, but the most important thing is that
you’re willing to learn. I was also given a
maths mentor who has helped me feel
settled into Cheltenham. Mathematicians
form a good network, in which we can ask
each other for help without worrying. We
also have support groups and networking
for minority groups across our community.
Making the move from teaching maths
During the recruitment process, I was
worried that the fact that I’d been out of
academia for two years might put me at a
disadvantage. But it was actually a great
topic to talk about as I was so enthusiastic
about it. I’d advise other graduates to
remember that an entire career isn’t wholly
determined by a graduate job. Trying
different roles can be a really positive thing.
Recruiters often love that you’ve had a
variety of experiences – especially after uni.
What surprised me was that I didn’t need to
have any specialist knowledge or technical
skills in coding. During two months of
training in the first year, I gained the core
mathematical knowledge needed. By
changing roles regularly, my understanding
has increased, as I’ve begun to grasp some
of the different ways that the organisation
uses mathematics.
Working in secret
Everyone wonders how difficult the secrecy
aspect of this job is. To be honest, it isn’t
that hard. After all, many people don’t talk
about their jobs in much detail because the
people they’re talking to probably wouldn’t
understand or even be interested in the
finer detail. In fact, the need to keep my
work separate actually helps me to
maintain a good work/life balance – and you
can still tell people that you had a good day
or that you got frustrated because the
printer jammed!
Using maths to protect the UK
I look at cryptology algorithms, which are
used to decipher messages with the aim
of protecting the UK and its citizens from
attacks. It’s not like in the movies.
The workforce is a lot more diverse and
no one is expected to be an expert in
everything. Rather than picking up a red
telephone to call one person who has all the
answers, we work together and combine our
different skills to overcome an issue.
The work that I do is satisfying because I
know that what I’m doing has a purpose. You
can’t beat the moment a bit of code finally
gives you an answer – especially when
you’ve been working on it for months!
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Preparing for interview day
When applying for a position as a
mathematician at GCHQ, don’t worry about
trying to fit a stereotype. There’s no set
profile – other than that we all share an
interest in maths.
My advice for the GCHQ interview is that you
should show this enthusiasm, as well as a
passion for working for the organisation.
Ask lots of questions and don’t worry too
much about knowing all the answers – it’s
OK to admit if you aren’t sure. The maths
test is hard – as you’d expect – but no one is
expected to complete it all. My interview day
was completely different from anything I’d
done before. But knowing that I didn’t need to
be a maths expert really helped. You’re not
expected to know everything from day one.
Although it isn’t required, I’d recommend
taking up any opportunity to learn
programming before applying to GCHQ.
You will almost certainly end up using these
skills once you join and it’s worth knowing
if programming is something you will enjoy.
Amanda is a number theory
researcher for GCHQ.
2016 Graduated from a Russell Group
university with a degree in
mathematics, which included a year
studying abroad.
2016–2019 Taught mathematics in a
secondary school.
2018 Applied to GCHQ and underwent
the recruitment and vetting process.
2019 Joined GCHQ as a mathematician.
You can refer to this experience during your
interviews to demonstrate your interest in
the work you’ll be doing.
I also found it beneficial that I’d had
opportunities to build up my teamworking
abilities, as I’m often working in a team in
my current position. Having been on the
committee for a sports club while at uni,
I was used to collaboration and the
challenges associated with making
decisions in a group. This definitely came
in handy during the group exercise at
interview. If you’re still at uni, I’d encourage
you to try out new things during the
summer – whether that’s through a
research project, job, internship, charity
work or travel.
Getting involved
The start of your career is often when you
have the most flexibility and time to get
involved in projects outside of your
immediate job role. You need to feel
comfortable carrying out your own
responsibilities first and asking lots of
questions and talking with your co-workers
should help with this. However, once you
feel settled, branch out and try new things.
Within four months of joining GCHQ, I’d
signed up to get involved in volunteering
opportunities and taken part in a sport and
team building event with employees that I
had never met before. This has allowed me
to make friends outside of my immediate
circle of mathematicians and helped me
to find out about other roles within GCHQ.
Rising stars
UK
300
It was through talking to professionals at
careers events and on his internships that
Baba discovered his career of choice.
y advice to any job-hunting student
is to meet as many
different professionals as you
can, whether that’s through
attending campus careers events,
networking events or talking to
people while on work experience.
You can start conversations by asking what
people are working on right now; most
people are happy to talk about that.
I’ve always found talking to people about
careers helpful. For example, I’d initially
been interested in electrical engineering,
but through conversations with software
engineering professionals during my
internships I realised that software was
essential to progress and development in
every industry. I also hadn’t considered
working in banking until it was suggested
by an ambassador at an event run by SEO
London, a charity that helps people from
under-represented backgrounds enter
certain professions. The ambassador was
very convincing and so I applied for
technology/software work experience
opportunities in banking.
M
Sampling banking
I met very clever, very helpful people on the
Goldman Sachs spring week and the
scheme was well organised with projects
and networking events. I knew that I’d enjoy
working there. At the end of the spring week,
I had an exit interview, which led to an offer
of a summer internship, which in turn led to
an offer of a graduate job. I would say to
keep an eye out for banking opportunities
early on in your degree; I could have applied
at a later stage – for the summer internship
or the graduate role – but it was definitely a
smoother process, having completed the
spring week first.
Before my interview for the spring week, I
did a lot of research about Goldman Sachs
and what the role required. My experience
working on the Cambridge University Eco
Racing team at university – a student
project that designs, builds and races solarpowered cars – also helped prepare me for
my interview; as it was my role in the team
to build relationships with sponsors, I was
used to communicating and liaising with
senior professionals.
Joining Goldman Sachs as a graduate
You are placed in a team for the summer
internship and I understand that in the
majority of cases you return to the same
team as a graduate, but I didn’t. I’d worked in
the fixed income, commodities and
currencies team but was offered a graduate
role in data architecture – this was
absolutely the team I would have chosen.
I think it might have been because I’d shown
an interest in the data architecture team
during my internship.
When starting in the graduate analyst role,
I had two weeks’ training in New York on the
basics of finance and on software
development. After this, as part of my
induction, I worked for seven weeks with
other new analysts to build a chatbot to
help resolve support issues for the traders,
which was really cool as before that I didn’t
know how chatbots worked. While at
Goldman Sachs, I’ve had access to loads of
training that has helped me to get up to
speed. I found the ones on Java particularly
useful when starting out.
In data architecture we work on the ‘pipes’
for the software channels that allow
applications to send and receive data; it
provides platforms for the rest of the bank
to do what they do. Our role is to make our
technology more scalable, more resilient
and easier for our end users to use. I’m
based in our London office in a core team
of five and I usually work from 9.00 am to
6.00 pm. I tend to start the work day with a
coffee and catching up with the team about
technology uses and trends. Then I began
the tasks that I’ve been aligned to, which
could range from writing Java to working on
various web developments.
I like software a lot – there is a thrill when
you implement a solution and get a process
working in the way it should. Software in a
bank is constantly changing and there is no
shortage of challenges. I’ve had so many
highlights that I can’t choose one: it is split
between the first website I redeveloped,
which was a challenge in terms of picking
up the required skills, and helping to
organise a hackathon for newer analysts. It
was so cool to see the solutions they came
up with.
Baba Bob-Soile is an
associate in data
architecture at Goldman
Sachs.
2013–2017 Studied for, and graduated
with, an MEng from the University of
Cambridge.
2014–2016 Was part of the business
team of Cambridge University Eco
Racing, a student-run engineering
project at university.
2014 Completed a summer internship at
a British start-up company Azuri in
Cambridge.
2015 Was a spring intern at Goldman
Sachs in the technology division;
completed a summer internship in
engineering at AECOM.
2015–2016 Acted as event manager for
the Cambridge University African
Caribbean Society and as a campus
ambassador for SEO London.
2016 Completed a technology summer
analyst internship at Goldman Sachs.
2017 Became a technology analyst at
Goldman Sachs.
2019 Promoted to associate.
Learning from others
There are lots of opportunities at Goldman
Sachs to network and learn from others,
ranging from just talking to people in the
canteen to joining an ‘affinity network’.
Affinity networks are interest forums that
offer training, networking opportunities,
conferences, events with inspiring speakers
and socials. They’re open to everyone and
most employees belong to at least one of
them. I’ve found that getting actively
involved is a great avenue for meeting
people, sometimes from a similar
background. I am on the committee for the
black engineers network and it is a good
way to give back. I’m also the captain of
Goldman Sachs’ basketball team. Taking on
such roles helps you to meet lots of people
and that would be my advice to new starters
at any employer: try to get to know as many
different professionals as possible.
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Rising stars
During his first few months at GSK, David wrote
an algorithm that has saved his team hours of
work. He’s also attended a summit at The Hague.
iomedical engineering is a relatively
young discipline in Spain
and I knew that if I wanted to
continue developing after my
undergraduate degree I’d need to
study abroad. I gained a place at
Imperial College and it was here that I
heard of GSK. Company representatives came
to university to talk to us and it sounded like a
good place to join. Many masters students in
a STEM discipline suffer the dilemma of
whether to pursue a PhD or go into industry.
What really encouraged me to go into industry
was the opportunity to apply my technical
skills to real-life problems, in a company with
values such as transparency, integrity,
patient focus and respect for people.
When I read about GSK’s values I thought
they might just be marketing propaganda,
so I did some further investigation. I saw
that the company ran initiatives that I
agreed with, such as fighting malaria and
reducing the cost of medicine in developing
countries. At the assessment centre, I
asked some graduates from previous years
who are now working at GSK whether the
values were really just propaganda and they
gave me examples of how they were put
into practice: for example, in prioritising
patient safety over commercial deadlines.
B
Becoming an attractive candidate
I think it was a combination of my good
academic performance and the range of
experience on my CV that helped me to
stand out as a candidate. Completing
internships in the lab was very beneficial:
it showed that I had a passion for the topic.
What I only really appreciated after joining
GSK, however, is how much importance
recruiters place on hiring people who can
work in a team, communicate well and
negotiate their way to an agreement.
Volunteering experience is very helpful for
developing these interpersonal skills, which
your degree course alone won’t necessarily
teach you. In Spain, I joined a voluntary group
to help children from a disadvantaged
background who weren’t doing well in school
and I helped them with their homework and
exam revision. When I was in the US on an
exchange programme, I also spent time
providing aid to socially excluded groups in
San Diego and building houses in Tijuana.
116 | UK 300 2019/20
Testing times
When applying for graduate jobs, you will
find that most large employers use aptitude
tests to filter high volumes of applicants.
You need to practise aptitude tests
repeatedly beforehand because you need to
pass these to have your application seen by
a real person. There are lots of free ones
available – I didn’t pay for practice tests.
A job with impact
I am on the future leaders programme,
specialising in research and development.
It comprises three rotations lasting 16
months, 12 months and 8 months. I’m on
my first placement in the device
engineering team within product
development and supply. We take care of
the medical devices into which drugs are
placed, for example inhalers and autoinjectors (such as Epipens).
I have been given responsibility for an autoinjector, checking that it is mechanically
robust, is user friendly and complies with
regulations. I am investigating ways to
increase efficiency, which entails a lot of
modelling to understand what affects the
functioning of the device. This is done
working with our testing teams and our
teams in the US, and I manage those
conversations.
I really like the work: there is a real-world
application and a sense of responsibility to
make sure that everything is safe and
works. The projects in pharmaceuticals are
understandably huge and sometimes you
are aware of how small your contribution
is – but that doesn’t mean you can’t make
a difference. I’m most proud of a
contribution I’ve made to the way the team
works. A number of the testing procedures
we have are manual, but for one procedure
I programmed an algorithm that takes a
video of the injection process and analyses
it, doing in ten minutes the checks that
previously took two hours.
100% development
I’d recommend GSK as an employer because
it encourages the mindset of selfdevelopment. GSK follows the 70–20–10
model of development, where 70% of your
time is spent learning through doing, 20%
David Bazaga is an applied
mechanical engineer at
GSK.
2012–2016 Studied for, and graduated
with, a BSc in biomedical engineering
from Carlos III University, Madrid, Spain.
2012–2016 Volunteered with a group
that helps children’s educational
performance.
2014–2015 Completed several
internships in cancer metastasis and
epigenetics in California and Texas;
provided aid and help to socially
excluded groups in San Diego and built
houses in Tijuana.
2015 Completed an exchange year at
University of California, San Diego, in
bioengineering.
2016 Completed an internship in
cardiovascular development in Madrid,
Spain.
2017 Graduated from Imperial College
with an MSc in biomedical engineering –
biomechanics; joined GSK’s future
leaders programme as an applied
mechanical engineer in medical devices.
2018 Attended the GapSummit 2018
conference; selected to represent GSK
at the One Young World Summit at The
Hague.
through informal learning and 10% through
formal frameworks. It is an approach that
requires you to be proactive, but it works
for me.
My team gives me detailed feedback on my
work; I have a mentor who is tremendously
helpful; I have shadowed teams in eight
different departments to find out more
about what they do; and, among my formal
training sessions, I attend conferences. One
was the GapSummit 2018 conference at the
University of Cambridge, which provided an
overview of current and future
biotechnology trends. I was also selected to
represent GSK at the One Young World
Summit at The Hague, where Justin Trudeau,
Kofi Annan and Emma Watson spoke.
Rising stars
UK
300
Tori turned a chance meeting with an old
friend into the offer of a six-week placement,
which led her to a career that she loves.
hen I was choosing my degree,
I liked the idea of interior
design but wanted something
more architectural and technical.
I’ve always had a passion for
redesigning existing buildings. I
love a building that has a history –
whether it is a medieval structure or a
warehouse that has its roots in the industrial
revolution. I didn’t necessarily plan to work
in construction; it was my work experience
that showed me design management, rather
than architecture, was for me.
So, unusually, I didn’t go through a traditional
graduate recruitment process to get a job.
I think that, from my work experience, my
manager could see I was capable. I’d also
say that I am quite confident and a good
communicator; it doesn’t worry me to be put
in new situations and have conversations
with people. My manager has since said that
a huge percentage of what he looks for in
candidates is interpersonal skills because
our job is client facing and it does involve
communicating effectively with a range of
stakeholders.
Getting work experience
I got both my work experience places
through talking to people. My first
placement was with Ross Thain & Co. Ltd,
a small architectural practice. It just so
happened that I went to buy a dog from
Ross and I got chatting to him about my
course. He said that I should email him if I
wanted any work experience. I did and he
offered me two weeks. I learned a lot from
the professionals working there and I
visited as many sites as possible, my
favourite being a refurbishment of a stately
home and many of its estate buildings.
After this, I wanted to gain experience on
the commercial side at a larger company.
I bumped into a family friend who told me
that she worked for Kier and kindly gave me
the contact details for the head of design.
I emailed him and we had a phone
conversation to work out whether the
placement was suitable. I was then offered
a week’s work experience in June, which
turned into two weeks. He then asked if I’d
like to stay until his new graduates arrived
in September.
The job of a design manager
Design managers coordinate all the design
aspects of a project across the entire
construction process on behalf of the
construction company building it. Our role is
most obvious during the pre-construction
phases; for example, a design manager will
work alongside estimators and planners
when tendering (bidding for a project) to
highlight risks and opportunities. We
coordinate the design team and select the
external professionals, such as architects
and engineers, who will be working with us.
We ensure that the designs are compliant
with standards and legislation. Sometimes
we have to challenge a design and suggest
alternatives. A lot of the role involves
managing people’s expectations and helping
the team to find a solution.
One of the best things about my job is the
variety of projects. My current project is an
RAF base, which encompasses work on
the administrative facilities, hanger
refurbishments, oil tank replacements and
so on. I’ve also been involved in the tendering
process for work on some University of
Cambridge colleges and I spent three months
on site during the construction phase of a
sports centre project, too.
When I started I was aware that most other
graduates had completed a construction or
design management course at university,
while my degree focused mostly on the
spatial design of existing buildings. I felt that
I had a lot to learn, but my manager ensured
that I was familiar with basic processes.
There is also a huge amount of support and
training on the graduate programme and
beyond. I’m completing a qualification with
the Institute of Leadership and Management,
W
Getting a graduate job
When I left, my manager offered me a job,
on the basis that I got at least a 2.1. It felt
great to go back to university knowing that
I potentially had a well-paid job when I
graduated. I really loved my time at Kier
and I had got on well with everyone. I also
thought that there would be more
opportunities for career development
at a larger company than at a smaller
architectural practice – and the pay would be
better!
Tori Shepherd is an
assistant design manager
at Kier Group.
2012–2016 Worked at a pub as a duty
manager for a year before university
and then part time during the holidays.
2013–2016 Studied for, and graduated
with, a BA in interior architecture at the
University of Brighton.
2014 Completed two weeks of work
experience during the summer as an
architectural assistant at Ross Thain &
Co. Ltd.
2015 Completed a summer placement
in design management at Kier.
2016 Joined Kier as a graduate design
manager.
2019 Was promoted to assistant design
manager.
as well as working towards chartership with
the Chartered Institute of Building.
Graduate of the year
My biggest achievement so far has been
being selected as Kier’s 2018 ‘graduate of the
year’. Being involved in Challenge 2020, a
corporate social responsibility initiative,
played a massive part in my winning. The
2020 challenge involved volunteers travelling
through every Kier Construction site across
the country using no motorised forms of
transport to raise money for charity. I was
seconded for three months to organise the
eastern region’s contribution. Our target was
to raise £25,000 and we made £46,000.
Ways in which we raised money and
awareness around the region included site
BBQs, football tournaments and even putting
the project managers on our school sites in
‘stocks’ and encouraging the school children
to throw sponges at them!
I developed a lot of transferable skills through
the project, such as planning and organising,
communication, and health and safety
awareness. I built a lot of good relationships
with colleagues around the country; now, if
I have a question or want to ask them advice,
I can just ring them up. I was so grateful that
Kier allowed me time out from my role to do
something so worthwhile for the community.
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Rising stars
Rukayat looked for an employer that shared her
values and found it in KPMG. She describes what
life is like in technology audit at this Big 4 firm.
he moment I knew that I definitely
wanted to work for KPMG
was when I went to a careers
event at Canary Wharf. I met KPMG
colleagues and they were really
genuine. They explained what they
did within technology audit and
reassured me that I didn’t necessarily need
a computer-related degree in order to apply.
It also became clear that I shared the firm’s
values: for example, KPMG are keen to
promote social mobility and that’s high on
my own agenda. At that point, it became
my number one choice of employer.
T
How I made my career choice
During my first year at university, I figured
out that I was not going to go into the
biomedical industry. I therefore engaged
in a number of workshops and activities
unrelated to my degree to explore my
options. My university had an internal
careers portal that informed students of
careers events, workshops and internship
opportunities. My philosophy was that
I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do and so
I would go to everything. My interest in
technology was first piqued through a
friend who was really into it.
ONE OF THE BEST
THINGS ABOUT
WORKING HERE IS
THE TEAM.
When I attended careers events, I wanted
to see how I felt within the corporate
environments and whether the employee
representatives there were authentic and
happy in their jobs. Through talking to
KPMG’s graduate trainees, I became certain
that KPMG was for me.
How I applied to KPMG
The application process involved a Launch
Pad event, which is unique to KPMG. It is an
interactive one-day assessment event at
the final stage of the recruitment process
and, if you are successful, you can get an
118 | UK 300 2019/20
offer within two working days. The event
was different to anything I’d ever been to.
I think what made me successful was my
honesty in sharing my skills, values and
motivation. Throughout the recruitment
process, I focused on how I shared the
values of the firm, and that helped me to
demonstrate how I was a fit. I’d suggest
that applicants for any graduate role should
find the common ground between them and
the company and talk about it.
How I started at KPMG
After I accepted my offer, I received monthly
newsletters about what to expect, attended
events at the firm and joined a Facebook
group especially set up for the trainee
intake. I was also given a buddy prior to
joining who emphasised that I could contact
them with any questions. All of this made
the transition into work much easier.
The initial training was intense. Trainees
from all offices came together in London
and we had a three-day residential course,
with social events in the evening. I only
realised how useful the initial training was
later, because at the time the technical
terms were all new to me. It felt a bit
overwhelming, but it was great to meet up
with other trainees and I soon felt at ease.
How I made my mark in Manchester
I’m based in our Manchester office and
I work in a team that helps to mitigate any
technology risks to the businesses we
audit: for example, data breaches and backup failures. We review policies, observe
procedures and see how systems function;
we then analyse them to see whether they
are at risk. My role involves activities such
as attending meetings with the different
organisations we audit and report writing.
I’m currently managing a project with
different companies and team members
across various locations.
Three months into my job, during our busy
season, I successfully handled a lot of timepressured work for two high-profile audit
engagements, with support from my team.
My team recognised my efforts; they didn’t
expect me to be able to take on so much.
It helps to be proactive in this role.
Rukayat Adeyemi is a
technology audit graduate
trainee at KPMG.
2015–2018 Studied for, and graduated
with, a BSc in biomedical science from
the University of Manchester.
2015–2017 Led an after-school
debating club targeted at students aged
between 11 and 16.
2016 Worked as a summer retail
assistant; took part in careers and
personal development workshops;
volunteered as a girl’s football activator.
2017 Participated in a number of
careers-related workshops including
one on consulting and one on coding;
was a business development analyst
intern at a business consultancy.
2018 Joined KPMG.
One of the best things about working here is
the team – they care about you. Your efforts
do not go unnoticed. You receive constant
feedback. Even when you are working on
something small, a partner might come up
and say ‘I’ve heard you’ve been working on
this and you’ve done a good job’. The culture
is a lot less hierarchical than I expected: you
can be sitting at a desk next to a partner
and you wouldn’t know by their demeanour
that they were a partner.
Go for it
Before each interview, I used to find out
the required skills and behaviours and
brainstorm examples of when I had
demonstrated them. It helped me phrase
my interview answers, but more
importantly it put me into a more
confident mindset.
If you are not from an area where people
work for professional firms, you could think
that these employers are not for you. I’d
initially thought that I might need to work in
another industry because I didn’t come from
a ‘polished’ background, but now I’ve seen
the benefits of just being myself. Think
about what you want from an employer, find
it and apply – you’ve got nothing to lose.
Rising stars
UK
300
Alfie’s transition from student to professional has
taken him from negotiating student rent reviews
to negotiating with the likes of Amazon.
was drawn to marketing for the
same reason I was drawn
to study history: I have a deep
interest in why people make
choices. I started looking at graduate
programmes with fast-movingconsumer-goods (FMCG) companies
because I wanted to work across a wide
portfolio of brands. I initially applied to
L’Oréal because it was a leading FMCG
company in London. I didn’t have a personal
attachment to or interest in makeup, but, as
I progressed in the recruitment process,
I looked into the psychology behind beauty
purchases and found it fascinating.
I
Laying the foundations at university
There were two distinct things at university
that helped me be successful in the L’Oréal
selection process and in the workplace
since. I was involved in debating, which
helped develop my critical thinking and
gave me the ability to confidently present
ideas to strangers. This was useful for
L’Oréal because, as a business, a lot of
focus is put on presentations.
I was also the junior common room
president for my college, which involved
representing the undergraduate student
body in its dealings with the college,
including annual rent negotiations. This
taught me a lot about time management,
prioritisation and gave me the confidence to
think that I could lead a team in the future.
Not just for Christmas
When I joined the marketing stream of the
graduate management programme, it was a
year in length (this has now been extended to
18 months) and involved three rotations –
two in-stream and one off-stream. I started
out in the Dublin office. It’s much smaller than
in London but had a close-knit family feel;
they really took me under their wing as I knew
no-one in the city. I worked in marketing on
Elvive and Garnier haircare brands.
For my next rotation, I moved to the London
office, again working in marketing on
Garnier Pure Active skincare products. I was
also the lead for Garnier Christmas giftsets.
Among other tasks, I decided the products
to be included and the design, and built a
business case to show their profitability.
My final rotation was in sales and, in a way,
it was the rotation on which I learned the
most because I saw the business from a
different angle. Instead of working on a
brand, I was working on a retail account (in
this case Boots, which sells a number of our
brands): the focus was on how to grow the
relationship with that specific retailer.
Defining roles
After my graduate programme, I started in
online brand management. Just before I
started, the business restructured the
marketing teams so that, instead of one
person managing every stage of the launch
for a specific product, roles were created so
that one person looks after a specific stage
of the launch across products.
As an online brand manager, I ensured that
whenever customers encountered our brands
online, whether that was through online
retailers or our own online channels, they
looked their best. This meant maximising
ecommerce sales, designing banners and
emails, and building web tools such as our
foundation finder or virtual try-on.
As the role was brand new, I was able to
shape it and become (or be perceived as!)
an expert at an early stage of my career.
One of my highlights was working on a
product launch exclusive to Amazon: it was
risky because we were asking consumers to
buy a new foundation they weren’t able to
try beforehand, but I identified the
opportunity, the right retailer and then
negotiated the deal. It was very successful
and I had colleagues as far afield as Thailand
and Peru asking me about it.
Just last week I moved into another brand
new role, having transitioned from
marketing to sales. Excitingly I got to create
the role from scratch (and decide my job
title!). My role will be to refine our
marketing efforts by working with retailers
and their consumer data so we make more
intelligent choices about the ads we run.
Autonomy and freedom
L’Oréal gives you a lot of autonomy on
projects and this is one of the things
I appreciate most about the company:
the opportunity to put my own ideas into
practice and to learn from them if they fail.
Alfie Hinchliffe is an
ecommerce, performance
and analytics manager at
L’Oréal.
2012–2015 Studied for, and graduated
with, a degree in history from the
University of Oxford.
2012–2015 Was part of the Oxford
Union debate team and the Oxford
University sailing team.
2013–2014 Acted as the junior common
room president of Worcester College.
2013 Undertook summer marketing and
advertising-focused internships at the
Leith Agency and at WCRS.
2015 Spent a summer working as a
street team leader for Live Nation,
selling tickets for the Edinburgh Fringe.
2015–2016 Had a gap year.
2016 Joined L’Oréal UK and Ireland as a
marketing management trainee.
2017 Became an assistant online brand
manager with L’Oréal Paris.
2018 Was promoted to online brand
manager with L’Oréal Paris.
2019 Moved to current position in the
L’Oréal Paris commercial team.
The company particularly suits graduates
who are self-confident enough to believe
that their ideas should be listened to and
tested, and to be proactive and resourceful.
However, you are given support: the
company follows the 70:20:10 model of
learning and development, where 70%
comes from day-to-day work, 20% from
mentoring and 10% from formal training.
An example of this mentoring was on my
second placement on my graduate
programme when my boss’ boss would have
weekly one to ones with me. He said that in
this time I could ask him anything about
work and so he spent half an hour essentially
teaching me. His weekly diary was full, but he
still always found half an hour for a graduate
he wasn’t even directly managing. This was
key in helping me work out the kind of
professional I want to become.
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Part-time work at university kept Alex focused on
her career plans and showed Lidl she had the work
ethic and skills needed for retail management.
ver since I had my part-time job at
Costa before university,
I’ve known that retail is the
best career route for me. I really
liked the fact that I was always busy
and I discovered that I worked well in
a fast-paced environment, which
stood me in good stead for a graduate
scheme in retail management.
E
Balancing studies with part-time work
While I was at university, I worked at an
online investigations company. In this role,
I analysed data and put together reports
based on my findings. Along with my
experience at Costa, I think this developed
good time management skills – as I divided
my time effectively between studying and
working. Lidl looks to recruit people who
are hard-working and driven, and I think
my part-time positions showed I was that
kind of person.
Having a job while at university also helped
me to get out of the ‘university bubble’.
When you’re at university, you can be
tempted to just focus on your degree but
it’s a good idea to have links outside of
your course, as this will help you to
maintain perspective.
From career seeker to brand ambassador
Another way I kept a focus on my future
career at university was by attending
careers events. I found out about Lidl’s
placement programme during an event the
company put on at my university, at the
same time as (but separate from) the
careers fair. Students who were currently
on the placement explained the structure
of the programme and answered questions.
The scheme really interested me,
particularly the opportunity to rotate across
different parts of the business and get an
understanding of how Lidl worked.
After my placement, I went to more careers
events, but this time as a brand
ambassador (student representative) for
Lidl. I visited careers fairs at different
universities to discuss the opportunities
Lidl offered. Having spent time on both
sides of the careers fair stall, I have a couple
of recommendations to help students get
120 | UK 300 2019/20
the most out of careers events. Firstly,
plan your time at an event by finding out
the companies attending and deciding
which ones to approach. Secondly, try not
to be shy; when you’re working at an event,
you want to meet students and answer
their questions, so don’t worry about
asking them.
Lidl’s graduate programme
During my placement year, I particularly
liked the way Lidl treated its students. I felt
valued as I was given responsibility from
the beginning. More experienced colleagues
always found time to train me – no matter
how busy they were – meaning that I was
prepared enough to take on the offered
responsibility. Having seen how Lidl
appreciates and invests in the development
of all its employees, I decided to apply for its
graduate programme after university.
While I was applying, I was glad I had been a
brand ambassador; I could ask for advice
from the people I worked with at events and
I’d maintained a level of knowledge about
the company, which improved my
performance during the interview.
As a graduate on Lidl’s retail management
programme, you will usually spend six
months in store (a rotation known as sales),
three months in a warehouse and three
months working in supply chain. Then,
during the second year, you’ll have the
chance to choose a route to specialise in
and spend a year working in that area.
However, as I’d spent time in each
department on my placement, I knew that
sales interested me the most. I therefore
spent the first 18 months of the scheme
doing in-depth training in a store. After that,
I became a store manager; I’m now
responsible for managing a team of
over 20 employees.
From red to green
As a store manager with Lidl, time
management and organisational skills are
crucial; as well as having a clear plan for my
own work at the start of every day, I need to
make sure my team are completing their
tasks on time.
Alex Curtis is a graduate
management trainee for
Lidl.
2011–2013 Was a team leader at
Costa Coffee.
2013–2015 Worked for an online
investigations company.
2013–2016 Studied for, and graduated
with, a BSc in business and economics
from the University of Northumbria.
2015–2016 Completed a placement
year with Lidl.
2016–2017 Acted as a Lidl brand
ambassador.
2017 Began the retail graduate
management programme with Lidl.
When I first took on the role, I wasn’t sure
that I was ready. The success of store
managers in Lidl is measured against a set
of targets and six months into the position
I hadn’t met any of them. Six months later,
however, my senior manager told me I had
met all the targets to the highest standard –
they’d turned from red to green. In one year,
I’d moved from thinking I couldn’t manage a
store to running one successfully. I’ve since
learned that Lidl encourages its graduates
to stretch themselves when it comes to
career progression but always makes sure
they’re ready for it. My manager wouldn’t
have given me the responsibility if they
didn’t think I could cope with it. Graduates
should remember this; if your manager has
faith in you, have faith in yourself!
Networking with other graduates
Lidl recruits just two or three graduates to
each of its 13 locations every year, so there
aren’t many other graduates around day to
day. However, the company encourages us
to get to know one another and network.
One example of this is the events organised
for all graduates two or three times a year at
a training centre in Leatherhead. On the
first day, we’re trained in a competency,
such as communication. The second day is
spent networking; by talking informally,
I find I gain useful insights and pieces of
advice from other graduates.
Rising stars
UK
300
Robert’s found a passion for data at Lloyd’s and
been inspired by just how much ‘you can achieve
when you take data and look a bit deeper’.
fter finishing university, I looked for
a position in insurance
because it seemed to be an
area that had a lot of potential for
useful innovation. Having done a
technical degree, I felt that I would
be able to contribute my insights to
that change.
Lloyd’s is a financial market in which
insurance and reinsurance companies work
together to trade and offset financial risks –
in case they will need to pay out on a high
number of claims simultaneously, for
example. The organisation interested me
because it would provide exposure to the
market in general and I’d learn how different
companies were doing things. When I
discovered that Lloyd’s graduate schemes
were rotational, I was even more
enthusiastic as I knew I’d find out about
their different areas.
A
From IT to data
My experience on the Lloyd’s graduate
scheme showed me how flexible the
organisation could be. When I discovered
that IT wasn’t the best route for me during
my first rotation, I brought this up and
suggested that I’d be more suited to working
with data. Instead of responding negatively
to this, everyone was supportive. My
mentor put me in touch with the head of the
data lab and helped me to secure a rotation
there. In fact, Lloyd’s has since created a
data graduate scheme.
For my first rotation, I spent five months in
IT security. After this, I worked with data
architects in the data lab for six months. I
spent the next six months working in
catastrophe modelling for Hiscox, one of the
managing agents that underwrites
insurance through Lloyd’s, before moving
back to the data lab for the final half-year of
the scheme.
Creating products using data
As a data product developer, I take the huge
amounts of data that comes into Lloyd’s and
use it to produce interactive graphs and
products. These allow business analysts to
use the data to inform their business
decisions. I make the visual representations
using the tools made by data software
company Qlik.
My week is currently split; I spend three
days in the main team, working on a
different project each month to develop a
product that will support a particular team.
For the other two days, I quantify feedback
from the market on changes that have been
made to the business, which contributes to
improvements to the market.
GRADUATES CAN CALL
ON THE EXPERTISE OF A
VARIETY OF DIFFERENT
PROFESSIONALS.
When I’m creating data products for other
teams, it’s important that I manage
expectations and my own time by
explaining that I won’t be able to complete
their tasks straight away – that they need
to fit into my schedule of work. I learned the
confidence to do this when working at a ski
chalet in France before university. That year
the resort experienced the worst year of
snow in 50 years and customers often
asked me for things that I couldn’t provide,
such as specific meals. It definitely
improved my assertiveness skills.
My mentor and support
Throughout my time working for them, I’ve
seen that Lloyd’s makes sure graduates
have the support and knowledge they need
to progress with them and in their career.
I’m currently taking qualifications run by
Qlik and Lloyd’s has paid for me to do these.
The fact that Lloyd’s has relationships with
different insurance and reinsurance
companies means graduates can call on the
expertise of a variety of different
professionals. This includes mentors; mine
was the chief operating officer of an
insurance broker. I had – and still have – an
excellent relationship with my mentor; he
gave advice on how to get the most out of
each rotation and offered to continue
supporting me after my graduate
Robert Clarke is a data
product developer for
Lloyd’s.
2010–2011 Worked as a chalet host
and cook at a ski resort in France.
2013–2016 Studied for, and graduated
with, a degree in computer science from
the University of Durham.
2016 Joined the Lloyd’s graduate
scheme as an IT graduate trainee.
2018 Became a data product developer
for Lloyd’s.
programme ended. And, of course, I wouldn’t
have gained my placement or my current
job role at the data lab without the support
of my mentor and Lloyd’s.
Putting my football fixation to good use
My advice when starting out in your
graduate role is to be prepared to learn as
much as you can, and you might find it
easier to do so when relating what you are
learning to your personal hobbies and
interests. For example, I love fantasy
football and, during my final rotation, I
wanted to gain a better understanding of
one of the tools I was using – so I got to
grips with it by inputting football results.
Being inspired by experts in data
In May, I travelled to Texas with other
members of my team to accept the Qlik
global transformation award. This was for
using its software innovatively – especially
for developing an interactive portal soon to
be launched, through which people can
access data. It was nice to feel that the work
we’re doing is making a difference and that
this can be seen by people external to
Lloyd’s. Yet, the highlight for me was
listening to the unbelievably knowledgeable
data experts who spoke at the three-day
event. These included a professional New
York Times journalist who used data to
reveal the concussion crisis in American
football. These talks gave me inspiration for
my future career and showed me what you
can achieve when you take data and look
that bit deeper.
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Matt’s only just finished his first rotation on the
graduate scheme but has already helped develop
an online hub and a mobile banking feature.
he beauty of my graduate programme
at Lloyds Banking Group
(LBG) is that I get to try lots of
different things and contribute to the
delivery of a massive change project.
For my first placement, I joined the
machine intelligence programme,
where we are growing our data and artificial
intelligence capabilities. We are developing
advanced propositions, generating and
applying insights that allow us to help our
customers and colleagues. I’ve just moved to
my second placement in cyber security – I’m
only on day two but it is going well so far!
My graduate programme is in group
transformation, which was set up to support
the bank’s strategic vision of technological
innovation. A significant part of this
involves investing in emerging technologies
and further improving the digital experience
for our customers. As an LBG customer
myself, I get to benefit from the innovations
we are making while learning about the
technical concepts behind them. I think
that’s really cool.
T
Finding my niche at LBG
At university I chose to study computer
science for a year because it seemed clear
that the future would be built on technological
innovation. My grades suggested that I was
well suited to a career in tech and I decided to
test it by completing an internship.
During my internship at LBG, I was in the
global transaction banking (cash
management) team, which managed a suite
of software applications delivering
commercial banking services. I helped to
map out the interactions between our
systems in preparation for the
decommissioning of a major software
application.
I’d imagined beforehand that banking might
have a ruthless working environment, but
everyone was really friendly. People always
made time to answer my questions and my
line manager encouraged me to discover
more about the bank through shadowing
teams in mobile banking and cyber security.
Applying for the graduate programme
I wanted to work for LBG after graduating, but
I was also considering doing a masters at the
122 | UK 300 2019/20
time. LBG arranged for me to attend the
following year’s assessment centre, rather
than having to go through the entire
application process again.
It’s easy to say ‘try to relax’ at an
assessment centre, but harder to do! The
main thing that helped me was talking to
everyone there, from the other candidates
to graduate employees. I soon found that all
candidates felt equally nervous and all
employees were actively wanting us to have
a good experience. Talking to people
beforehand also helps with group exercise
activities; it enables you to be aware of
different personalities, which will help you
to facilitate discussion.
Joining the graduate programme
When I started, I attended a day-long
induction event at the Vox Conference Centre
in Birmingham. It was fantastic, featuring
talks from senior colleagues and workshops
on topics such as professional
development. It was also a good
opportunity to meet other graduates and
I’ve since developed a great group of friends
among them – I’ve actually become really
good friends with the three other graduates
from my assessment centre group exercise.
On the graduate programme, managers give
graduates opportunities to deliver tangible
outcomes, meaning that you can leave your
placement feeling proud of what you have
achieved. When I first started, my role was
to assist with building a learning hub, a
website where colleagues can go and learn
about the machine intelligence
programme’s work. I worked with subject
matter experts to build training courses in
data science, robotic process automation
and virtual assistants. I feel proud that I
helped to deliver training resources for over
75,000 colleagues on areas that will be
important for the future of the bank and our
ways of working.
Later I expressed an interest in getting
closer to our technical work and I was made
a product owner, where I supported the
development of an exciting new service for
our customers. I can’t say too much about it
because it is still being built, but it is
intended to help customers manage their
finances. I was working with the technical
Matt Jones is a graduate at
Lloyds Banking Group (LBG).
2013–2017 Studied for, and graduated
with, a BA in international relations and
political science (including a year in
computer science) from the University
of Birmingham.
2016 Was an IT business management
summer intern at LBG.
2017–2018 Had temp jobs at Border
Business Systems and Bank of America.
2018 Joined LBG’s transformation
graduate programme.
delivery team on elements of the product’s
design and experiencing aspects of project
management, such as getting involved in
running workshops and fostering
collaboration.
Learning about myself
What I appreciate the most is that in my
day job I am given enough responsibility
to bring me out of my comfort zone, but
enough support to make a success of it.
I’ve had ample opportunities to develop
personally and professionally, such as
giving presentations on university
campuses. On a graduate programme like
this, you need to develop excellent time
management because you are facing
competing priorities and there are lots of
opportunities you don’t want to miss.
Through a mix of online learning and face-toface workshops, I’ve learned lots, from
machine learning to developing resilience
and emotional intelligence.
Being myself
One of the most important things I’ve learned
in the workplace is that it pays to be yourself.
If you are working hard to pretend to be
someone you’re not, you won’t play to your
strengths and it might be better to consider a
different career or employer. Being able to be
my complete self in the workplace has meant
that I’ve been able to be genuine and build
good working relationships. When I went out
with my department to mark the end of my
first placement, they went out of their way to
make me feel appreciated, making me feel
proud of how far I’d progressed.
Rising stars
UK
300
Stephen separates the fact from the fiction
about life at MI6: mind-blowing gadgets, yes,
but no to the martinis and Aston Martins.
ost people decide to apply to MI6
by looking on the website,
but my first encounter began
with a ‘tap on the shoulder’ and a
string of calls from a rather friendly
(unknown) caller. After a few initial
conversations about the job and
my experience, I was told who I would be
working for. I took a breath and – setting
aside my feelings of excitement, curiosity
and apprehension – completed the
application.
M
Application and assessment
I have never been through a recruitment
process quite like the one for MI6. After the
application, I was invited to an assessment
centre, consisting of a group exercise, drugs
test, occupational psychologist interview
and a competency-based interview.
The best advice I can give to other
applicants is to prepare. I thought hard
about my experience and skills. Ahead of
my competency interview – in which I was
asked to provide examples of times when
I had demonstrated the skills MI6 wanted
– I practised using the STAR technique to
structure my answers. This technique
involved explaining the situation I was in
when the example arose, the tasks I had to
do, the actions I took and the results of
those actions.
To my surprise, I passed the assessment
centre and was put forward for vetting. I
found the vetting process to be long and
slightly unnerving, but there’s a reason why
it is intrusive. I worked with my vetting
officer to give them everything they needed
and this helped the process. The wait was
challenging but definitely worth it.
Maintaining cover
Working at MI6 doesn’t require you to go ‘off
the grid’ and get rid of your Instagram and
Twitter accounts. You just have to be more
conscious of your digital footprint. I find
keeping cover to be thrilling; my best
friends and siblings don’t even know I work
here. I know that other new recruits can find
this difficult at first, but MI6 offers plenty of
support. I have regular meetings with my
manager and I can share my concerns with
a peer through the mentoring system.
I prefer not to stand out, so the idea of
renouncing public recognition didn’t bother
me when I started working here. Perhaps
I’d be keen to show off my double life if it
was filled with Aston Martins, martinis and
exploding pens, but I don’t drink alcohol,
I don’t have the bravado to drive an Aston
Martin and exploding pens would
certainly not comply with health and
safety regulations!
Fact v. fiction
As an information management officer,
I help to identify information risks and
diagnose information management issues.
It’s my first post at MI6. I have more
responsibilities than I expected, which is
great for my development, and my opinion
is really valued by my colleagues. They
currently have the pleasure of listening to
all my questions, so it’s a great relief that
they believe ‘there is no such thing as a
stupid question’!
MI6 IS CONCERNED
WITH MY POTENTIAL,
NOT MY RACE.
MI6 supports personal development;
people are encouraged to change job roles
every few years to build up a range of skills
and a wealth of knowledge. I’m able to gain
professional qualifications, as well as
the niche skills needed for work in a
secret organisation.
My team includes people from many
different walks of life, which is why I’d
encourage graduates to apply regardless of
their background. MI6 is concerned with my
potential, not my race. It’s a sad fact that the
organisation doesn’t get many applications
from graduates with similar backgrounds to
me. Many people build their perceptions
Stephen is an information
management officer at MI6.
2010–2019 Graduated with a degree in
social sciences from a UK university.
2019 Joined MI6.
from films and TV; I’m a James Bond fan so I
don’t want to blame Bond for bringing about
misconceptions, but I now know that fact
and fiction are very different.
Gadgets galore
At MI6, I learn something new every day:
from the basic to the mind-blowing. The
MI6 technology and innovation event
certainly fell on the side of the mindblowing, and it’s marked the highlight of
my career so far. Your imagination might run
wild when you start to wonder about the
possibilities, but before the event I found it
hard to believe that such gadgets actually
existed. It turns out they do. I was awestruck by the creativity and innovation on
show and the enthusiasm and pride with
which the teams demonstrated their
products really inspired me.
What makes an MI6 officer?
I found that recruiters at MI6 were looking
for me to demonstrate the following
qualities: organisation, resilience,
interpersonal skills, a strong sense of
integrity and a willingness to learn. I would
recommend building up these abilities by
grasping opportunities to gain experience:
carry out group projects, internships or a
placement year. These can really help you
stand out as a candidate, as well as
providing examples for competency
interviews. I also had to show that I had
done my research into the organisation and
the job role.
If you don’t consider yourself to be the
typical MI6 employee, think again. There
are people here from all backgrounds and
ethnicities and, as an African male, I’m living
proof that we exist in MI6. So, don’t wait for
a phone call or tap on the shoulder.
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Rising stars
Chairing a meeting in Mandarin as a diplomat in
China was just one of the more unexpected tasks
Christina tackled as a nucleargraduate.
had enjoyed the nuclear modules
throughout my degree and
my dissertation topic on plasma
physics had a link to nuclear. When
I came across the nucleargraduates
programme while searching for
graduate jobs I thought ‘why not?’.
It rotates graduates around different
companies within the nuclear industry to try
out different roles. Throughout, you have a
sponsor company that organises your first
placement and will hire you afterwards.
I
All experience counts
I didn’t do an internship at university and the
work experience I did get doesn’t sound very
special, but it gave me a lot to talk to
recruiters about. I worked in a café for two
years, which showed that I could work in a
team, take responsibility and balance my
studies with a job. Once I started the
nucleargraduates programme, one of the
assessors told me that I stood out to him
when I explained that I would supervise the
café while my boss went out; he said that it
showed that I could be trusted with a lot of
responsibility.
Problematic presentation
I was shy in groups and crowds at university
and the advice I would give when going
through recruitment processes is to imitate
confidence, but not to the point where you
compromise your integrity. I found that
projecting a confident image was particularly
helpful when giving presentations.
My two-day assessment centre for
nucleargraduates started with a technical
presentation on my dissertation. I was quite
confident about the topic, as I’d been working
on it for months – but I hadn’t asked how
technically minded my audience was.
I finished and they said that they didn’t
understand a word. I was a bit mortified, but
I recovered by asking them at what level
I should pitch it and then taking them
through the main points.
Shopping for a living
INS, a company that specialises in shipping
nuclear material and has a 100% nuclear
safety track record, sponsored me and they
asked me which role I’d be interested in. Due
to my work experience with Santander, I said
124 | UK 300 2019/20
that I was open to a commercial role and so I
was placed in procurement.
This is the career I came back to at the end of
my scheme. I always tell people that I shop
for a living, but I’m not buying shoes or
lipsticks – I’m working with my team on
bigger buys such as physical protection
equipment for our ships. There’s a whole legal
side to the job that I find fascinating: staying
compliant with regulations, reviewing
contracts and so on. It’s a good time to join
procurement, as our importance to the
industry is being increasingly recognised;
before, perhaps, we were dismissed as being
a support function but now we have a seat at
the table.
From Bristol to Beijing
While on my first placement, I had this
niggling concern that I wasn’t using my
degree, and so on my next placements
I joined nuclear power stations first in Essex
and then in Bristol. Both plants were being
decommissioned and I worked in their
radiation protection teams as a graduate
health physicist. We ensured that everyone’s
exposure to radiation was as low as
reasonably practical. In fact, one of my
highlights was going into an area where the
radiation is airborne. I didn’t think they’d let
me, but I explained how it would help me
learn and so they suited me up.
Next, I was keen to work abroad. The
nucleargraduates scheme advertises
international secondments and I applied for
one in Beijing. For six months, I worked as a
diplomat for the Department for
International Trade in its energy sector.
Essentially, I was a sort of ‘middleman’
between anyone in the UK trying to do
business in China. This involved a very
different skills set than I’d used previously.
For example, I was learning Mandarin but
wasn’t fluent and one day I was chairing a
meeting with business people who could
understand more English than they could
speak. It was a huge learning curve and we
approached meetings differently after that!
Reflections on the programme
Being on the nucleargraduates programme is
like having a ‘shield’ because you can go up
to anyone and ask them any questions about
Christina Colgan has
just completed the
nucleargraduates scheme.
2012–2016 Studied for, and graduated
with, a masters in physics from the
University of York.
2014–2016 Had a part-time job at a café
and completed work experience at
Santander.
2016 Joined the nucleargraduates
scheme and worked in a graduate
procurement role at International
Nuclear Services (INS).
2017 Undertook a rotation at Bradwell
and Berkeley Nuclear Power Stations in
Essex and Bristol.
2018 Completed a six-month
secondment at the Department for
International Trade in Beijing, China;
gained a postgraduate certificate in
nuclear technology at Manchester
University; completed the scheme and
appointed to assistant procurement
manager with INS.
their job and try out all sorts of different
roles. I felt like I had so much help. I was
given a line manager and a mentor from INS
and I also had a graduate buddy each from
nucleargraduates and INS. I had monthly
meetings with my mentor and it felt that I had
hour-to-hour support from my buddies.
However, being on any graduate scheme can
be stressful. If you experience any issues
with stress or your mental health, I’d
encourage you to call on any support
systems, such as your buddies on the
scheme and the programme team.
The graduate community on the programme
is close. We did core activities together and
worked together on various projects. The
passion of the other graduates was
contagious; I found it inspiring. A number of
us are still in touch socially.
A global perspective
Living in Beijing was incredible. The biggest
thing I gained from nucleargraduates was an
international perspective on nuclear power.
In addition to what I learned in China, I also
visited Canada with other nucleargraduates.
Rising stars
UK
300
Motivated by his desire to make a lasting impact,
Upile shut down drug dealers and wrote best
practice guidance to help other police officers.
hen I was younger I was a bit
sceptical of the police,
having had some negative
encounters with them such as
being stopped and searched. But I
realised that you can’t understand or
change systems from the outside, so
I got involved with policing to make a
difference. That’s what Police Now’s mission
is all about.
Figuring out what is important to you and
what you don’t want to compromise on can
help you to find the right career. Attending
careers fairs taught me about what I didn’t
want to do! Lots of corporate companies
were in attendance and their world just
didn’t draw me in. I realised that what was
important to me was serving the public and
that I wanted a job where I was out engaging
with people instead of sitting behind a desk.
W
Putting personal experience into practice
I think what made me stand out when
applying to Police Now was that I was 100%
myself. I even critiqued elements of policing
that had personally affected me. Police Now
wants people to remain themselves even as
police officers because the police need to
represent everyone.
My communication skills were also valuable
– not just talking to people but being able
to listen and quickly understand what the
issue is. This ability was enhanced by me
becoming heavily involved with Nightline,
a Samaritan-inspired student listening
service, at university. Getting a job
supporting college students after
graduating also gave me experience of
working with people who had personal
issues at home or complex needs such as
learning disabilities and autism. As a police
officer I use these skills every day and feel
comfortable supporting vulnerable people.
Getting to the root of a problem
Police Now focuses on neighbourhood
policing, which appealed to me as I am
drawn to problem solving and the more
complex issues behind crime. A problem
comes to our attention because a crime has
taken place, but rather than only dealing
with the ‘crime element’ we come up with
long-term strategies to address the causes.
We have weekly or fortnightly meetings
with social housing providers, social care,
the NHS and the fire service to bring the
right people to the table. The rewards last
a long time and affect a whole community.
Being a neighbourhood police officer really
is about being a leader in the community
you are serving and having direct
responsibility around changing people’s
lives for the better.
One thing I’ve personally achieved was
addressing a long-term drug-dealing
problem. I spent time mapping addresses
that had been linked to the supply of heroin
and crack cocaine, working with colleagues
to locate the intelligence we’d received.
Some of these locations had been open for
15 years, and the difference after we’d
closed them down was amazing. I saw
people coming outside who had previously
been unwilling to speak to the police; they
were really grateful. I wrote some guidance
on best practice around these premises
closures and that’s what won me the
Achieving Cheshire Excellence award.
Chances to challenge and change strategy
What sets Police Now apart is that while
learning how to be a police officer you are
encouraged to think critically about how
things should be done. You learn about
various strategies and then choose the one
that will work best or even come up with
your own solution. Every 100 days you
present to peers on the work you’ve done,
sharing your best practice and what hasn’t
worked. This keeps you focused on creating
an impact and helps to grow that evidence
base of different strategies. People might
have different opinions on how to solve a
problem, but everyone’s motivation is the
same – it’s such a positive and supportive
working environment.
Choosing where to go next
Whether you stay in policing after
completing the programme is up to you. The
skills you learn will be useful in other areas
such as the civil service or business
generally. Everyone has the opportunity to
do a secondment of up to four weeks during
the programme, which can be either in a
different area of policing or with a different
Upile Mtitimila is a trainee
detective who has
completed Police Now’s
graduate programme.
2011–2015 Studied for, and graduated
with, a degree in international relations
from the University of St Andrews.
2012–2015 Listening volunteer with the
university’s Nightline.
2014–2015 Acted as director of the
university’s Nightline.
2015–2016 Worked as a study support
assistant at a college.
2016 Joined Police Now’s programme.
2017 Received an Achieving Cheshire
Excellence award: the highest award
offered by Cheshire Constabulary.
2018 Finished Police Now’s programme.
2019 Accepted into the detective
training programme and passed the
assessment centre for the PC to
Inspector Fast Track scheme.
organisation that Police Now has links to. It
gives you connections so that, if you do
want to leave policing, there might already
be someone who is keen to employ you. I
was seconded to PA Consulting; they picked
our brains about policing and we also looked
into whether they could assist the police in
terms of officer wellbeing.
I have chosen to stay in policing, but even
within the police there are so many
specialisms you can go into: examples
include covert policing, counterterrorism or
child protection, as well as emerging areas
such as cyber policing. Everyone has a
different skills set that policing can draw
upon and help you to develop further.
I am now a trainee detective, recently
passing the assessment centre for the PC
to Inspector Fast Track scheme. I’m also
studying towards a part-time masters
degree in policing, policy and leadership
with the University of Portsmouth – but I
still have enough time to spend with friends,
family and my dog! Having completed the
Police Now programme means that I will
maintain that drive to transform society
for the better, whatever role I am in.
UK 300 2019/20 | 125
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300
Rising stars
Deciding to help Samsung’s training team led to
Lauren’s greatest graduate scheme success –
and helped her to gain her current job in events.
’m glad I decided to do a degree in
management and
marketing, rather than one
specific to marketing in a particular
industry, as I discovered the wide
range of business areas open to
graduates. I had the scope to find the
business area that interested me. This was
technology; modules on marketing
campaigns gave me an appreciation of how
creative technological products lend
themselves well to marketing.
I
Choosing to do a placement with Samsung
While I was at university, I looked for
placement opportunities with technology
businesses. Through my research into
Samsung, I discovered that its innovative
product ranges are varied, and it even
produces medical equipment. I had plenty of
opportunity to interact with products on the
placement and I was inspired by the way the
company uses technology to improve the
user experience. After graduating, I wanted to
work for a business at the forefront of
technology, so I decided to apply to Samsung.
Gaining the skills for my placement
My previous work experience helped me
when I applied for the placement year. I’d
completed internships in the fashion
industry, spending two months in a public
relations role with Ralph Lauren and six
weeks with Felicities PR, a small public
relations company. As well as improving my
understanding of marketing, these
demonstrated my aptitude for hard work
and my drive for self-improvement – both of
which I mentioned when applying for the
placement with Samsung.
I’d also spent two weeks volunteering as a
teacher in Kenya. This improved my
teamworking ability – in particular,
recognising strengths and weaknesses within
a team and encouraging others to work to their
strengths. I found this useful during the
placement; I have a creative mindset, whereas
many of my colleagues had a commercial
mindset, and appreciating our differences
helped us to work together effectively.
Applying for the graduate programme
As I’d carried out a placement with
Samsung, the assessment process for the
126 | UK 300 2019/20
graduate scheme was shorter for me.
However, most applicants will submit their
CV and covering letter, before undertaking a
series of psychometric tests, a video
interview and an assessment centre. The
assessment centre involves analytical and
teamwork tasks, and an interview.
One tip I’d give is to adapt your CV to every
position you apply for and to make sure you
know it inside-out before an interview. I
wrote about my internship and volunteering
experience on my CV and ensured I could
clearly explain how these would contribute
to my work at Samsung when preparing for
my graduate scheme interview.
The graduate scheme: working in TV and AV
I worked in the television and audiovisual
(TV and AV) areas of Samsung during my
graduate scheme. I coordinated the launch
of new products both online and in store,
organised and ran promotional event
activities, and used market research and
competitor activity to inform proposals to
the team regarding how to promote
products. I also worked closely with account
managers to help control stock and
maximise sales. I particularly liked the fact
that graduates are treated the same as
other employees at Samsung. Your ideas are
valued and the work you do is important.
To some extent, you’re ‘thrown in at the
deep end’. However, there’s plenty of
support when you need it. My advice is to
ask your colleagues when you come up
against something challenging. I found it
difficult to consider financial and legal
processes when I started but talking to
other graduates at Samsung was massively
beneficial. When you join the scheme, you’re
also paired up with a ‘buddy’, a graduate
who started the year before you, who is
helpful for advice – whether that’s about
work or where to get a good lunch.
Watch-ing out for new products
I knew I’d have the chance to work with
exciting new products before starting the
graduate scheme, yet I was still impressed
by the wide range I could interact with.
Samsung likes to teach graduates about
its new models; they will often be
demonstrated in the reception area. So,
Lauren Cowey is a junior
events and partnership
manager for Samsung.
2012 Spent six weeks interning with
Felicities PR.
2013–2017 Studied for, and graduated
with, an undergraduate degree in
management and marketing at the
University of Leeds.
2013–2014 Spent two separate months
as a public relations intern at Ralph
Lauren.
2015–2016 Undertook a placement year
as product marketing coordinator with
Samsung.
2017–2019 Completed Samsung’s
product management graduate scheme.
2019 Became junior events and
partnership manager.
despite working in TV and AV, the invention
that impressed me most was actually
the Gear Watch. I was amazed by the
technological aspects of the product –
such as how it tracks sleep and heart rate.
Taking on a training event
While I was on the graduate scheme, my
manager mentioned an opportunity to
support a training event, which I decided
to do. In under five weeks, we planned and
set up six events across London and
Manchester, showcasing products in TV
and AV and showing store staff how to
demonstrate them in store. This was huge
and very challenging. However, it was also
my greatest success; I learned how much
I enjoy working in events and used the
experience to help me secure my current
position as junior events and partnership
manager for Samsung KX, the company’s
first brand experience store. I’m now part of
a team managing a store in which visitors
interact with cutting-edge technology and
where the local community is encouraged
to take part in events, workshops and
performances. I’m really excited about my
new position and would definitely
encourage other graduates to take up
opportunities – even when they aren’t
directly linked to your job role.
Rising stars
UK
300
Alberto felt empowered by the training on his
graduate scheme to learn, question and
contribute. Now, he trains new graduates.
efore joining the TJX Europe graduate
scheme, I worked as a
national account manager
with a media company. However, the
nature of the work didn’t suit me and
I didn’t feel there were sufficient
career progression opportunities.
I decided to join a graduate scheme as this
struck me as the best way to gain an
understanding of a role and a business from
the very base level, and to set myself up to
advance in my career afterwards.
I knew I wanted to work with products and
a Google search to find large retail
businesses that trade a high number of
goods led me to TJX Europe. The company
doesn’t have stores in the countries I had
lived (Italy and Denmark) so I’d never even
heard of its UK brands, TKMaxx and
Homesense. Researching the company,
I was amazed by the number and variety
of merchandise it sold so I decided to make
an application.
B
Showing my interest
My initial application was successful, so I
completed some online assessments and
had a video interview. I then attended the
assessment centre.
I think what made me stand out was the
amount of passion I had for the business.
It came through in the curiosity I showed
about the company at the assessment
centre. Recruiters like to see that a
candidate is genuinely interested in their
company and this often comes across in
the kind of questions they ask. I advise
graduates to research companies before
applying to their graduate schemes; they
should apply to the businesses that spark
their interest and that they can see
themselves working for.
Getting to know colleagues
The merchandising and buying graduate
scheme included comprehensive training,
where I gained a core understanding of the
tools and models used at TJX Europe before
using them throughout my time on the
programme. I also worked with teams of
buyers, getting to grips with their day-to-day
work, and spent some time in-store, seeing
how goods are processed, displayed and
sold. I enjoyed the merchandising aspect of
the scheme as this gave me the chance to
contribute my ideas and make an impact
while also feeling supported; I never felt
alone when making a decision.
We had structured, classroom-based
training sessions. These were facilitated by
experienced colleagues relaying advice –
often through stories and anecdotes. Not
only did this show me what it was like to
work at TJX Europe but I also soon found
that the tips were practically useful. The
trainers encouraged us to ask questions
and the more I learned the more confident
I felt to do so. This is something that has
stood out to me throughout my time
working for the company; each employee is
empowered to improve and contribute.
Having moved to the UK from Copenhagen on
my own for the graduate programme, I really
valued any activity that helped me to
connect with other graduates. The moment
I began seeing my colleagues as friends was
actually when we were on the bus to visit the
Midlands. I hadn’t been on a bus trip since
high school, but I remember that I’d return
from a school trip feeling more bonded with
my classmates. I had a similar feeling on this
bus trip with TJX Europe.
The business of buying
As a buyer for menswear, I purchase goods
for different departments – knitwear,
casualwear (tops) and outerwear – from
Italy, to be sold across Europe and online.
A buyer for TJX Europe is basically an
entrepreneur. I find the ability to make an
impact on the business with every decision
I make to be empowering. I see the results
of my work on a weekly basis, which
motivates me to do better. The amount of
time I spend travelling can make the job
challenging at times, but the freedom to
make my own decisions definitely makes
up for this.
If you want to work in buying or
merchandising, it’s crucial that you know
your customer and can understand different
people from different backgrounds. For me,
Alberto Mario Schena is a
buyer at TJX Europe.
2008–2012 Studied for, and graduated
with, a bachelor of business
administration from the University of
Milan.
2013–2014 Completed a masters in
creative business processes at the
Copenhagen Business School.
2014 Worked at a media company as a
sales and communication assistant.
2015 Became an account manager for a
media company.
2015 Joined the TJX merchandising and
buying European graduate programme
as allocation analyst.
2016–2018 Promoted to senior
allocation analyst and subsequently
worked as an assistant merchandiser
and associate buyer.
2018 Appointed to current role as buyer.
the fact that I’ve worked and studied in
different countries has helped with this.
While you don’t need to have spent time
living abroad to get on the TJX Europe
graduate scheme, you should be able to
understand how different trends and
cultures might impact on what
customers buy.
How my grass gaffe helped me grow
When I was working as an analyst, I
accidentally sent 500 pampas grass plants
to a TKMaxx store that had recently opened
in Harlow. You can imagine my fear when I
discovered my mistake and then got a call
from the merchandising manager! But
instead of ordering me to pack my bags, he
suggested that I should drive to Harlow to
look into things. In the end, I managed to get
the extra plants sent to different stores and
I learned a lot from talking with various
store associates. I run training sessions
now, and I used the story as a basis for a
series of sessions I held for new graduates
on how to ship to your store and what
precautions to take.
UK 300 2019/20 | 127
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A competition
For undergraduates
Studying a
variety of subjects
Closes 31.01.2020
Undergraduate
of the
Year
Take part in our annual awards competition, which aims to
find the best undergraduates in the UK. Prizes include work
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undergraduateoftheyear.com
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View from the top
UK
300
S E C T I O N
8
View from the top
Leaders and managers reflect on
their career paths and tell you what
they look for in graduate recruits.
Manisha Mehrotra, Bloomberg L.P. ............130
Rosa Diez, Mott MacDonald..........................131
Simon Hart, RPC ............................................132
Elaine Scott, Sky............................................133
Claire Grainger, Tata Steel ............................134
UK 300 2019/20 | 129
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View from the top
Having found an employer fitting to her values,
Manisha now drives diversity and inclusion to
produce a positive social and business impact.
I
‘ve always cared about making
an impact on the world, and I
believe that companies bring
about social change faster than
other strands of society. When I was
starting out in my career, I knew I wanted to
work in an area where I could have an
impact on society, help create equality in
the workplace and improve business
performance. Over the years, I’ve learned
that organisations have made strides that
government and policy has followed. What I
love about working in diversity and
inclusion is that it is a shared goal across
industries and sectors; together we are
striving for a more equal society and world.
Gaining experience and skills
While I knew the impact I wanted to make on
the world, it wasn’t always clear exactly how
I’d get there. However, I gained some of the
skills I’d need in my future career by taking
opportunities to work. My first job at 16 was
in a large cafeteria kitchen; I scraped food
from plates and trays before they were sent
to be washed. As well as communication and
teamwork skills, I discovered how good
leadership motivates; our team leader
ensured that everyone felt valued.
My first corporate position was with New
York Life Insurance Company, where my
roles included internal communications and
underwriting life insurance. I also gained
my first position in diversity and inclusion
and became more aware of how businesses
can make a positive social impact.
The value of volunteering
In school and in university, I’d use my free
time to volunteer. I was the first in my family
to go to university in the USA, having lived in
India, Hong Kong and Switzerland prior to
that. So, I understood how it feels to be an
outsider and I had to adapt and learn a new
way of doing things. This encouraged me to
volunteer to help others in a similar position.
As well as fulfilling a desire to help, I
developed skills and values through
volunteering that helped me as my career
progressed. Leading projects and teams
was particularly valuable, as it bolstered my
confidence for when I became a manager
later on. It also became clearer that I wanted
130 | UK 300 2019/20
to work for a company that gave back to
local and global communities and
encouraged their employees to do the same.
Finding a company that matches my values
The more I learned about Bloomberg, the
more I realised it was the right fit for me. As a
global information and technology
organisation with many departments,
employees have an immense range of skills
sets and perspectives. I find this thrilling as
I’m a collaborative person and enjoy working
with people. I was also impressed by its
larger philanthropic mission; most of the
company’s profits go back to the community
through Bloomberg Philanthropies. I feel
humbled and excited that my work has a
direct impact on the larger community.
How my role contributes to a common goal
As the head of diversity and inclusion (D&I)
for Bloomberg in EMEA, my goal is to advance
the company’s D&I initiatives across the
region. The role itself is multi-faceted and
complex. I’m both a leader and subject matter
expert; I consult across stakeholders and
provide strategies for Bloomberg. These
efforts are put towards a common goal of
ensuring all our employees from across the
world benefit from being part of a diverse and
inclusive workforce. This leads to superior
performance within Bloomberg, which
improves client satisfaction.
A culture that lets you thrive
Part of the reason I’ve been able to develop
is because Bloomberg’s ethos matches my
own. All employees are empowered to lead.
Levels don’t matter; we don’t even have
formal titles. This has allowed me to lead in
my own way.
My work at Bloomberg has also enabled me
to become comfortable with being
uncomfortable. I work with uncertainties —
‘grey zones’— frequently, which has led me
to trust my strengths and instincts. I’ve
learned that it’s OK not to know something
and I’m confident in the experience and
knowledge I bring to the organisation.
Colleagues with different perspectives
I’d advise students to look for a company
where you’ll work with people whose
Manisha Mehrotra is head
of diversity and inclusion
(D&I) for Europe, Middle
East and Africa (EMEA) at
Bloomberg L.P.
1997–2001 Studied for, and graduated
with, a BSc degree in marketing from
the University of Connecticut.
2003–2007 Worked as a marketing
services consultant with New York Life
Insurance Company.
2007–2008 Became a senior research
consultant in underwriting.
2008–2009 Promoted to director in
administrative services.
2009–2012 Became director of D&I.
2013–2019 Joined Bloomberg as
manager in New York.
2018 Graduated from Cornell University
with an MBA.
2019 Promoted to head of diversity and
inclusion for Europe, Middle East and
Africa – based in London.
experiences and perspectives vary, so your
own thoughts are challenged. This will also
help you discover new interests, projects,
and possibly even your next career move.
Particularly in my early career, networking
groups have helped me to build connections
with different people and leadership skills.
Working for a global company has also been
eye opening. I’ve worked in London and New
York during my time with Bloomberg and
I’ve been on many global projects with
people from all over the world.
Discover your values and interests
It can be hard to figure out what your values
are and build your career around them.
However, you can learn a lot by trying new
things. Hard work will help to build a strong
foundation for your future career, but
success takes more than this. It’s important
to be proactive in pursuing your interests
and be bold by taking on complex work and
leading projects.
View from the top
UK
300
Rosa believes that it is persistence that has
helped her to progress in her career. ‘If I’m
rejected, I come back fighting,’ she says.
I
have always been very driven
and persistent and this has
helped me to progress in life.
When I come up against rejection,
I come back fighting. At school, my natural
sciences teacher was a geology specialist
and so passionate about the subject that it
inspired me.
No one in my family had gone to university
before me and they had limited resources
with which to support me, but I actively
sought out scholarships so they didn’t have
to. I came across summer scholarships that
allowed me to study abroad, and I spent
summers in Ireland, Norway and Sweden.
This was before the internet and so I had to
be motivated to find these scholarships: I
visited different libraries and organisations’
offices to find opportunities. These days
technology has made things easier, but it’s
not enough to send one email to ask about
graduate opportunities; you need to be
persistent and follow up.
A masters doubled
I’d applied for a British Council scholarship
to do a masters in engineering when I
finished my undergraduate studies. I didn’t
get it the first time, but I reapplied the
following year and was successful; if you
tell me no and I want it, I will try again!
I found the course tough. I didn’t have much
practical work experience to draw upon and
studying in a second language was tiring,
but I persevered.
While on the masters, I was offered a job at
Halcrow. This was just after the collapse of
the Heathrow Express rail link tunnels and
I was employed to work on that site in a
geology-focused role. On the project, I was
on a short-term contract, but a year later
when it finished they took me back at the
office and made me permanent. In the
office, I worked more on the engineering
and structural side than I had done
previously, and so I completed another
masters in foundations and structures part
time to stretch my civil engineering
knowledge. I studied in the evening after
working all day and, at the same time,
I was preparing my paperwork for my
professional qualification – and so I was
exhausted, but it was useful to my future
career progression.
Metro management
It can sometimes be difficult to progress
into senior engineering positions when you
have been seen as a graduate. So after a
while at Halcrow I moved to another civil
engineering consultancy and it was on one
of their projects that I learned the most
about myself and leadership.
I worked in Portugal on the Porto Metro as
the chief geotechnical engineer, supervising
the construction of 7km of tunnels and
three stations. There had previously been a
collapse, which had caused a fatality, and I
was brought in as part of the recovery team.
I stayed on the project for four years and
established a good professional reputation
both technically and as a leader. On a
personal level, I always think of Portugal
as a golden time. I made good friends and
met my husband.
On the project, my aim was to make people
feel valued and part of a family. I removed
the hierarchies between roles on site
because every job is equally important in
different circumstances. I’ve carried these
principles throughout my management
career; I know that individuals work and
communicate differently and so I adjust my
styles and create an environment in which
they can always talk to me. I’m also very
hands on and lead by example, by doing
whatever needs doing to help out. If the tea
needs to be made, I’ll make the tea.
IF I’M TOLD NO, I WILL
TRY AGAIN!
Being headhunted
After I completed my work in Porto, I came
back to the UK with my husband. I was
offered a hydro-plant in the Highlands, but
it was miles from anywhere and at the time
I had just had my first child and my husband
was also trying to establish his career in the
UK. It was then, while wondering what was
next for me, that I was headhunted.
I was offered jobs with both Mott MacDonald
and Arup, two consultancies with excellent
tunnelling reputations; I accepted the Mott
MacDonald role because I had more
chemistry with the Mott MacDonald
Rosa Diez is a technical
lead and project director
in tunnelling at Mott
MacDonald.
1986–1991 Studied geology at
Universidad Complutense de Madrid.
1994–1995 Studied an MSc in
engineering geology at Imperial College,
London.
1995 Began working as a tunnel
engineer at Halcrow; studied for an MSc
in foundations and structures at the
University of Westminster.
2000 Moved to a civil engineering
consultancy later acquired by Jacobs to
become principal tunnel engineer and
progressed to technical director.
2007 Moved to Mott MacDonald as a
senior project manager.
interviewers. My favourite project at Mott
MacDonald has been working on Crossrail.
We had experienced some technical issues
and morale on the team was very low, but
with my help we managed to turn it around.
On this project I became better known
within the industry and it made my bosses
take notice of me.
Having a voice
My current role, as one of the account leads,
involves identifying opportunities in the
underground metro market in the UK and
overseas and whether we should put in a
bid and then lead on that. However, I still
have technical projects and am one of the
leads for the HS2 tunnels in Birmingham. I
have a team of around 20 people who are
designing one of the tunnels. I do work with
interns and graduates and I always do my
utmost to promote them, such as putting
them forward for awards. If I see passion,
commitment and dedication, I mentor it.
I was proud to be elected by other members
to be a committee member of the British
Tunnelling Society. I also guest lecture at
the University of Birmingham and give
papers at conferences. I always freak out
before doing public speaking but,
apparently, I come across as self-confident
and my passion comes across.
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View from the top
Law firm partner Simon Hart explains how he
found his niche in litigation and why your career
choices should be driven by what you enjoy.
T
here are a variety of factors that
influence career decisions, but
for me it has always come down
to whether I enjoy what I do. My
advice for aspiring trainees is: if your career
ever turns into just a job, pause and reflect.
It may be that you are in the wrong type of
law or at the wrong firm for you – or it might
be that you should consider switching to do
something else.
Having said that, I didn’t study law at
university and I didn’t have a driving
passion for the subject ever since I was a
child. At university, I was looking for a career
with a structure and law appealed to my
interests; lots of history students become
lawyers, possibly because the written style
of advocacy and the structured argument
suits the historian.
I wanted to work in a City firm connected to
the financial markets because I suspected
I might enjoy it, but I never thought I would
end up as a litigator. However, I was placed
in a litigation seat on day one of my training
contract and I loved it. I still enjoy the
dynamics of a legal dispute, creating an
argument and advancing your client’s
position. I like the strategy involved in
taking a matter from day one through to
court or resolution. In fact, one of my most
memorable matters involved pursuing a
Catch Me If You Can-style fraudster through
multiple jurisdictions. I always say to
trainees to be completely open minded
about which training seats they do; at RPC
we accommodate preferences where
possible, but often you don’t really know
what you like until you try it. That was
certainly my own experience.
From newly qualified solicitor to partner
I qualified into litigation after my training
contract and my work involved retail
banking claims, acting on behalf of the
banks. These tended to be lower value, but
it gave me great experience of the court
system and a solid foundation in litigation.
When I moved to Richards Butler it was the
opposite: our practice focused on bringing
claims against investment banks, which
were of much higher value.
I wanted to become a partner because
I liked the idea of having a business role
within the law firm. Becoming partner
132 | UK 300 2019/20
brings an element to your career that is not
solely about giving legal advice.
Following Richards Butler’s merger with Reed
Smith, the focus of my work switched to
corporate investigations to fit in with the
strategy of the new firm. I enjoyed this for
several years, but there was so much
litigation coming out of the financial crisis
that by 2012 I felt I needed to return to my
professional roots. I moved to RPC, which had
set up its banking litigation team in 2010.
Joining RPC
At RPC, I focus on acting for clients with
claims against investment banks. One of
my responsibilities as partner is to help
grow the practice. Growing this practice area
has different challenges to other areas of
the firm because our clients aren’t
institutions, feeding us regular work; they
are often one-off clients. It means that we
put a lot into generating leads and building
referrals – but we have undertaken
significant, news-worthy cases and our
team has grown both in numbers and in
reputation as a result.
My day
Some of my day is spent in direct contact
with clients; another proportion is spent
with associates in various teams, joining
them on calls with clients or talking them
through strategies and priorities. There will
always be some business development
activities. Periodically I go to court. On some
matters I can go to court two or three times
in six weeks; on very large matters, I might
have one big hearing in a year.
I also have quarterly reviews with the
associates in our team to discuss their career
progression. My role as a training principal
spans the recruitment of trainees, and the
organisation of the summer scheme through
to discussions about trainees’ seat moves,
the qualification process and occasional
pastoral care or development issues. I do not
supervise our trainees directly on a day-today basis, but I know them all and we have
quarterly breakfasts in order to get a feel for
their priorities and concerns.
Law is for the level-headed
Good lawyers are level-headed; while you
should be passionate and invested in your
Simon Hart is a partner
at RPC.
1992 Graduated with a degree in history
and economics from the University of
Durham.
1992–1994 Studied for CPE and LPC
at the College of Law in York.
1994–1996 Completed a training
contract at Wilde Sapte (which later
became Dentons), qualifying with the
firm and becoming an associate.
2002 Moved to Richards Butler as
an associate.
2005 Became a partner.
2007 Richards Butler merged with
Reed Smith.
2012 Moves to RPC as a partner,
specialising in finance disputes.
2014–present Acts as training principal
for RPC’s trainees.
2018 Appointed head of financial
disputes.
client’s case, they are paying you to advise
them and you need to be calm to evaluate
things carefully. When disputes get heated,
you can always give a knee-jerk response,
but you learn with experience that it is better
to send a more nuanced reply when you’ve
had time to consider the matter properly.
Find a personality match
Each law firm has its own personality and
it’s important to find one that suits yours.
RPC’s personality is friendly, open,
collaborative and entrepreneurial and, while
we do want ambitious candidates, pursuing
your own agenda should never be at the
expense of others. The trainees and
summer students who impress me are
proactive – those who complete a task and
think through or undertake the next step.
When I interview trainees, I am impressed
by candidates who have made the most of
any opportunities they have, even if those
have been limited. You don’t need to have
done ten vacation schemes, travelled the
world or completed charity work overseas;
I just want to see that you have been
proactive with whatever opportunities have
been in front of you.
View from the top
UK
300
When she used the experience she’d gained at Sky
to support the growth of NOW TV, Elaine had the
chance to shape her team and her own position.
I
really enjoyed the marketing
element of my degree at
university, particularly learning
how to work in a customerfocused way. When I graduated, I found it
really difficult to get into a pure marketing
role because most of the positions required
experience. However, while I was at
university, I worked at a call centre selling
gas and electricity for Scottish Power;
when I graduated, one of my managers
encouraged me to go for a position as
account manager. Since then, although I’ve
worked across different teams for different
employers, my role has always involved
some sort of emphasis on the customer.
The sky’s the limit
One thing I noticed when joining Sky was
how supportive it was. I absolutely love
working here and a lot of that is down to the
people and the culture; we are given the
chance to drive our own ideas forward and
shape the business. I’ve always felt very
supported and I’ve found that the company
has a positive approach to work/life balance
and flexible working that isn’t always
replicated at other employers.
I’ve had plenty of opportunities to develop
my leadership skills and to use them to help
support others. A key example of this was
during one of my rotations in the customer
operations graduate scheme. I led a team of
advisors – coaching them, driving
performance and managing priorities.
Although this was my first line management
role and I was ‘thrown into the deep end’,
I learned a lot about management styles and
adapting my approach to each team member;
these have been invaluable experiences for
forming my own management style over the
years. I’d say that my approach to managing
is still evolving, but overall I think I’m open,
honest, fair and supportive. I’m now
supporting the Sky marketing graduate
programme and it’s great to feel as though
I’ve gone full circle, from being a graduate
myself to being someone who mentors and
develops graduates.
Growing with NOW TV
When I moved to my current position in the
customer management team at NOW TV, it
was still considered quite a small and new
company (in comparison to Sky) and my
role was to bring my experience from Sky to
help grow the business. It was great to help
shape the team and my own position. Using
data to inform strategy provided a good
insight into the best ways to engage
customers; this helped me to understand
the ‘bigger picture’ and to bring different
teams together under one strategy.
In my current role as head of engagement at
NOW TV, my team are responsible for driving
customer engagement and getting
customers excited about our content and
products. I like that I have the opportunity to
work with different parts of the business,
from finance and product to editorial and
propositions. My role is fast-paced and can
be challenging at times, but this is
something I really enjoy as it means that
I’m constantly learning and progressing.
Relationships are key
The biggest thing I’ve learned throughout
my career is that relationships are key. In
my position, how well you understand other
people’s or team’s priorities and objectives
can be the difference between harmony or
tension and, ultimately, between delivering
amazing results or not.
Managing work life and home life
Communication skills are crucial to building
strong relationships at work and they have
definitely benefited me since I’ve become a
mum. Juggling a full time, pressured job
with a toddler has its challenges but I think
it is just about finding the correct balance
between the two and talking to the people
around you (family or team) whenever you
find it difficult.
Own and drive your career
When I mentor graduates, I always look for
them to be passionate, positive and
unafraid to challenge the status quo. I think
that career and professional development is
something that needs to be driven and to
come from the individual initially. Rather
than waiting for end-of-year reviews, you
should seek out regular feedback. Formal
training and courses initiated by the
company can be really useful but remember
that learning can come in other forms, too.
Elaine Scott is head of
engagement at NOW TV.
1999–2002 Studied for, and graduated
with, a degree in marketing and
psychology from the University of
Stirling.
2003 Became a key account manager
at Scottish Power.
2005 Became a key account manager
at Lex.
2009 Joined Sky as a customer
operations graduate.
2016 Joined the customer management
team at NOW TV.
You might gain insights through having a
mentor or shadowing someone, for example,
or perhaps it suits you to focus your
progression around your passions – by
asking to be involved in a project that
interests you and will help you to develop
the skills you need.
Advice to myself and others
The advice I’d give to my younger self is to
try not to worry about what I can’t influence
or change and to always be myself. Back
when my manager suggested I first go for
the account management role, it felt like a
lot of responsibility and I didn’t think I had
enough experience. Yet, the manager’s
guidance and encouragement gave me the
confidence I needed to go into the interview
with a really positive, ‘can do’ attitude – and
it worked.
WE ARE GIVEN THE
CHANCE TO DRIVE OUR
OWN IDEAS FORWARD AT
SKY.
If you are starting out on your job hunt and
don’t know exactly what it is you want to do
yet, I’d similarly advise you not to worry –
any and every role you do will help you to
gain skills and experience and to further
build your network.
UK 300 2019/20 | 133
UK
300
View from the top
Claire traces her career progression from gaining
a place on a technical graduate scheme through
to becoming an environment manager.
I
’ve always been really interested
in chemistry but working part
time at my father’s factory, which
combined chemistry and
manufacturing, made me think I didn’t want
to be based in a laboratory. I also didn’t
want to work totally in an office. I wondered
what I could do with chemistry that avoided
those extremes.
My industrial placement showed me the
answer. I worked at a power plant, as part of
a team ensuring that the cooling pumps
were operating properly. It confirmed that I
didn’t want a standard office job and I found
that I liked working for a big company and
interacting with lots of people – and that I
wasn’t fazed by being a female in a maledominated industry.
From graduate to technical specialist
I applied to the steel industry because I saw it
as essentially a big chemistry set – and it’s
true that everything is done on a massive
scale. I’ve never been bored. Steel is an ‘old’
industry and there are lots of challenges, but
there are also lots of exciting opportunities
and a diverse range of roles. I’ve moved from
very hands-on technical roles to a more
strategic, influencing role.
I joined what was then Corus on a technical
graduate programme, which included
multiple placements. I did start out in a lab,
but it was only for six months. I moved
locations, from Port Talbot to Newport, for
my next placement, which involved
assessing the quality of the final product
and rectifying defects and issues. My final
placement involved returning to Port Talbot
to examine ways that we could reuse
naturally generated waste. It was a longterm strategic project and I started at the
bottom of the ladder, taking samples of
slurry and getting sprayed with the stuff!
However, I could see the benefit to the
company in reusing the material.
This placement turned into a permanent
position once the graduate programme
finished. I managed a variety of projects to do
with waste streams and supervised a joint
research project with Cardiff University until,
due to a restructure, I was offered an
environmental engineering post. Later I was
made lead environmental engineer in my
134 | UK 300 2019/20
current department, where I worked on
technical projects, such as developing an air
quality management system. I also won the
Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining’s
Adrian Normanton Medal for a technical paper.
Manager, influencer and knowledge sharer
When my boss was leaving for a new role,
she suggested I applied for her role. I was
umming and ahhing about leaving my
technical role, but she pushed me to go for
it and had faith that I could do it – as had the
other colleagues I spoke to about it.
In my current role, I’m the main liaison point
between the business and the regulator to
ensure we remain compliant. If we do have
issues, my team works on improvement
plans to ensure we return to compliance,
and work with project teams on the
schemes being implemented. We also look
at the future legislation and complete a lot
of risk analysis. I manage a team of ten
specialists and, in terms of environmental
issues, there’s not much we don’t do.
Claire Grainger is the
environment manager
in the safety, health and
environment department of
Tata Steel Strip Products UK.
2006 Graduated with a BSc in chemistry
with industrial experience from Cardiff
University; joined Corus (now Tata Steel)
on a technical graduate scheme.
2008 Became a technical specialist at
the BOS plant at Tata Steel.
2009–2012 Completed an MRes in steel
process and product development at
Swansea University part time.
2010 Appointed environmental
engineer.
2015 Moved to be lead environmental
engineer in the safety, health and
environment department.
2018 Promoted to current role.
IN MY ROLE,
INFLUENCING SKILLS ARE
ESSENTIAL.
about what they do and to share it with the
UK business, and to share our practices in
return. A key skill that I’ve developed is to
explain quite technical complex details in a
way that is easily understood.
My role also includes an element of pushing
environmental concerns up the agenda
when there are a lot of competing priorities.
Influencing skills are essential – it is
important to get everyone’s agreement. My
personal approach is not to come in as ‘the
environment police’ but to first understand
their other pressures and then to explain
the benefits of what we are doing. It may be
easy to send emails, but I find it more
effective to go and see people because it
helps to see a situation from their point of
view. One thing that I’m proud of is how the
business has been reducing our waste-tolandfill amounts significantly over the last
ten years – it is now only around a tenth of
what it used to be – and it’s great to be a
small part of that result.
Another aspect of my role is ensuring that
knowledge and learning is shared across
the business. We have a sister plant in the
Netherlands and I visit it frequently to learn
Reflections on management
I’ve been a department manager for just
over a year and initially I found stepping
back from the details to take a bird’s eye
view challenging. It could have been very
easy to slip into my comfort zone and focus
on the technical details rather than being
the coordinator and planner. However, I have
a lot of faith in my team and I’ve learned to
identify and focus on my key priorities. I’ve
had to become very good at my own time
management and making sure that the right
processes are in place to help my team.
As a people manager, I try to adapt my style
to the individual. I also give feedback
continually and at the earliest opportunity.
As a mentor of graduates and apprentices,
too, I often tell them not to try to jump too
quickly into management, as I have found
that having a good technical and operational
understanding is very important for
strategic management.
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1
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Keep your profile up to date. This is your
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DEVELOP YOUR CAREER WITH
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GRADUATE POSITIONS IN LAND AND PLANNING,
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GHVLJQDQGWKHGHOLYHU\RIVXVWDLQDEOHKRXVLQJDQG
PL[HGXVHFRPPXQLWLHV
,I\RXÙUHORRNLQJIRUDG\QDPLFDQGUHZDUGLQJFDUHHUZKLFK
JLYHV\RXWKHRSSRUWXQLW\WRPDNHDFRQWULEXWLRQWRWKH
OLYHVRIIXWXUHJHQHUDWLRQVWKHQORRNQRIXUWKHU
9DFDQFLHVDUHRSHQIURP6HSWHPEHU'HFHPEHU
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OUR GRADUATE PROGRAMME
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Graduate employers in detail
S E C T I O N
UK
300
9
Graduate
employers in detail
Addleshaw Goddard LLP ....................138
AECOM..................................................140
Aldi........................................................142
Allen & Overy ......................................144
Allianz Insurance PLC ........................146
Amazon................................................148
Aon ......................................................150
Arcadia ................................................152
Arm ......................................................154
Arup......................................................156
Ashfords LLP ......................................158
Ashurst LLP ........................................160
AstraZeneca ........................................162
Atkins ..................................................164
Aviva ....................................................166
AWE PLC ..............................................168
Babcock International Group ............170
BAE Systems ......................................172
Baker McKenzie ..................................174
Bank of England..................................176
Barclays ..............................................178
BDO ......................................................180
Bird & Bird ..........................................182
BlackRock............................................184
Bloomberg ..........................................186
BMW Group..........................................188
British Airways ..................................190
British Army ........................................192
Browne Jacobson LLP ......................194
BT ........................................................196
Burges Salmon ..................................198
Capital One ..........................................200
Cisco ....................................................202
Clifford Chance LLP............................204
Clyde & Co LLP ..................................206
CMS ......................................................208
Credit Suisse ......................................210
DAC Beachcroft....................................212
Danone ................................................214
Deloitte ................................................216
Deutsche Bank....................................218
DLA Piper ............................................220
DWF Group Plc ....................................222
Dyson ..................................................224
Enterprise Rent-A-Car ........................226
ExxonMobil..........................................228
Fidelity International..........................230
Financial Conduct Authority..............232
The Frontline Organisation ................234
GCHQ ....................................................236
Goldman Sachs International............238
Google..................................................240
Grant Thornton UK LLP ......................242
GSK ......................................................244
Herbert Smith Freehills ....................246
Hilton ..................................................248
HM Revenue and Customs ................250
HSBC ....................................................252
INEOS....................................................254
Inmarsat..............................................256
Irwin Mitchell ......................................258
Jacobs ................................................260
Johnson & Johnson ..........................262
Johnson Matthey ..............................264
Jones Day ..........................................266
J.P. Morgan ..........................................268
Kennedys ............................................270
Kerry ....................................................272
Kier Group ............................................274
Kirkland & Ellis International LLP ....276
KPMG LLP ............................................278
L’Oréal ..................................................280
Laing O’Rourke....................................282
Lidl Ltd ................................................284
Linklaters............................................286
Lloyd’s ................................................288
Lloyds Banking Group........................290
Macfarlanes ........................................292
Marks & Spencer ................................294
Mars ....................................................296
Mayer Brown International LLP ........298
MBDA ..................................................300
McDonald’s..........................................302
MI5 – The Security Service................304
MI6 – Secret Intelligence Service ....306
Mills & Reeve LLP ..............................308
Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP ..........310
Morgan Stanley ..................................312
Mott MacDonald ..................................314
National Audit Office ..........................316
Next......................................................318
NFU Mutual..........................................320
NHS Graduate Management Training
Scheme (GMTS), NHS Leadership
Academy........................................322
Nissan UK ............................................324
Norton Rose Fulbright LLP ................326
nucleargraduates ..............................328
Osborne Clarke LLP............................330
Pinsent Masons ..................................332
Police Now ..........................................334
Reed Smith..........................................336
Roche ..................................................338
Rolls-Royce ........................................340
Royal Navy..........................................342
RPC ......................................................344
Samsung ............................................346
Sellafield Ltd ......................................348
Shell ....................................................350
Shoosmiths ........................................352
Sky ......................................................354
Skyscanner ........................................356
Slaughter and May ............................358
Tata Steel ............................................360
Taylor Wessing....................................362
Teach First ..........................................364
TJX Europe ..........................................366
TPP ......................................................368
Travers Smith ......................................370
Visa ......................................................372
White & Case ......................................374
Womble Bond Dickinson....................376
UK 300 2019/20 | 137
UK
300
Addleshaw Goddard LLP
R A N K I N G S
195th In the top 300
graduates.addleshawgoddard.com
We are also proud to
be an FT Innovative
Lawyers Award winner,
which recognises our
pioneering approach to
legal services. We call
it our Intelligent
Delivery approach,
because it brings more
efficiency, and more
value, to our clients.
Contact
Email: grad@addleshawgoddard.com
Address: Milton Gate, 60 Chiswell Street,
London EC1Y 4AG
Telephone: 020 7606 8855
Fax: 020 7606 4390
Website: graduates.addleshawgoddard.com
Type of employer
Law Firm
Locations
Aberdeen, Dubai, Edinburgh, Glasgow,
Hamburg, Hong Kong, Leeds, London,
Manchester, Oman, Qatar and Singapore.
138 | UK 300 2019/20
More about us
We are a premium international law firm
with an exceptional breadth of services. Our
reputation for outstanding quality is built
upon long-term relationship investment and
a deep understanding of client markets.
This, together with our high-calibre
expertise, straight-talking advice and
collaborative team culture, means we are
here for our clients, whenever and however
they need us; from everyday queries to
high-value strategic advice, we are proud of
the consistently excellent, relevant and
focussed service our people provide.
What are our graduate opportunities?
We are currently recruiting for 2020
placement schemes and March/September
2022 training contract positions across our
Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, London and
Manchester offices.
Number of employees
1,500+
Deadlines:
• 5 January 2020 – work placement
schemes
• 31 July 2020 – training contract
Core skills required
Ability to work under pressure
Attention to detail
Commercial awareness
Communication skills
Creativity
Initiative
Leadership potential
Meeting deadlines
Motivation
Organisational skills
Problem solving skills
Teamwork skills
How do we select?
We have an online application form for both
placements scheme and training contract
applications. Please visit
graduates.addleshawgoddard.com for more
information.
Number of graduate vacancies 2022
50 training contract positions
70 work placement positions
Opportunities in Edinburgh, Glasgow,
Leeds, London and Manchester
Application closing dates:
Placement Scheme - 05 January 2020
Training Contract - 31 July 2020
Apply online:
addleshawgoddard.com/graduates
UK
300
AECOM
R A N K I N G S
2nd Construction, civil
engineering and surveying
49th In the top 300
aecom.com/amazing
More about us
Our graduates deliver clean water and energy.
Design iconic skyscrapers. Plan new cities.
Restore damaged environments. Connect
people and economies with roads, bridges,
tunnels and transit systems. Design parks
where children play. Help governments
maintain stability and security.
Dedicated to
Our graduate development programme is
designed to develop the best talent across
numerous disciplines to lead our business into
the future. We recruit around 350 graduates
and 250 placement students a year across the
UK & Ireland from around 35 different degree
disciplines, each and every one of them
making a tangible difference to the
environment we all live in.
making the world
a better place.
Make Amazing Happen.
Contact
grad_recruit.europe@aecom.com
Type of employer
Transportation, Building Engineering, Water,
Geotechnical & Tunnelling, Surveying &
Project Management, Planning,
Environment, Energy, Architecture, Ecology,
Archeology
Locations
A network of over 30 offices
What are our graduate opportunities?
We are seeking applicants from around 35
disciplines, including civil, structural,
mechanical, electrical, building services,
industrial and sustainable buildings
engineering, as well as surveying, project
management, planning, ecology, and
environmental, water and energy related
disciplines.
140 | UK 300 2019/20
Our Graduate Development Programme,
along with our huge scope of projects
across the globe, will challenge and inspire
you to make a real difference to the world
we live in. Our GDP forms a core part of our
business strategy across AECOM globally,
designed to develop the best talent across
numerous disciplines to lead our business
into the future.
How do we select?
AECOM is an equal opportunities employer
and as such we are actively looking for
graduates from a wide range of
backgrounds. In 2018, we were recognized
by Fortune magazine for the fourth year
running as a World’s Most Admired
Company. You will complete a very short
registration form, situational judgement
test, and finally a technical assessment
with the team and office you are being
considered for.
Number of employees
87,000
Number of graduate vacancies in 2020
350
Core skills required
Attention to detail
Communication skills
Creativity
Initiative
Problem solving skills
Teamwork skills
Connecting people and economies
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systems. Delivering clean water and
energy. Building icon
nic skyscrapers.
Planning new cities. Restoring
damaged environments. Designing
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Graduate and placement
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natural environment.
aecom.com/amazing
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UK
300
Aldi
R A N K I N G S
7th Retail
89th In the top 300
www.aldirecruitment.co.uk/graduate
More about us
With roots dating back to 1913, Aldi (short
for Albrecht Discount) came to the UK in
1990 and customers were amazed to see a
true example of ‘no frills’ shopping – stock
merchandised on pallets, no bag packing at
tills, no fancy coffee shops. It’s all about
keeping overheads down so that the
customer benefits from award-winning
quality at low prices. Aldi are one of the
fastest-growing supermarkets in the UK
today, with over 830 stores and plans to
have 1,200 stores by 2025. Voted the 3rd
Best Graduate Employer in the UK by the
Times Top 100, Aldi offers one of the most
challenging training programmes in retail.
“Aldi are looking for that rare breed
of graduate. Someone who
combines intelligence and fresh
ideas with a determined, ‘roll your
sleeves up’ attitude. You’ll have
the chance to run a multi-million
pound business after 12 months,
and you’ll constantly adapt to new
challenges and pressures with
breath-taking pace. You’ll get paid
well (and there’s an Audi on day
one). But the real ‘Aldi types’ do it
for more than that. They love
helping to build a business that’s
growing every day.”
Giles Hurley, CEO
Type of employer
Grocery Retailer
Locations
Atherstone, Bolton, Darlington, Swindon,
Chelmsford, Bathgate, Neston, Goldthorpe,
Cardiff, Isle of Sheppey, Sawley
What are our graduate opportunities?
Join the Area Manager Programme and
you’ll manage a store in a matter of weeks.
After 12 months’ training in all aspects of
retail management, you’ll take charge of a
multi-million pound area of up to four
stores. It’s a hugely varied, mind-stretching
journey offering excellent career pathways
through the rest of the business.
How do we select?
Online applications include a psychometric
test and you’ll create a short video to
convince Aldi you’re a strong and
charismatic leader. Group Assessment
follows which involves team-building and a
chance to demonstrate your Aldi business
knowledge. You’ll then have a final, face-toface interview with the regional MD. Aldi
recruit all year round but it’s best to apply
as soon as you can.
142 | UK 300 2019/20
Number of employees
32,000
Number of graduate vacancies in 2020
100
Core skills required
Ability to work under pressure
Attention to detail
Leadership potential
Motivation
Teamwork skills
UK
300
Allen & Overy
R A N K I N G S
2nd Law – solicitors
64th In the top 300
aograduate.com
More about us
Allen & Overy is an international legal
practice with approximately 5,500 people in
44 major centres worldwide. Our client list
includes many of the world’s leading
businesses, financial institutions and
governments. Naturally, we are committed
to providing the highest quality advice,
which is driven by innovation. By
developing tailored solutions to a wide
range of business issues, our partners are
recognised as leaders in their areas of
expertise and we have earned an enviable
reputation and outstanding success in highprofile deals.
“Today, virtually every piece
of work we handle is won
through relationship building
and competitive pitching. So,
in recruiting trainees we are
looking for evidence of
entrepreneurial drive and an
appetite to take advantage of
the opportunities careers here
offer.”
James Partridge,
Graduate Recruitment Partner
Contact
www.facebook.com/allenoverygrads
www.twitter.com/allenoverygrads
Type of employer
Law firm
Locations
London
What are our graduate opportunities?
The A&O training contract has a seat
structure which ensures that you get hands
on learning by sitting with an experienced
associate or partner each time, allowing you
to experience a number of areas across the
firm. Given the strength of the firm’s
international finance practice, trainees are
required to spend a minimum of 12 months
in at least two of the three core
144 | UK 300 2019/20
departments of banking, corporate and
international capital markets.
Number of employees
5,500
How do we select?
The first stage in our process is an online
application, following this you will be invited
to participate in our immersive video based
Situational Judgement Test (SJT). During
the SJT, you will experience scenarios you
may encounter as a Trainee at A&O, which
we hope will give you the chance to learn
more about our firm’s culture and the way
we do business. Should you proceed to the
next stage of our process, you will
encounter two one-on-one interviews,
where you will complete a case study, and
answer a series of strength based
questions.
Number of graduate vacancies in 2022
Up to 90
Core skills required
Ability to work under pressure
Commercial awareness
Communication skills
Problem solving skills
Teamwork skills
It’s never giving in, never giving up.
It’s showing the world everything you’ve got.
If you’re made for more,
IT’S TIME.
The world around us is changing. New ways of working create new
opportunities, and we’re looking for people who are ready to make an
impact. With our world-class development programme and industry
leading experts behind you, you can become a lawyer of the future.
If you’re made for more, we want to hear from you. Visit our website
to find out more.
A career in Law
aograduate.com
@AllenOveryGrads
/allenoverygrads
UK
300
Allianz Insurance PLC
R A N K I N G S
161st In the top 300
www.allianz.co.uk/graduates
“This is a chance to be
part of a company that
puts its employees at the
heart of everything it does.
The opportunities are
phenomenal – from
meetings and dinners
with senior managers to
industry-leading training,
the whole company will be
helping you to achieve
your best.”
More about us
At Allianz Insurance, we provide peace of
mind and protection in unforeseen
circumstances, for individual private
customers as well as large business clients.
We’re one of the world’s largest insurance
and financial services providers serving
more than 85 million customers in over 70
countries. We currently have 142,000
employees worldwide with 4,600
employees in our UK insurance business at
over 26 locations.
We’re big enough to give you plenty of
opportunities, experience and responsibly,
but not too big to know your name and
genuinely care about your career.
Allianz Graduate
Contact
Twitter: @AllianzUK
+44(0)1483 552269
graduates@allianz.co.uk
Type of employer
• actuarial • finance • insurance claims
• IT/technology • general management
• operations • underwriting • pricing
Locations
UK wide
What are our graduate opportunities?
We have Summer Internships, 12 Months
Placements and Graduate opportunities in
the following areas:
• Actuarial
• Allianz Management
• Finance
• Insurance Claims
• IT
• Engineering
• Underwriting
• Technical
We look for passionate, enthusiastic and
challenge-hungry individuals looking for real
responsibility and the opportunity to make a
valuable contribution to the business.
How do we select?
Online application process through our
website: www.allianz.co.uk/about-allianzinsurance/careers-at-allianz/graduatecareers-recruitment.html
146 | UK 300 2019/20
Number of employees
142,000 (worldwide)
Number of graduate vacancies in 2020
60 (UK)
Core skills required
Ability to work under pressure
Attention to detail
Commercial awareness
Communication skills
Creativity
Initiative
Leadership potential
Meeting deadlines
Motivation
Organisational skills
Problem solving skills
Teamwork skills
Why Allianz?
still waiting
for ad or
case study
Allianz Insurance is one of the largest general insurers in
the UK. We are also part of the Allianz Group, the largest
property and casualty insurer in the world, employing
142,000 employees worldwide, serving 85m customers
in more than 70 countries.
Insurance is all about preparing you for the future,
for what’s ahead – and so are our graduate schemes.
As an Allianz graduate you can expect:
A competitive salary and performance-related
annual bonus.
Full funding and support to help you achieve the
relevant professional qualification and unrivalled
on-the-job learning.
A dedicated mentor and buddy to help
you to build connections, navigate
the business and support
youthroughout the scheme.
Flexible benefits like discounted
gym membership, extra holiday
and discounts at popular
retailers, events and
entertainment venues.
Hi Beth,
Opportunities to make positive
changes for the communities
Sorry - I have couple more amends which
in which we operate through
come through late this evening. Could
our volunteering schemes.
Hi Tor, the pic* we need is to go here:
the advert
you increase the intake from 30 to 40
please.
Could we also include in the last line:
FOR THOSE WHO
DARE
Here is your home.
One reviewer sums it up by simply stat ing that “Allianz is a
fantastic company to work for and I felt
I could really make a difference in the
business and for our customers”
What other picture* are you waiting on? I
thought I’d sent everything over now?
Thanks
Tor
.com
UK
300
Amazon
R A N K I N G S
1st Retail
2nd
IT and technology
3rd
In the top 300
www.amazon.jobs
More about us
All Amazon teams and businesses, from Prime
delivery to Amazon Web Services, are guided
by four key tenets: customer obsession rather
than competitor focus, passion for invention,
commitment to operational excellence, and
long-term thinking.
“Being an Amazonian
means working with very
smart people, being able to
work on a project with
worldwide impact while
improving your technical
and soft skills
tremendously.”
We are driven by the excitement of building
technologies, inventing products, and
providing services that transform the way
our customers live their lives and run their
businesses.
What unites Amazonians across teams and
geographies is that we are all striving to
delight our customers and make their lives
easier. The scope and scale of our mission
drives us to seek diverse perspectives, be
resourceful, and navigate through ambiguity.
Inventing and delivering things that were
never thought possible isn’t easy, but we
embrace this challenge every day.
Lucie, Machine Learning
Scientist
Contact
www.amazon.jobs
Type of employer
Retail
Locations
We offer graduate and intern opportunities
across the UK and globally. Our European
locations include the UK, France, Germany,
Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Poland, Romania
and Spain. To view all of our global offices,
please visit www.amazon.jobs/locations
What are our graduate opportunities?
We offer Tech opportunities in functions like
Software Development Engineering,
Solutions Architecture, Machine Learning
and Cloud Support, supporting businesses
such as Amazon Web Services, Amazon
Alexa and Devices, Prime Video and IMDb.
Our Non-tech graduate opportunities are
available across our Finance, Accounting,
148 | UK 300 2019/20
Amazon Web Services and E-Commerce
businesses. Within E-Commerce, graduates
can join as Brand Specialists, where they
will work with Amazon’s most strategic
brands across all key areas of retail
business. We also have roles available in
Business Development, Marketing and
Product and Program Management.
Our UK offices are located in London,
Edinburgh, Cambridge and Bristol, with
Manchester set to open later this year. Our
Operations and Customer Fulfilment
graduate roles are based nationwide.
How do we select?
Our application and interview process
differs from role to role, but the main ways
we get to know you are through your online
application, phone or video interviews, and
in-person interviews. Our interview process
is rooted in our Leadership Principles.
These Principles define our culture and
outline the behaviours that are key to
thriving at Amazon. To check out a
comprehensive list of interview preparation
tips, visit our Interview Preparation pages
on Amazon.jobs.
Number of employees
Over half a million Amazon employees
worldwide
Number of graduate vacancies in 2020
We hire hundreds of graduates and interns
across our Global offices
Core skills required
Attention to detail
Communication skills
Initiative
Organisational skills
Problem solving skills
Come build the
future with us
What unites Amazonians across teams and
geographies is that we are all striving to delight
our customers and make their lives easier. The
scope and scale of our mission drives us to seek
diverse perspectives, be resourceful, and navigate
through ambiguity. Inventing and delivering things
that were never thought possible isn't easy, but we
embrace this challenge every day. By working
together on behalf of our customers, we are
building the future one innovative product, service,
and idea at a time.
Apply now at amazon.jobs
Amazon is an equal opportunities employer. We believe passionately that employing a
diverse workforce is central to our success. We make recruiting decisions based on your
experience and skills. We value your passion to discover, invent, simplify and build.
UK
300
Aon
R A N K I N G S
137th In the top 300
www.aonearlycareers.co.uk
More about us
Few things are certain in life. Economic
upheaval, political crises, natural disasters
– and plenty more besides – all mean the
world can be full of surprises. Aon’s
business is to provide the answers.
“One of the best parts of
working at Aon is that there
are so many colleagues
who have walked the
same path in terms of
studying for exams, who
offer great advice and
also understand the
importance of building
in time to study and to
relax outside of work.”
Our philosophy is to employ people with the
right skills and attitude to help our clients –
giving them the support they need to
develop, and enabling them to find
opportunities that play to their strengths. As
you build a successful career with us, you’ll
become a technical specialist in your
individual area and advise our clients on our
market-leading products.
Alexandra, Investment
Consultant
Contact
www.aonearlycareers.co.uk
Type of employer
Leading global provider of risk management
services, insurance and reinsurance
brokerage and human capital consulting.
Locations
500 offices globally.
UK locations include: Birmingham, Bristol,
Chelmsford, Edinburgh, Epsom,
Farnborough, Glasgow, Leeds, London,
Manchester, St Albans.
What are our graduate opportunities?
With over 50,000 colleagues globally, Aon
have a diverse range of opportunities
across our business. These include
consulting and broking career paths for
graduates, summer interns and industrial
placement students in the following areas:
150 | UK 300 2019/20
• Insurance, Reinsurance and Risk
Management
• Actuarial
• Investment
• Employee Benefits
• Reward and Remuneration
• Talent & Employee Engagement
• Cyber Security
How do we select?
We want our application process to be a
two-way street. We get to know more about
you. You get to know more about us. That
way, we can all arrive at the right decision.
Below is a brief summary of each stage of
the process so you’ll know exactly what to
expect:
• Online application
• Situational Judgement Test
• Numeracy Test
• Video Interview
• Assessment Centre
Number of employees
50,000
Number of graduate vacancies in 2020
c.90
Core skills required
Communication skills
Initiative
Motivation
Problem solving skills
Teamwork skills
UK
300
Arcadia
R A N K I N G S
5th Retail
66th In the top 300
futuretalent.arcadiagroup.co.uk
More about us
At Arcadia, energy, passion and creativity
are at the forefront of what we do. From our
inspirational design-led product to being
truly multi-channel; we live and breathe
fashion, style and culture.
“The environment is
relaxed whilst still
Our Oxford Circus office is filled with
innovative, fun and social teams who are
united by a love of fashion. With spectacular
Christmas parties, early finish summer
Fridays and flexible working hours, what
more could you want?
productive. We are
regularly rewarded with
treats, sample sales,
We believe that commercial success starts
with our people getting stuck in and working
together!
events and goodies.”
Joe
Contact
facebook.com/ArcadiaFutureTalent
Instagram.com/arcadiagroup_
Type of employer
Fashion Retailer
Locations
London, UK
What are our graduate opportunities?
With no set intakes, we recruit all year
round! From the word ‘go’, you will learn on
the job and shape your career with our
industry leading brands. We are champions
of internal development, so your learning
never stops and we will guide you every
step of your Arcadia journey.
Arcadia is home to eight of the UK’s most
loved brands including Topshop, Topman,
Burton, Dorothy Perkins, Evans, Miss
Selfridge, Wallis and Outfit. We are always
152 | UK 300 2019/20
searching for cutting-edge talent and would
love for you to join us.
Number of employees
19,000
So whatever your skill set or degree, we
have a range of graduate roles available in
Merchandising, Buying, Digital, Creative &
Finance ready for you to make your own.
Think you’ve got what it takes? Then don’t
hesitate to reach out to us on Instagram or
Facebook and to learn more head over to our
career website
futuretalent.arcadiagroup.co.uk
Number of graduate vacancies in 2020
200+
How do we select?
Just like our roles, our application
processes can vary but may include:
• An assessment centre
• A brand/department interview
• An online application with a numerical
test
• A video interview
Core skills required
Analytical
‘Eye’ for product
Commercial awareness
Customer focused
Creativity
Influencing
Initiative
Communication
Problem solving
Organisation
MADE
BY
At Arcadia, you’ll get the opportunities to shape your career and make
your mark in fashion. So bring all the brilliant things that make you, you.
Because our people make our culture, and our culture makes us.
Merchandising | Digital | Finance | Buying | Apprenticeships
E A R LY
CAREERS
Check us out online futuretalent.arcadiagroup.co.uk
@arcadiagroup_
@ArcadiaFutureTalent
Arcadia Group Ltd
UK
300
Arm
R A N K I N G S
107th In the top 300
www.arm.com/careers
More about us
Arm technology powers products from
sensors to supercomputers, securing
devices and data for the Internet of Things,
AI, Machine Learning and beyond.
Our ambition is for technology to improve
lives, 70% of the global population uses Arm
technology and we need you to continue
that growth.
“The Arm culture of looking after interns and
Graduates and giving them a relaxed
environment to meet people and have fun,
as well as work and learn, is perfect, making
it much better than an internship at any
other company.”
– 2018 Intern
Contact
Twitter: LifeAtArm
Instrgram, Linkedin, Facebook: Arm
Type of employer
Arm Technology is at the heart of the
computing and connectivity revolution.
Locations
More than 26 countries, with more than 50
offices, Arm is truly a global company
What are our graduate opportunities?
With Arm being such an innovative and
varied business our Graduates get involved
in real life projects from day one, we recruit
across all areas of the business so from
Hardware to software, IT, Machine Learning,
Research, IOT, ISG, Architecture, Partner
Enablement, Development solutions, TSG
and our emerging business.
154 | UK 300 2019/20
How do we select?
We have a very fair and proactive process;
first round will be your CV submission.
Following this, you will have a Video
interview. The final stage is our Candidate
Experience Day, a chance for you to visit our
offices, learn more about the Arm story,
participate in some fun group exercises as
well as an interview. We will end the day
with an office tour, where you are given the
opportunity to meet various members of
the team, alongside management and other
Graduates.
Number of employees
5,000+
Number of graduate vacancies in 2020
We hire Graduates into our Cambridge,
Manchester, Sheffield, Warwick, Glasgow,
Belfast, Galway, Sophia Antinopolis, Lund,
Copenhagen, Trondheim, Oulu, Rananana,
Noida, Bangalore, San Jose, Washington,
Mountain View, Austin, Chandler and Boston
offices.
Core skills required
Attention to detail
Communication skills
Creativity
Problem solving skills
Teamwork skills
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UK
300
Arup
R A N K I N G S
1st Construction, civil
engineering and surveying
28th In the top 300
www.arup.com/careers
More about us
Nearly 50 years ago our founder, Sir Ove
Arup made his ‘The Key Speech’. “We shape
a better world” was his message and it
remains our mantra today. Now we are a
global firm of designers, engineers,
planners, consultants and technical
specialists, working across 90+ disciplines
in more than 33 countries. Our philosophy
of Total Design is at the heart of our most
ambitious and creative work for some of the
world’s most innovative and sustainable
designs, which includes the Sydney Opera
House, Beijing National Stadium and Water
Cube and the V and A Dundee. Because we
remain independent, we can make a real
difference in the world - and continue to do
well, by doing good.
“There are two ways of looking
at the pursuit of happiness:
One is to go straight for the
things you fancy without
considering anybody else
besides yourself. The other is
to recognise that no man is an
island... and accord to others
the rights claimed for oneself...
We opt for the second way.”
Sir Ove Arup
‘The Key Speech’ 1970
Contact
Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn
Type of employer
Construction and building services; Civil and
structural engineering; Technology;
Surveying
Locations
Across 15 UK offices
What are our graduate opportunities?
Acoustics, architecture, bridges, building
design, communications and systems,
digital, energy, environment, fire, finance,
geotechnics and tunnelling, highways,
intelligent transport systems, lighting,
management consultancy, materials,
156 | UK 300 2019/20
project management, quantity surveying,
rail, resilience, risk management, security,
site development, town planning, transport
planning and water.
Number of employees
14,000
How do we select?
You will need to apply online via our website
and you will be asked to complete a
situational judgement test. If successful,
you’ll then be invited to an assessment
centre where we can get to know you a bit
better and you can meet some of our people
and find out more about us. The
Assessment Centre will consist of an
interview, group exercise and a technical
exercise that relates to your chosen
specialism.
Core skills required
Communication skills
Creativity
Initiative
Problem solving skills
Teamwork skills
Number of graduate vacancies in 2020
200+
Infinite possibilities.
At Arup we look for new and innovative ways to transform the world’s
infrastructure and built environment. Our 14,000 people in more than 30
countries are the creative force behind many of the world’s most innovative,
iconic and sustainable designs, exerting considerable influence as we help
to turn the challenges and obstacles of the past into the achievements of
the future.
Recruiting over 200 graduates a year in the UK from a variety of disciplines,
we look for design teams, engineers, planners, project managers, digital
specialists, consultants and more to take our industry in exciting directions.
You’ll be working with some of the world’s leading experts and so professional
development, early exposure and responsibility is a given. We deliver results
collaboratively and as an employee owned organisation, it means that everyone
benefits from those results. Work life balance too is a reality, not an aspiration.
It’s about making the impossible happen, making a real difference to the world
around us. Explore the opportunity.
www.arup.com
We are committed to equal opportunities.
We shape a better world
UK
300
Ashfords LLP
R A N K I N G S
287th In the top 300
www.ashfords.co.uk
“A Period of Recognised
Training at Ashfords is just the
start of a career with us. We are
committed to supporting all
Trainees in the development
of their careers, through
technical and tailored skills
training, performance reviews
and mentoring. We are very
proud of the fact that several of
our partners were once
trainees with us.”
More about us
Ashfords is a national provider of legal,
professional and regulatory services.
We combine legal expertise, commercial
experience and our wider network to help
our clients achieve their goals. So, to many
clients, we are more than lawyers, we are
professional advisers, mentors, problemsolvers.
Above all, we believe that every client
should expect and receive value for time
and value for money. Which means that we
always aim to provide advice that is not just
technically sound, but that is grounded in
our understanding of your world.
Andrew Worley, Training
Principal and Partner.
Contact
Ashford House, Grenadier Road,
Exeter, EX1 3LH
01392 337000
traineerecruitment@ashford.co.uk
@Ashfords_Law
Linkedin.com/company/Ashfords
Type of employer
We are a national provider of legal,
professional and regulatory services
Locations Bristol, Exeter, London,
Plymouth, Taunton, Tiverton.
What are our graduate opportunities?
We recruit 10 trainee solicitors each year and
are committed to a ‘recruit to retain’ policy.
You will spend six months in each of your four
seats, where you will be given the
opportunity to gain experience in these areas
of law.
158 | UK 300 2019/20
Your career with us
Our career frameworks are designed with
your development in mind. We are
transparent about promotion criteria and
you will have access to development on an
individual, firm-wide and departmental level
to help you to achieve your career
ambitions. We are proud to offer an
engaging and supportive environment,
where your ideas will be listened to and will
contribute to the ongoing success of the
Firm.
How do we select?
• Online application form available via our
website.
• Assessment Centre (including a Partner
interview)
Number of employees
564
Number of graduate vacancies in 2022
10
Core skills required
Attention to detail
Commercial awareness
Communication skills
Initiative
Teamwork skills
SPECIALIST ADVICE
IN A REAL WORLD
CONTEXT
We combine legal expertise, commercial
experience and our wider network to help our
clients achieve their goals. Above all, we aim
to make the experience of working with us
something you will value.
ashfords.co.uk
@Ashfords_Law
Ashfords LLP
UK
300
Ashurst LLP
R A N K I N G S
198th In the top 300
www.ashurst.com
More about us
With 27 offices in 16 countries and a number
of referral relationships we offer the reach
and insight of a global network, combined
with the knowledge and understanding of
local markets. Our 400 partners and further
1,300 lawyers work across 10 different time
zones, responding to our clients wherever
and whenever they need us.
“What will move you
about Ashurst is our
culture: there’s a strong
dedication to what we
You will see we have a prestigious client base,
with whom we build strong partnerships
working closely together on large and
complex multi-jurisdictional transactions to
deliver insightful commercial solutions. Our
clients are at the heart of our thinking, our
ambition is to be our clients’ most incisive
partner. We are able to achieve this by being
at the forefront of legal technology
innovation with initiatives such as Ashurst
Advance and Ashurst Digital Ventures.
do and a genuine
warmth to the way we
interact with each
other.”
Contact
gradrec@ashurst.com,
Facebook: facebook.com/AshurstTrainees
Twitter: www.twitter.com/ashurst
Type of employer
A leading international law firm with world
class capability.
Locations London
What are our graduate opportunities?
We will plan closely with you four seats of six
months each, that will broaden your world
view and hone your talents. At least one seat
will be in a finance practice and another
within a transactional department. You will
also have the opportunity to apply for an
overseas or client secondment.
For the Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL) and
Legal Practice Course (LPC), we offer
scholarships that cover your course fees and
provide £8,000 per year towards the cost of
160 | UK 300 2019/20
maintenance (£7,000 if you choose to study
the GDL outside of London).
Number of employees
2,900
How do we select?
We expect a lot of ourselves – and so, as you
would expect, you will need to be comfortable
with challenges and pressure. You should
also be able to express yourself confidently
on paper and out loud, whether that’s among
your team or in a client’s boardroom.
Number of graduate vacancies in 2022
40
You’ll need to become a shrewd negotiator,
have an ability to read both balance sheets
and behaviours, and become a commercial
strategist with a deep understanding of
specific industries.
Complete an online application form
addressed to Nick Wong, Early Careers
Partner. We will be accepting training
contract applications to start in September
2022/March 2023 from 1 September 2019
to 5 January 2020. We may then re-open
applications during the summer of 2020.
Core skills required
Ability to work under pressure
Attention to detail
Commercial awareness
Communication skills
Organisational skills
Connect with us on
c b a K
UK
300
AstraZeneca
R A N K I N G S
2nd Scientific research and
development
21st In the top 300
careers.astrazeneca.com/students
More about us
AstraZeneca is advancing one of the
strongest and most productive pipelines in
our industry. We are now entering a new
stage in our strategic journey focused on
growth through innovation as we strive to
deliver life-changing medicines.
‘Unlock the
If you are a graduate from any discipline
who is inspired by what science can do, you
will thrive in our international and diverse
culture. You will have real responsibility to
contribute from day one and will gain
extensive understanding of the global
biopharmaceutical industry, from discovery
to patients.
potential of what
science can do.’
Type of employer
Biopharmaceutical
Locations
We have opportunities across the UK, US &
Sweden. Some programmes have additional
locations.
What are our graduate opportunities?
We have Graduate Programmes in:
• Global Operations & Supply Chain
• IT
• Research and Development
• Data Science & AI
• Pharmaceutical Technology and
Development
How do we select?
We initially assess applicants’ capabilities,
skills, strengths and experience, and how
they align with our core values. Some
programmes conduct a telephone or video
screening interview as part of the
shortlisting process. All programmes have a
final assessment centre selection process at
one of our global locations.
162 | UK 300 2019/20
Number of employees
Over 65,000
Number of graduate vacancies in 2020
70+
Core skills required
Innovative
Collaborative
Open to change
Disciplined and focused
on outstanding execution
Join an AstraZeneca Graduate Programme
and help push the boundaries of science
to deliver life-changing medicines
At AstraZeneca we believe in the potential of our people and you’ll develop beyond what
you thought possible. We make the most of your skills and passion by actively supporting
you to see what you can achieve on our Global Graduate Programmes.
AstraZeneca is an equal opportunity employer
careers.astrazeneca.com/students
UK
300
Atkins
R A N K I N G S
9th Construction, civil
engineering and surveying
174th In the top 300
careers.atkinsglobal.com/graduates
More about us
Atkins, a member of the SNC-Lavalin Group,
is a leading global consultancy with over 80
years’ design and engineering expertise.
With us, you’ll join a team of people who ask
questions, who dare to see things in a
different way and want to build a better
world. We’re driven to discovering new ways
to answer the world’s biggest challenges, to
help clients bring their projects to life and to
make a real difference to people’s lives
globally.
“This is
engineering
on a totally
We have over 18,000 employees in offices
worldwide. Our work covers everything from
transportation to defence, energy to
infrastructure and we work with major
global clients like UK Ministry of Defence
and Heathrow Airport. With Atkins, you’ll be
in great company.
different scale.”
Contact
graduates@atkinsglobal.com
Type of employer
One of the world’s most respected design,
engineering and project management
consultancies.
Locations
Across the UK
What are our graduate opportunities?
Our work covers a variety of sectors
including transportation, water, defence,
energy, aerospace and infrastructure, and
we’re proud to work with major global clients
such as the UK Ministry of Defence,
Heathrow Airport and High Speed 2.
164 | UK 300 2019/20
How do we select?
The first step is to register your personal
details with us; you’ll then be invited to
complete a situational judgment test. Next
it’s the numerical and inductive reasoning
tests, followed by the full application form. If
successful here you’ll be invited to a
telephone interview and finally a graduate
assessment centre.
We want you to perform at your best at each
stage of our recruitment process and can
make adjustments to ensure this. So
whether you consider yourself to have a
disability or not, or would simply like to
know how we can support you better, please
contact us confidentially on 0121 483 5089
or graduates@atkinsglobal.com.
Number of employees
18,000
Number of graduate vacancies in 2020
500
Core skills required
Commercial awareness
Creativity
Initiative
Problem solving skills
Teamwork skills
In the company of
Join the people who want
to build a better world.
Explore how you can help
bring some of the world’s biggest
projects to life. We’re a leading
global consultancy with 80 years
of design and engineering expertise.
With the Atkins Graduate Development
Programme, you’re in great company.
To find out more search Atkins Grads
UK
300
Aviva
R A N K I N G S
193rd In the top 300
aviva.com/careers/job-search
More about us
Life’s full of unexpected twists and turns.
Luckily, we’re here to defy uncertainty and
protect our 33-million customers from them
in 16 different markets.
“It’s a great opportunity.
A graduate scheme here
is definitely worth
pursuing if you have
big, bold aspirations
about being involved
in change and if you
want a career that will
cover a lot of areas.”
We’re leading a digital revolution in
Insurance, building a more sustainable
business, and finding innovative ways to
keep our customers safe, secure and
informed. And we’re one of the only
insurance companies in the world who can
provide customers with life, general and
health insurance, and asset management in
one place.
Reece, Global
Leadership Programme
Ultimately, we put customers at the heart of
everything we do – helping them to create a
bright and sustainable future. And it takes
people, like you, to make this happen.
Contact
Facebook.com/AvivaGlobalGraduates
LinkedIn.com/company/aviva-plc
You’ll rotate across our projects and teams,
whether that’s in the UK or internationally
(depending on the scheme).
Type of employer
Aviva offers a wide range of insurance and
savings products which help people to
protect what’s important and save for a
more comfortable future.
By the end of your programme, you’ll have a
deep understanding of Aviva and a bright
future ahead. Discover more opportunities
on our careers site.
Locations
Our graduates work across all our UK
locations, including: Norwich; York; Bristol;
Sheffield; Perth; London and Eastleigh.
Graduates on our Global Leadership
Programme will have the opportunity to
work in one of our international locations.
These include Singapore, Toronto, Milan,
Paris and Warsaw.
What are our graduate opportunities?
We offer a range of graduate opportunities,
including our Accountancy, Actuarial and
Global Graduate Leadership programmes.
166 | UK 300 2019/20
How do we select?
After the initial application screening, you’ll
be invited to take our online assessments.
They’re designed to test your cognitive
abilities and see how you fit our values.
We’ll then invite you to either a video or
phone interview. The last stage is an
assessment centre where you’ll join us for
group and individual tasks, as well as an
interview. These take place across the UK,
including York, Norwich and London.
We’ll call you to offer you a place shortly
after the final assessment centre.
Number of employees
30,000+
Number of graduate vacancies in 2020
40 in the UK across a number of schemes
Core skills required
Commercial awareness
Communication skills
Creativity
Leadership potential
Problem solving skills
UK
300
AWE PLC
R A N K I N G S
158th In the top 300
www.awe.co.uk/careers/future-careers
More about us
For nearly 70 years, AWE has been at the
forefront of nuclear warhead research and
development. Providing security and
protection to our nation, our unique
expertise also supports the UK government
with a wide range of nuclear threat
reduction and counter-terrorism solutions.
Unique graduate
opportunities
AWE employs c 5,500 women and men
undertaking some of the most important
work to support the most important mission
– keeping the nation safe. Scientists,
engineers, technologists, machinists,
designers... and people that support some
of the most unique and complex facilities
and operations.
in a unique
environment
We work to attract, motivate, develop and
retain the best talent and equip our people
with the right skills for the future.
We are a team of remarkable people
achieving extraordinary things.
Contact
www.awe.co.uk/careers/future-careers
Email: futurecareers@awe.co.uk
Type of employer
Defence and Nuclear
Locations
AWE Aldermaston, near Reading.
AWE Burghfield, near Reading.
What are our graduate opportunities?
We have a variety of opportunities covering
our Engineering, Science and Business
Functions.
Our two year graduate programme is
designed to be flexible to incorporate a
range of experiences; not just within your
own discipline but also business and
commercial experience. You will undertake a
number of placements to enable you to
expand knowledge of your discipline and
give you opportunities to develop yourself
168 | UK 300 2019/20
and your ongoing career. Your Line Manager
and Mentor will work with you and support
you to create an appropriate pathway for
you.
Our graduate programme currently holds
accreditation with 9 professional institutes.
How do we select?
Applications open in September and can be
submitted online throughout September
and October. Candidates will be invited to
attend an assessment centre, and/or
interview if successful.
Number of graduate vacancies
Our graduate scheme is very wide ranging.
With such a broad range of roles available,
our scheme isn’t restricted by any
specialism so we recruit a significant
number of graduates each year to join our
two year programme.
Number of employees
c 5,500
Core skills required
Communication skills
Initiative
Leadership potential
Problem solving skills
Teamwork skills
UK
300
Babcock International Group
R A N K I N G S
164th In the top 300
www.babcockgraduates.com
More about us
Babcock is a leading engineering services
organisation. Operating in the UK and
internationally, we are trusted to deliver
vital services to the defence, emergency
services and civil nuclear sectors.
“The range of industries
that Babcock is involved
in was really attractive.
There has been a world
of opportunity for me
as a young Engineering
Graduate.”
Stephanie, Engineering
Graduate
Contact
graduates@babcockinternational.com
Type of employer
Leading engineering services provider in the
UK and internationally
Locations
Nationwide
What are our graduate opportunities?
In whatever programme you join, you’ll be
playing a part in some of the most
extraordinary engineering projects in the
world, both nationally and internationally.
Number of employees
Over 35,000
We have many different programmes to
consider across our Engineering, Science,
Business and Project Management
programmes. You can read more about the
programmes we offer and their details on
our website.
Core skills required
Attention to detail
Communication skills
Organisational skills
Problem solving skills
Teamwork skills
How do we select?
The first step is to complete our online
application. If you’re successful, you’ll be
invited to complete some online tests. If you
pass this stage of the process, we’ll invite
you to attend one of our assessment
centres. Some of our programmes may also
involve a face-to-face interview.
170 | UK 300 2019/20
Number of graduate vacancies in 2020
Over 200
ENGINEERING, SCIENCE,
BUSINESS AND PROJECT
MANAGEM ENT GR ADUATES
Working on complex naval projects.
Transforming a nuclear power station.
Championing diversity within the
organisation. The possibilities here
are limitless. But one thing is certain:
you’ll take on some extraordinary
challenges. Challenges that will
require you to bring your whole self to
work. Your intellect and imagination.
Curiosity and creativity. Sense of
humour and spirit of adventure.
Along the way, you’ll work with
brilliant people. And discover
talents you never knew you had.
Babcock. We are what makes you.
7R÷QGRXWPRUHYLVLW
babcockgraduates.com
UK
300
BAE Systems
R A N K I N G S
5th Engineering, design and
manufacturing
35th In the top 300
www.baesystems.com/graduates
More about us
At BAE Systems, our advanced defence
technology protects people and national
security, and keeps critical information and
infrastructure secure. We search for new
ways to provide our customers with a
competitive edge across the air, maritime,
land and cyber domains. We employ a skilled
workforce of 85,800 people in more than 40
countries, and work closely with local
partners to support economic development
by transferring knowledge, skills and
technology.
‘Looking to make a
difference? We’re
looking for you.’
Contact
www.baesystems.com/graduates
Twitter - @BAESGraduates
Facebook - BAE Systems Graduates
Type of employer
Design, engineer and manufacture complex
products to help protect national security
Locations
Multiple across the UK
What are our graduate opportunities?
Our graduate programme combines formal
learning with valuable real-world
experience, giving our graduates the
opportunity to develop in their chosen field
from day one. We place great importance
not only on what we do, but how and why
we do it. Our graduates are supported
throughout the programme with training
and mentoring, enabling them to make the
172 | UK 300 2019/20
very most of their talents and develop a
career where they’ll make a real difference.
Number of employees
85,800
Alongside this, BAE Systems Applied
Intelligence offer a range of early career
positions in Consulting, Engineering and
Project Management. You will be involved in
supporting the delivery of solutions which
help our clients to protect against cyber
threats and enhance their critical assets in
the connected world.
The Finance Leader Development Programme
(FLDP) is our five year fast-track graduate
scheme which seeks to prepare you to
become a Finance Director of the future
within the organisation. Finance underpins
everything we do – so it is vital that we find
and nurture our future finance leaders.
Number of graduate vacancies in 2020
350
How do we select?
Online application at
www.baesystems.com/graduates
Core skills required
Ability to work under pressure
Attention to detail
Commercial awareness
Communication skills
Creativity
Initiative
Leadership potential
Meeting deadlines
Motivation
Organisational skills
Problem solving skills
Teamwork skills
Looking to make a difference?
We’re looking for you
From stealth submarines to supersonic fighter jets, radar technology to
cyber security, we design and build state-of-the-art defence technology
that protects people all over the world.
If you’re looking for opportunities in engineering, project management,
technology and finance, we’re looking for graduates with passion,
commitment and a desire to make a difference.
Apply your talent where it counts.
baesystems.com/graduates
BAE Systems Graduates
@BAESGraduates
UK
300
Baker McKenzie
R A N K I N G S
5th Law – solicitors
94th In the top 300
bakermckenzie.com/londongraduates
More about us
Baker McKenzie is a truly global law firm.
We advise many of the world’s most
dynamic and successful organisations
through our 13,200 people in 78 offices in
46 countries. Yet big does not mean
impersonal. We work hard to ensure that
everyone knows their role and has the
support they need to perform it to the
highest standard. Our culture encourages
this - how we work, think and behave in a
collaborative and fulfilling way.
“If you have a passion
for transactions that span
the whole breadth of the
globe, Baker McKenzie
is the firm for you.”
As a firm, we’re as ambitious as we are
welcoming. We’re committed to creating an
environment in which people can succeed
regardless of your background. We want
you to be empowered to help shape the
future of our firm – and all of our clients.
Lewis Malkin,
Trainee Solicitor
Contact
100 New Bridge Street, London EC4V 6JA
020 7919 1000
London.GraduateRecruit@
bakermckenzie.com
facebook.com/BakerMcKenzieGraduates
Instagram: BakerMckenzie_Londongrad
placements in the Summer. These are open
to students in their penultimate year, final
year and graduates. These schemes provide
an opportunity to spend time in two
departments, undertake skills sessions and
network with partners, associates and
trainee.
Type of employer
Baker McKenzie is a leading global law firm
Training Contracts Our two year training
contract takes place across four six month
seats, where you cover key practice areas.
Corporate is at the heart of Baker McKenzie,
and all trainees complete one rotation in a
transactional area. There are opportunities to
take international and client secondments.
Locations London
What are our graduate opportunities?
We have a number of opportunities:
1st Year Insight Scheme open to all students
in their 1st year of their degree. You will
spend two days with the firm gaining a real
insight into the work that we undertake. You
will attend a number of skills sessions as well
as shadowing a trainees for a day
Vacation Schemes. We offer a two-week
scheme in the Spring and two, three-week
174 | UK 300 2019/20
How do we select?
All our schemes start with an online
application form. If your application is
successful, the process consists of online
tests, a video interview and an assessment
centre. Full details of our application dates
can be found on our website at:
uk-graduates.bakermckenzie.com
Number of employees
Over 13,000 globally
Number of graduate vacancies in 2022
33
Core skills required
Attention to detail
Commercial awareness
Communication skills
Creativity
Initiative
Leadership potential
Meeting deadlines
Motivation
Organisational skills
Problem solving skills
Resilience
Teamwork skills
Take centre stage
across every seat.
You want to be immersed in real challenges. In complex
deals. You love to tackle problems that stretch you. And
you want to work closely with inspirational colleagues,
advising household name clients. You can expect all of
that here. But what really makes us different is the fact
that you’ll be an important part of a close-knit team,
getting exposure to partners and clients alike.
Find out more: uk-graduates.bakermckenzie.com
Get more from law
UK
300
Bank of England
R A N K I N G S
5th Banking, insurance
and financial services
62nd In the top 300
www.bankofenglandearlycareers.co.uk
More about us
The impact of the Bank of England’s work is
uniquely far-reaching. As the country’s
central bank, they promote the good of the
people of the UK by maintaining monetary
and financial stability. The work they do, and
the decisions they make, influences the
daily lives of millions of people.
“I applied to the Bank because of
the influence it has on the UK
Economy as well as the individual
perspective I could gain being so
The Bank’s primary role hasn’t changed for
over 300 years. But the range of work they
do, and the ways in which they deliver it, is
changing all the time. Today it’s changing
quicker than ever before. And their
graduates are a key part of this progress.
centrally involved in UK financial
stability. I wanted something
challenging, interesting, current
and with purpose and I feel that
the Bank offers just that.”
Contact
Early Careers Recruitment Team
Early.careers@bankofengland.co.uk
Successful applicants will find a wide range
of societies, clubs and employee networks
open to them.
Type of employer
Central Bank / Regulation
Wherever they work – from Regulation,
Technology and Policy Analysis to
Economics and Communications – they’ll
take on complex work that they can be
proud of. They’ll tackle projects that support,
shape and challenge the biggest ideas in
the economy. And the work graduates do
will benefit every single person in the UK.
Locations
City of London
What are our graduate opportunities?
Despite the nature of the Bank’s work,
economics is not the only way in. They
welcome graduates from all degree
disciplines, because quality of thinking is
what counts here. Their culture is open and
collaborative, where ideas are shared freely
and people at every level are empowered to
speak up. It is refreshingly diverse too. The
Bank looks for people from all backgrounds,
and individual perspectives are embraced.
176 | UK 300 2019/20
As training is at the heart of the Bank’s
programme, they’ll be able to grow into a
real expert in their field. Equally, the support
is there to explore other parts of the Bank if
they wish. There are many and varied
pathways available. For graduates keen to
broaden their horizons, they’ll have every
opportunity to define their own future as
the Bank itself moves forward.
Number of employees
4,000+
Number of graduate vacancies in 2019
70+
Core skills required
Attention to detail
Commercial awareness
Communication skills
Motivation
Problem solving skills
Teamwork skills
PICTURE WHAT
TOMORROW’S
ECONOMY COULD BE
THEN GUIDE IT
We have one clear aim – to ensure stability at the heart of the UK’s
economy. But there are countless ways in which you could help us
achieve this. From HR and Technology to Economics and Risk, you’ll
be encouraged and supported to follow the path that inspires you the
most. And you’ll enjoy real influence – not just over the projects you’re
involved in, but also over where your future with us goes next.
The Bank of England is changing today. You define tomorrow.
bankofenglandearlycareers.co.uk
UK
300
Barclays
R A N K I N G S
1st Banking, insurance and
financial services
3rd
33rd In the top 300
joinus.barclays
Healthy economies need
innovative banks to help
transform and drive social
progress. At Barclays, we
encourage fresh ideas that
support our communities,
businesses and clients.
Because when they thrive,
we do too. That’s why our
interns and graduates have so
many opportunities to get
involved. To share their big
ideas and to challenge what’s
already been done.
Contact
facebook.com/joinusbarclaysuk
twitter.com/joinusbarclays
instagram.com/joinusbarclaysuk
Type of employer
Barclays is a transatlantic consumer and
wholesale bank with global reach, offering
products and services across personal,
corporate and investment banking, credit
cards and wealth management, with a
strong presence in our two home markets of
the UK and the US.
Locations
London, Glasgow, Northampton, Radbroke
(Knutsford), Europe
What are our graduate opportunities?
We have a range of Graduate, Internship and
Spring opportunities for those seeking
careers in the following: Business Banking,
Corporate Banking, Customer Banking
Solutions, Group Functions (Compliance,
Finance, Human Resources, Internal Audit,
178 | UK 300 2019/20
Investment banking and
investment
More about us
Barclays is a transatlantic consumer,
corporate and investment bank offering
products and services across personal,
corporate and investment banking, credit
cards and wealth management, with a strong
presence in our two home markets of the UK
and the US.
With over 325 years of history and expertise
in banking, Barclays operates in over 40
countries and employs approximately
85,000 people. Barclays moves, lends,
invests and protects money for customers
and clients worldwide.
Graduates and Interns from all degree
backgrounds can expect the best possible
start with us. Collective challenges and
inspiring collaborations will expand your
mind, while ongoing training will turn fledgling
ideas into groundbreaking concepts. All you
need is a commercial outlook, a curious
nature, and the ambition to help Barclays
become the best bank we can be.
Marketing, Operations, Risk, Treasury),
Investment Bank, Technology, Wealth
Number of employees
85,000
How do we select?
Our recruitment process represents a
different way of thinking for our industry.
We’re interested in you as an individual and
how your skills and potential will help us
become the best bank we can be. It focuses
on offering you an innovative and
educational experience – and providing us
with the most objective and fair way to see
the best in our applicants. Through the
process, you’ll gain an insight into working
for Barclays, the skills needed to succeed
and tailored feedback along the way. To
start, all you need is to decide where you
want to apply and register your details (no
CV’s or long applications). You will then be
invited to:
1. Register your interest
2. Business Insight (Stage 1 & 2)
3. Barclays Business Meeting
4. Offer & feedback
Core skills required
Agile learner
Relationship navigator
Team collaborator
Resilient performer
Critical analyst
Numerical interpreter
UK
300
BDO
R A N K I N G S
7th Accounting and financial
management
186th In the top 300
www.bdoearlyincareer.co.uk
More about us
BDO LLP is one of the UK’s largest
accountancy and business advisory firms
providing services to ambitious businesses
within the UK and worldwide.
“Trainees are integral
to our business and our
With more than 4,500 talented people,
generating £590m in UK revenues, we bring
real leadership across the mid-market. We
are a member of BDO International, which has
1,600 offices worldwide, spread across 162
countries. Put simply, we are advisers to
ambitious businesses, providing exceptional
service worldwide through our international
network.
strategy for growth. We
want people to join us
who not only want a job
but also a career.”
Trainees are a huge part of our business
and our plans for growth. We’re looking for
people to join us who are hungry to learn
and inspired to achieve their full potential.
We want people who question how things
work and who want a career, not a job. In
return, we’ll coach and empower you to be
all that you can be.
Paul Eagland,
Managing Partner
Contact
Email: earlyincareer@bdo.co.uk
Twitter: BDO_Trainees_UK
Facebook: fb.me/BDOTraineesUK
Instagram: BDO_UK
Taxation Professional Apprenticeship. BDO is
committed to the government initiative to
increase learning and training through
apprenticeship standards in the accountancy
profession.
Type of employer
Accountancy & Professional Services: Audit,
Tax, Advisory, Business Services &
Outsourcing
How do we select?
We welcome applications from graduates
who have obtained or are expecting to
achieve a 2:2 or above in any degree
discipline, three A levels (excluding General
Studies and Extended Projects), grade A*–C
in Maths & English at GSCE/Scottish
Standards or equivalent. All candidates are
expected to apply online.
Locations
Birmingham, Bristol, Cambridge, Edinburgh,
Gatwick, Glasgow, Guildford, Ipswich, Leeds,
Liverpool, London, Manchester, Norwich,
Nottingham, Reading, Southampton
What are our graduate opportunities?
We offer graduate and internship
programmes specialising in Audit, Tax,
Advisory and Business Services &
Outsourcing.
Our Graduate Programme is formally
recognised as a Level 7 Accountancy/
180 | UK 300 2019/20
Our process comprises an application form,
online tests, video interview and
assessment day.
Our dedicated Early in Career team are
available to support and guide you through
this process. Candidates are advised to
apply early to avoid disappointment.
Number of employees
4,600
Number of graduate vacancies in 2020
300
Core skills required
Commercial awareness
Communication skills
Initiative
Problem solving skills
Teamwork skills
UK
300
Bird & Bird
R A N K I N G S
10th Law – solicitors
126th In the top 300
www.londongraduates.twobirds.com
More about us
We combine exceptional legal expertise with
deep industry knowledge and refreshingly
creative thinking, to help clients achieve
their commercial goals. We have over 1200
lawyers globally in 30 offices across
Europe, North America, the Middle East and
Asia, as well as close ties with firms in other
parts of the world. We focus on the following
sectors: automotive, aviation and defence,
energy and utilities, financial services, life
sciences and healthcare, media,
entertainment and sport, retail and
consumer, technology and communications.
“Bird & Bird stood out
as a firm that would
embrace my interests
and encourage me to
combine them with my
passion for law.”
Contact
12 New Fetter Lane, London EC4A 1JP
Tel: 020 7415 6000
Email: london.graduates@twobirds.com
Website: www.londongraduates.twobirds.com
Linkedin: Bird & Bird LLP
Facebook: Bird & Bird Graduates UK
Twitter: @twobirdsgrads
Snapchat: @twobirdsgrads
Instagram: @twobirdsgrads
Type of employer
Bird & Bird is an international law firm with a
sector-focused approach.
Locations
International and regional offices with
training contracts: Australia, Belgium, Czech
Republic, Hong Kong, Finland, France,
Germany, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Spain,
Sweden, The Netherlands, UK. Please apply
directly to international offices.
182 | UK 300 2019/20
What are our graduate opportunities?
Trainees take on responsibility from day one
and enjoy varied, challenging work for
industry shaping clients.
Trainees spend 6 months in 4 of the
following areas: corporate, commercial,
employment, banking, aviation, tax,
intellectual property, dispute resolution,
real estate.
We recruit the majority of our trainees
through our vacation schemes. These take
place for 2 weeks in June and July each
year.
How do we select?
Online application form, psychometric test,
video interview, assessment centre.
Application deadline: 13th December 2019.
Number of employees
Over 1,200 legal practitioners
Number of graduate vacancies in 2022
18 training contracts per year. Up to 40
vacation scheme placements per year
Core skills required
Commercial awareness
Communication skills
Creativity
Motivation
Teamwork skills
Your diverse talents our expertise inclusive environment innovation
one global team transforming
your future there are law firms there’s
Our vision is to be the number one law firm in the world for organisations
being changed by the digital world or those leading that change
twobirds.com
Abu DhabiAmsterdamBeijingBerlinBratislavaBrusselsBudapestCopenhagenDubaiDusseldorfFrankfurtThe HagueHamburg
HelsinkiHong KongLondonLuxembourgLyonMadridMilanMunichParisPragueRomeSan FranciscoShanghaiSingapore
StockholmSydneyWarsaw
UK
300
BlackRock
R A N K I N G S
7th Investment banking and
investment
71st In the top 300
careers.blackrock.com
More about us
Since 1988, BlackRock’s business has been
investing on behalf of our clients, from large
institutions to parents and grandparents,
doctors and teachers who entrust their
savings to us. We are committed to our
clients—period. Our promise is to offer them
the clearest thinking about what to do with
their money and the products and services
they need to secure a better financial future.
“There’s a place for
you at BlackRock”
Contact
careers.blackrock.com/campusrecruitment
facebook.com/blackrock
linkedin.com/company/blackrock/
twitter.com/blackrock
Type of employer
BlackRock is the world’s largest asset
manager with $6.52 trillion in assets under
management (as of 3/31/19.)
Locations
Athens, Amsterdam, Brussels, Budapest,
Copenhagen, Edinburgh, Frankfurt, Geneva,
London, Madrid, Milan, Munich, Paris,
Vienna, Zurich
What are our graduate opportunities?
Students from around the world come here
to gain real-world experience while making
an impact. Here at BlackRock, you can have
a career that’s exciting, rewarding and full of
possibilities. Whatever your background,
184 | UK 300 2019/20
Being a part of BlackRock means joining a
community of smart, ambitious people.
People who value diversity of thought and
background, who believe everyone has a
voice at the table. No matter what your level,
you’ll be given real responsibility from day
one – and we’ll be looking to you for your
unique perspective to help us challenge the
status quo.
whatever you’re studying – whether it’s
liberal arts, computer science, and anything
in between, there’s a place for you here.
We offer opportunities across Advisory &
Client Services, Analytics & Risk, Corporate
Functions & Operations, Investments,
Relationship Management & Sales, and
Technology.
How do we select?
Apply online to one of our programs,
selecting up to two business areas.
Enter some basic details and upload your
resume. You’ll then receive a virtual cover
letter to complete with 72 hours (or a coding
test to complete within 96 hours for
software engineering roles only).
The interview process consists of first
round interviews followed by a final,
in-person assessment centre.
Number of employees
14,000+ globally
Number of graduate vacancies in 2020
150 in EMEA, 450 globally
Core skills required
Attention to detail
Commercial awareness
Initiative
Motivation
Problem solving skills
Teamwork skills
There’s a place for
you at BlackRock.
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that was focused on clients and risk management, and was driven by data
and technology. Over the years, we’ve evolved from an eight-person start up
into a global company who’s trusted to manage more assets than any other
investment manager.* We’re guided by our purpose of helping more and more
˜—˜” ˜š‘–‹Ğ–‰–‹‘‰”Ÿ””Š‘–ı‰–ŒŸļš”——“‘–Ž—šŽœš”‰Œš›œ—
help us do just that.
We recognize that talent comes in many forms and we value diverse
perspectives. We offer opportunities across Advisory & Client Services,
Analytics & Risk, Corporate Functions & Operations, Investments, Relationship
Management & Sales, and Technology. To learn more about our campus
˜š—š‰•›ı‘–‹”Œ‘–—š ””Š‘•–‰”¡›œı••š–‰”¡›œ‰–Œ˜š‘– –›‘œ
programs, visit us at careers.blackrock.com/campusrecruitment.
*Source: BlackRock. Based on $6.52 trillion in assets under management as of 3/31/19. ©2019 BlackRock, Inc. All rights reserved. BLACKROCK is a registered
trademark of BlackRock in the United States and elsewhere. 259324 - 0619
UK
300
Bloomberg
R A N K I N G S
3rd Banking, insurance and
financial services
7th
IT and technology
43rd In the top 300
bloomberg.com/start
More about us
As a global information and technology
company, Bloomberg use its dynamic
network of data, ideas and analysis to solve
difficult problems every day. Our customers
around the world rely on us to deliver
accurate, real-time business and market
information that helps them make
important financial decisions. At Bloomberg,
we are guided by four core values that are
the foundation of our continued success:
innovation, collaboration, customer service
and doing the right thing.
We work on
Purpose.
Come find yours.
We harness the power of data and
technology to organize, understand and
improve our world.
It’s our purpose. Come find yours.
Type of employer
Financial Technology, Global Data, Analytics
and Sales, Software Engineering, News and
Research, Operations
Locations
Our global footprint reaches 192 offices
across 70+ countries.
What are our graduate opportunities?
Bloomberg offers full time entry level roles
to graduates across a range of business
areas including Analytics & Sales,
Engineering, Global Data, and Operations.
Graduates who join Bloomberg can build and
define their own unique career rather than a
pre-defined path. Bloomberg is proud to
have a dynamic organisation, so all
employees are empowered to have an
impact and are measured by their
contributions. All graduate starters will
participate in team specific training that
continues throughout their career via our
robust career development resources.
186 | UK 300 2019/20
What are our Internship opportunities?
Bloomberg offers internships to provide an
unparalleled combination of learning,
networking, and project responsibilities. This
includes summer and long-term
opportunities in Analytics & Sales,
Engineering, Global Data, News & Research,
and Operations. The internship program aims
to provide first-hand exposure to our business
and unique culture, and is filled with training,
seminars, senior leader speaker series,
philanthropic events and more.
How do we select?
Candidates apply online at
www.bloomberg.com/careers. The interview
process will depend on the business area
they have applied to, but typically involves a
video and/or telephone interview followed
by in person interviews and assessment
days. We hire on a rolling basis, so early
application is advised.
Number of employees
19,000
Core skills required
Collaborative working skills
Problem solving ability
Motivations
Innovative mindset
Inter-personal and communication
skills
Commercial awareness
Ability to work in fast-paced
environment.
UK
300
BMW Group
R A N K I N G S
4th Retail
8th
Engineering, design and
manufacture
56th In the top 300
www.bmwgroup.jobs/uk
More about us
With its three brands BMW, MINI and
Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, the BMW Group is
the world’s leading premium manufacturer
of automobiles and motorcycles and also
provides premium financial and innovative
mobility services.
“BMW Group is the perfect
place to learn and develop
new skills through
the diverse
opportunities on
offer. The ability to
meet encouraging
and passionate
people daily is
extremely motivating.”
The UK plays a key role within the BMW
Group. It is BMW Group’s fourth largest sales
market in the world and the only place
where all three BMW Group’s brands are
represented by manufacturing operations.
As a global leader in our field we are always
looking for passionate graduates interested
in developing their business experience. If
you’re a recent graduate looking to
jumpstart your career, you’re sure to find
exciting and fulfilling opportunities with us.
Matt, Assembly Graduate
Contact
Facebook.com/BMWCareersUK
www.bmwgroup.jobs/uk
Type of employer
BMW Group is the world’s leading
manufacturer of premium automobiles and
motorcycles.
Locations
Birmingham
Farnborough
Goodwood
Oxford
Swindon
What are our graduate opportunities?
We offer a 24-month UK Graduate
Programme and our 18-month Global Leader
Development Programme. Both will enable
you to strengthen your profile through
various assignments and invaluable
development opportunities.
188 | UK 300 2019/20
We typically recruit into Engineering,
Manufacturing, Finance, IT, Logistics,
Sales, Aftersales, Marketing and HR,
across our three brands, BMW, MINI and
Rolls-Royce Motor Cars.
Number of employees
Over 130,000 worldwide, including 8,000 in
the UK
How do we select?
The first stage of the process is to complete
the online application form via our website.
Once we have reviewed this and you have
met our screening criteria, we will send you
online tests to complete. If you successfully
pass the online tests we will schedule a
telephone or video interview. The final stage,
if you are selected to attend, will be our
one-day assessment centre.
Core skills required
Ability to work under pressure
Communication skills
Leadership potential
Motivation
Teamwork skills
Number of graduate vacancies in 2020
20–30
UK
300
British Airways
R A N K I N G S
1st Logistics, transport and
supply chain
2nd
careers.ba.com/emerging-talent
with the world and the
world with Britain like
no one else. And we’ll
help you start getting
Your future is out there waiting to be
explored. Ready to be part of our new
generation?
somewhere.
Type of employer
Aviation, Travel, Tourism, Air-Transport,
Hospitality, Customer Service
Locations
Heathrow, London
What are our graduate opportunities?
Our graduate programmes include:
Commercial, Finance, Logistics, Future
Leaders, Analysts, Operational Research, as
well as offering Head Office Business
Placements.
How do we select?
You’ll need to complete your initial
application online. If you’re successful at
the application stage, you’ll be invited to
take part in the next stage of the
assessment process, which may include
online ability tests and a video interview.
The next stage will be an immersive
assessment centre and this will include an
interview, group discussion and workrelated exercises.
190 | UK 300 2019/20
13th In the top 300
More about us
We make adventures happen. Inspire others
to dream. Our red, white and blue has
always ignited in people a desire to get
somewhere. Start your career with BA and
you’ll see that the opportunities really are
endless. Connections. Relationships.
Knowledge. Different points of view. This is
what makes our world go around. And it’s
what can make yours expand. Because you
don’t know how far you’ve travelled until
you’ve arrived. One community, united in
its diversity. That’s just how we’re made.
Help us connect Britain
Contact
careers.ba.com/emerging-talent
linkedin.com/company/British-Airways
youtube.com/FlyBritishAirways
Engineering, design and
manufacture
Number of employees
45,000
Number of graduate vacancies in 2020
60
Core skills required
Commercial awareness
Creativity
Initiative
Leadership potential
Problem solving skills
HOW FAR WILL YOU GO?
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Airways. Embracing our network, building relationships, gaining knowledge
and perspectives that can make our world that much smaller.
And yours so much bigger.
So, if you’ve got a head full of ideas and a heart full of passion, come and
explore them with us. It’s time you started getting somewhere.
careers.ba.com/emerging-talent
UK
300
British Army
R A N K I N G S
65th In the top 300
britishar.my/UK300
“Before joining I studied Ancient
History at the University of
Nottingham alongside managing
a business I founded in 2012. I
decided to join the British Army in
search of a more fulfilling career.
I joined my regiment in 2017, after
finishing my training, to command a
platoon of infantry soldiers and four
armoured-fighting vehicles. Since
arriving, I’ve taken part in exercises
and Adventurous Training in the UK
and in Brunei, Cyprus and France.
I’ve also had the opportunity to play
rugby for my regiment.”
Sam, Infantry Platoon Commander,
Infantry
Contact
For more information call 0345 600 8080,
search ‘Army Officer’ or visit our social
channels:
facebook.com/armyjobs
youtube.com/armyjobs
twitter.com/armyjobs
linkedin.com/company/british-army
Type of employer
Armed Forces
Locations
Nationwide
What are our graduate opportunities?
Your Army career starts at the Royal Military
Academy Sandhurst where you’ll learn the
skills you need to become an Officer. Once
you’ve commissioned, you’ll take charge of
192 | UK 300 2019/20
More about us
Be the one others turn to. Be responsible.
Be trusted with the safety of the nation.
Become a British Army Officer, and you’ll be
doing something that really matters.
Leading a team. Making a difference to the
world. You’ll also enjoy a wide range of
benefits that come with Army life, from
sports and state-of-the-art training
facilities, to earning valuable professional
qualifications.
The rewards are exceptional, the challenge
is incredible and there’s no single bigger
adventure in life. To make a difference to the
world. To make something more of yourself.
Your Army needs leaders. Your Army needs
you.
Find where you belong.
30 soldiers. Then, you’ll begin the specialist
training you need to be an expert in your
chosen field, whether that’s engineering,
intelligence gathering, or piloting an Apache
helicopter. All while you’re earning a starting
salary of around £32,800 (after training).
How do we select?
Applications are open to graduates of any
degree discipline. Applicants will complete
an online application and medical
questionnaire, and provided they are
eligible, will then be invited to attend an
interview with a recruiter. Applicants will
then need to take part in a full medical to
ensure they are physically fit and then will
be invited to attend the Army Officer
Selection Board, at Westbury.
Number of employees
30,000
Number of graduate vacancies in 2020
650+
Core skills required
Ability to work under pressure
Communication skills
Leadership potential
Motivation
Teamwork skills
YOUR ARM Y NEEDS YOU
YOUR ARMY NEEDS LEADERS.
The chance to do something that matters. Make your family proud as you make
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ARMY OFFICER
UK
300
Browne Jacobson LLP
R A N K I N G S
260th In the top 300
www.brownejacobson.com/careers
“It’s very nonhierarchical with an
open-plan office
making it easy to
seek advice or
supervision as
necessary.
Everyone is very
supportive of
trainees and keen to
help you succeed.”
Contact
Email:
traineeapplications@brownejacobson.com
Telephone: 0808 1789064
Type of employer
We are a full service national law firm
Locations
Birmingham, Exeter, London, Manchester
and Nottingham
What are our graduate opportunities?
We offer training contracts across all office
locations. As a trainee you will spend four
periods of six months in some of the
principle areas of the firm, gaining an
overview of the practice. You’ll get great
training, a friendly and supportive working
environment and real career opportunities.
You will also be given quality work and
exposure to clients from early on, but will be
194 | UK 300 2019/20
More about us
We offer a comprehensive range of quality
legal services, with expertise across a
number of key private and public sector
specialisms including retail, technology,
financial services, education, health, local
and central government, brands,
international and insurance. We have an
impressive client portfolio, including blue
chip corporates, local and owner managed
businesses, NHS Trusts, major insurers,
education and public sector organisations.
We have delivered consecutive organic
growth over the last ten years which is a
testament to a successful sector strategy,
our commitment to invest in people and
infrastructure and an ability to develop long
term client relationships based on trust and
a true partnership approach.
supported in achieving results and
recognised for your contribution.
Number of employees
1,004
We also run a 2 week summer vacation
scheme which typically begins in the last
week of June. This scheme is ideally suited
to individuals who are looking to gain
experience and secure a training contract.
You will be given the opportunity to
undertake real work as well as learn more
about the legal departments and the firm
through interaction with our lawyers and
trainees.
Number of graduate vacancies in 2022
12
How do we select?
Our selection process involves the following
stages:
• Online application form
• Online psychometric tests
• Telephone interview
• Assessment centre
Core skills required
Ability to work under pressure
Attention to detail
Commercial awareness
Communication skills
Initiative
Meeting deadlines
Motivation
Organisational skills
Problem solving skills
Teamwork skills
UK
300
BT
R A N K I N G S
10th Consulting
97th In the top 300
www.btplc.com/Careercentre/earlycareers
More about us
From broadband and TV to mobile, we’re
driven by the exhilaration of creating an
ever-growing range of services that help our
customers get more out of life.
Wide-ranging roles,
fantastic training and
Our history is all about shaping the future
with ground breaking ideas. Today we have a
presence in all the worlds innovation
hotspots and are the No.1 UK ICT sector
investor in R&D.
reward, the opportunity
to bring ideas to life...
We’re working on projects that manage
complex global supply chains and help
provide rapid assistance to motorists in an
emergency - as well as being the official
technology partner to Williams Martini
racing.
graduates can achieve
brilliant careers at BT.
If you share our passion for ideas and
putting customers at the heart of
everything we do, we’ll invest in your future
too.
Contact
www.btplc.com/Careercentre/earlycareers
Type of employer
Global Communication Services company
Locations
Nationwide
What are our graduate opportunities?
We have a range of opportunities available
across our business units. From Technical
Sales or Project Management to HR or roles
in Software and Network engineering, there
is much more to BT than you might expect.
Our graduates work on real projects, with
immediate responsibility. Our graduate
programme focuses on developing talented
specialists to help create meaningful and
successful careers across the world of
business and technology.
How do we select?
Our application process starts with a short
application form and CV upload, plus an
online strengths questionnaire - so we can
get to know if we’re a match for each other.
Stage 2 is a digital interview, either a Skype
or a video interview depending on the role
that you applied to. Our final stage is an
assessment centre which is bespoke to role
type and BT.
196 | UK 300 2019/20
Number of employees
Over 80,000 in the UK and Ireland
Number of graduate vacancies in 2020
250+
Core skills required
Commercial awareness
Communication skills
Creativity
Initiative
Leadership potential
Meeting deadlines
Motivation
Problem solving skills
Teamwork skills
UK
300
Burges Salmon
R A N K I N G S
207th In the top 300
www.burges-salmon.com
More about us
Burges Salmon is the independent UK law
firm which delivers the best mix of advice,
service and value. We pride ourselves on
delivering an excellent standard of legal and
business advice to our clients, which has
led to many of our practice areas and
sectors winning awards and recognition as
best in class. Our national and international
client base ranges from private individuals
to government departments and FTSE 100
companies including The Crown Estate,
Nationwide, Lloyds Banking Group, John
Lewis, The Nuclear Decommissioning
Authority, FirstGroup and the Crown
Commercial Service.
“It’s the way we
work that makes
us different”
The quality of the firm’s expertise is widely
recognised across its main departments
including banking and finance, commercial,
corporate, dispute resolution, employment,
private client, projects and real estate.
Contact
Anna Dixon
Resourcing Specialist (Trainee &
Apprentice)
0117 307 6938
anna.dixon@burges-salmon.com
Type of employer
Commercial law firm
Locations
Bristol, Edinburgh, London
What are our graduate opportunities?
We are looking to recruit 22 trainee
solicitors to commence their training
contract in 2022. There are also
opportunities to secure a place on one of
our four vacation schemes, offering the
opportunity to spend time at the firm,
attend skills sessions and presentations
and get to know the current trainees and
solicitors.
How do we select?
Online application forms are available from
1 October 2019 via the trainee solicitors
section of the website (www.burgessalmon.com/careers).
• Winter vacation scheme deadline
31 October 2019
• Spring;/summer vacation scheme
deadline 10 January 2020
• Training contract deadline 26 June 2020
198 | UK 300 2019/20
Number of employees
750+
Number of graduate vacancies in 2022
22
Core skills required
Ability to work under pressure
Commercial awareness
Communication skills
Leadership potential
Motivation
SUPPORT AND
EMPOWERMENT
Our supportive team culture will
encourage you to achieve your ambitions.
We share success here.
See where we can take you at Burges Salmon.
www.burges-salmon.com/careers/
Burges Salmon LLP is an equal opportunities employer. No agencies please.
Burges Salmon, One Glass Wharf, Bristol BS2 0ZX
UK
300
Capital One
R A N K I N G S
8th Banking, insurance and
financial services
108th In the top 300
www.capitalonecareers.co.uk/early-careers
More about us
We issued our very first credit card way
back in 1996 and have since grown to
become one of the UK’s top ten card
providers.
Capital One is full of smart,
driven people with heart who
are working together to develop
the next big things for the
financial services industry. We
offer graduates a fantastic
opportunity to kick-start their
career in a company
recognised by Glassdoor as
one of the Best Places to Work
in the UK 2018.
Contact
Trent House, Station Street,
Nottingham, NG2 3HX
ukgraduaterecruitment@capitalone.com
@IAmCapitalOne
Type of employer
UK top 10 credit card provider
Locations
Nottingham, London
200 | UK 300 2019/20
Our business is about helping people
succeed with credit – from innovative tools
like our QuickCheck eligibility checker, to the
way we’re driving positive change across
the finance industry. It’s no wonder we’re
the only card provider with a 4-star rated
credit card from Fairbanking.
What are our graduate opportunities?
We’re looking for graduates to join us in
Nottingham and London in a number of key
roles including; Strategy Analysts, Software
Academy, Data Analysts, Data Scientists,
Finance Analysts, Operations & Risk
programmes or Brand & Design roles.
How do we select?
It’s easy to start your application; no long
forms or giving us your life history, just
upload your CV and we’ll get you started.
Complete a short online assessment and a
video interview before attending an
assessment day and final interview.
Number of employees
1,500 (UK), 40,000 (global)
Number of graduate vacancies in 2020
50 graduate roles and 30 intern roles
Core skills required
Commercial awareness
Communication skills
Initiative
Problem solving skills
Teamwork skills
UK
300
Cisco
R A N K I N G S
96th In the top 300
Cisco.com/Careers
More about us
#WeAreCisco, where each person is unique,
but we bring our talents to work as a team
and make a difference. Here’s how we do it.
“Working at Cisco has provided not
only countless opportunities, but an
environment in which I can test
myself and develop my career. The
technology makes a difference not
only to our customers, but also their
customers and having the pleasure of
working on projects that have an
impact in all areas of life is truly
rewarding. As a graduate Cisco invest
significant time and resource to help
us grow and maximize our potential,
and is an incredible start to anyone’s
career. I can’t wait to see what the
rest of my career at Cisco has in store
for me!”
Jake Roberts, Previous Sales
Graduate
Contact
Rajaveed@Cisco.com
Cisco.com/careers
Twitter.com/WeAreCisco
Instagram.com/WeAreCisco
Type of employer
IT/Software
Locations
Bedfont Lakes, Uxbridge, Reading, and
Harpenden
We embrace digital, and help our customers
implement change in their digital
businesses. Some may think we’re “old” (30
years strong!) and only about hardware, but
we’re also a software company. And a
security company. A blockchain company.
An AI/Machine Learning company. We even
invented an intuitive network that adapts,
predicts, learns and protects. No other
company can do what we do – you can’t put
us in a box!
What are our graduate opportunities?
We’re looking for people who take smart
risks, thrive in diverse environments,
inspire their colleagues and are committed
to having an impact on the world. We have
the following opportunities
• Graduate Solutions Engineer
• Graduate Sales Representatives
• Graduate Network Consulting Engineer
• Graduate Security Engineers
• Graduate Software Engineers
• Graduate Project Manager Specialists
• Graduate Business Analysts
• Graduate Test Engineer
• Graduate Marketing Specialists
• Graduate IT Analyst
How do we select?
Online application, followed by a phone or
digital interview, second interview and /or
assessment centre, group exercises and
presentations.
202 | UK 300 2019/20
Number of employees
70,000+ globally
Number of graduate vacancies in 2020
120 (UK)
Core skills required
Technology Passion
Ability to work under pressure
Attention to detail
Commercial awareness
Communication skills
Creativity
Initiative
Leadership potential
Meeting deadlines
Motivation
Organisational skills
Problem solving skills
Teamwork skills
Passion for sales
Be You,
With Us
#WeAreCisco
Engineering | Customer Experience | Sales
Corporate Functions | HR | Legal | IT
Marketing | Supply Chain | Operations
cisco.com/careers
Follow @WeAreCisco
UK
300
Clifford Chance LLP
R A N K I N G S
1st Law – solicitors
57th In the top 300
careers.cliffordchance.com/ukgrads
More about us
We’re a leading global corporate law firm.
But we’re not a typical one. Far from it. Life
here means doing the best work for
exceptional clients while being yourself. We
look for individuals, not for ‘typical lawyers’.
We’re focused, but we know how to have
fun. And we collaborate. At every level.
Which makes this a brilliant place to learn.
To find your feet quickly. To get ahead.
Where bright
minds meet.
So, are you ready?
We offer legal expertise across a broad
spectrum of commercial issues. And we
have a diverse mix of clients. They include
everyone from governments, regulators and
trade bodies through to big corporates,
global banks and not-for-profit
organisations.
Contact
Twitter: @CCGradsUK
Facebook: @CliffordChanceGrads
LinkedIn: /company/clifford-chance-llp
Instagram: @cliffordchancecareers
YouTube: /user/CliffordChanceGrads
graduate.recruitment@cliffordchance.com
020 7006 4005
Type of employer
We’re a leading global corporate law firm.
Locations
We work in major financial centres across
the Americas, Asia Pacific, Europe, the
Middle East and Africa.
What are our graduate opportunities?
One of the ways you can show us you have
what it takes is to experience life here
before you apply for your Training Contract.
Take a look at our website to explore our
different programmes for students – they
range from Open Days through to summer
schemes and virtual events.
204 | UK 300 2019/20
You don’t need a law degree to join us.
(About half of our trainees come from nonlaw backgrounds.) What matters is that
you’re resilient, curious, creative and open
to new challenges. You’re someone who
loves to learn. A great problem solver. A
smart thinker. You’re commercially-savvy,
solutions-oriented and up for working as
part of a close-knit team.
How do we select?
You’ll first complete an online application
form followed by a Watson Glaser Critical
Thinking test. If you pass the test your
application will be reviewed against our core
competencies. Screening of the application
forms is handled with great professionalism
and we consider each and every application
carefully. We’re proud to be the first firm to
adopt contextual recruitment within our
selection process. Top performing candidates
will be invited to an assessment day. On the
assessment day, you’ll complete two CV-
blind interviews with our committed team of
partners and associates. We are proud to
have been the first firm to introduce CV-blind
interviewing. The first of your two interviews
is competency-based. The second is case
study-based, with preparation time
immediately beforehand. Our interview
process is designed to enable you to
demonstrate your skills, unique experiences
and personality.
Number of employees
6,278
Number of graduate vacancies in 2022
90-100 (Training Contracts)
Core skills required
Attention to detail
Commercial awareness
Communication skills
Motivation
Problem solving skills
WHERE
W
DY
YNAMIC
C
MIN
NDS
MEET
OPPORTUNIT
TIES FOR
STUDENTS AND GRADUATES
Life with us doesn’t mean joiniing just another corporate law firm.
Because yes, we’re big with prestigious clients, but we’re also
o
down to earth. We’re commercial, but approachable. We’ll givve you
the training you need to find yo
our feet, but also the responsibiility
you need to tackle complex work quickly. As an elite, global la
aw
firm, we work on high profile deals.
d
But our culture isn’t elitist.
It’s anything but. In our inclusivve environment, what counts is your
potential – not what or where you’ve
y
studied.
So, are you ready?
Lear n more at careers.cliffordchance.com/ukgrads
d
Follow us:
@CCGradsUK
/CliffordChanceGrads
/company/clifford-chance
e-llp
@cliffordchancecareers
/user/CliffordChanceGrad
ds
UK
300
Clyde & Co LLP
R A N K I N G S
149th In the top 300
www.clydecograduates.com
More about us
Clyde & Co is a leading, sector-focused
global law firm with 440 partners, 1,800
lawyers, 2,500 legal professionals, and
4,000 staff in over 50 offices and
associated offices worldwide. The firm
specialises in the sectors that move, build
and power our connected world and the
insurance that underpins it, namely:
transport, infrastructure, energy, trade &
commodities and insurance. With a strong
focus on developed and emerging markets,
the firm has achieved compound average
annual revenue growth of 13% over the last
ten years, making it one of the fastest
growing law firms in the world with
ambitious plans for further growth.
“Clyde & Co is an
international law
firm which sets
itself apart by
truly investing in
its people.”
Trainee
Contact
graduaterecruitment@clydeco.com
www.clydecograduates.com
@clydecograds
020 7301 5898
Type of employer
A leading global full service law firm
Locations
London, Manchester, Newcastle, Oxford,
Guilford, Leeds, Edinburgh, Aberdeen,
Dundee, Glasgow, Bristol
Plus various International offices
What are our graduate opportunities?
London: Bright Futures Programme
(December 2019) aimed at 1st year law and
penultimate year non – law; Spring Vacation
Scheme 2020 (2 weeks) March/April 2020;
2 x London Summer Vacation Schemes
(2 weeks), June Scheme & July Scheme
2020; Various Open Days throughout 2020.
206 | UK 300 2019/20
Manchester: Summer Vacation Scheme
(2 weeks) July 2020.
Number of employees
4,000
Application: 01.10.2019–05.01.2020,
applications screened on a rolling basis.
Number of graduate vacancies in 2022
Up to 35
We are also open for direct training contract
applications.
Dubai: Summer scheme (2 weeks )
July 2020.
How do we select?
All applications are screened by a member
of the graduate team and those successful
will be invited to an assessment centre for
our vacation schemes. This will consist of a
written exercise, group discussion and
interview. Those applying to the Bright
Futures Programme undertake a telephone
interview with a member of the graduate
team.
Core skills required
Ability to work under pressure
Attention to detail
Commercial awareness
Communication skills
Creativity
Initiative
Leadership potential
Meeting deadlines
Motivation
Organisational skills
Problem solving skills
Teamwork skills
BECOME THE
NEXT CLYDE & CO
GENERATION
TO FIND OUT MORE
FOLLOW US ON
C LY D E C O . C O M
Join an ambitious
global law firm.
Use your personal
drive and life
experiences to
thrive in one of
the fastest growing
UK based firms.
UK
300
CMS
R A N K I N G S
173rd In the top 300
www.cmsearlytalent.com
CMS is a future facing, global
law firm well equipped to help
clients confront challenges and
seize opportunities with
confidence. CMS put the
interests of clients at the heart
of everything they do across
their 70+ offices in 40+
countries in the UK, Europe, the
Middle East, Asia and South
America. With more than 1,000
partners and 4,500 lawyers,
CMS work in cross-border
teams to deliver top quality,
practical advice no matter how
complex the situation.
Contact earlytalentacquisition@cmscmno.com
Type of employer Law
Office locations
Aberdeen, Bristol, Edinburgh, Glasgow,
London, Manchester, Reading, Sheffield and
many other global locations.
What are our graduate opportunities?
The CMS Academy is CMS’s next generation
vacation scheme starting with innovative
leadership development training in London.
This comprises panel discussions with
clients, case studies, work simulation
exercises and client visits amongst other
things. It is an intense but fully rewarding
week where you will experience first-hand
the commitment from the firm to make you
the best lawyer for the future.
The second part of the programme includes
an internship within one of our UK offices.
Participants gain real experience in a
208 | UK 300 2019/20
More about us
The firm is recognised for its sector
excellence and focus in consumer products;
energy; financial services; hotels & leisure,
infrastructure & project finance; life
sciences & healthcare; real estate; and
technology, media & communications. Their
legal expertise is therefore matched by real
world, commercial understanding of the
markets in which their clients operate.
As a future facing firm, they embrace
technology and are committed to new ideas
that challenge conventional ways of doing
things if a better solution for clients can be
found. Their aim is to anticipate and create
sustainable and rewarding futures for their
clients, people, and communities.
commercial environment and develop skills
needed to succeed as a trainee solicitor at a
future facing law firm. A supervisor and
trainee buddy will be your main point of
contact and will provide high quality work
which will give you an accurate insight into
the work of a trainee solicitor.
After completing the programme, successful
candidates will be offered a Training Contract.
Upon starting, trainees complete a
comprehensive induction programme. During
the training contract, trainees undertake four
six-month seats across various practice
areas. There may be an opportunity to be
seconded to one of the firm’s clients or to a
UK or international office.
The CMS Academy is currently the main
route to securing a Training Contract.
How do we select?
Online application via
www.cmsearlytalent.com.
Number of employees
>8,000
Number of graduate vacancies in 2021 &
2022
65+
Core skills required
Ability to work under pressure
Attention to detail
Commercial awareness
Communication skills
Creativity
Initiative
Leadership potential
Meeting deadlines
Motivation
Organisational skills
Problem-solving skills
Teamwork skills
Your World First
The Future-Facing
Law Firm for
your career!
At CMS, we anticipate and create sustainable and rewarding
futures for our clients, our people and our communities.
We are committed to giving all our talent inspiring work,
genuine recognition and exceptional learning opportunities.
You will experience a dynamic, empowering and inclusive
culture, underpinned by trust and respect.
cmsearlytalent
CMSEarlyTalent
We offer the very best start to your career with our award
winning Early Talent programmes. For further information
and to apply to these, please visit cmsearlytalent.com.
CMS UK Early Talent
CMS UK Early Talent
UK
300
Credit Suisse
R A N K I N G S
10th Investment banking and
investment
100th In the top 300
credit-suisse.com/careers
More about us
Credit Suisse is a leading global wealth
manager with strong investment banking
capabilities. Headquartered in Zurich,
Switzerland, we have a global reach with
operations in about 50 countries and
employ more than 45,000 people from over
150 different nations. Embodying
entrepreneurial spirit, Credit Suisse delivers
holistic financial solutions to our clients,
including innovative products and specially
tailored advice. Striving for quality and
excellence in our work, we recognize and
reward extraordinary performance among
our employees, provide wide-ranging
training and development opportunities,
and benefit from a diverse range of
perspectives to create value for our clients,
shareholders and communities. We are
Credit Suisse.
Take the next
step with
Credit Suisse
Type of employer
A leading global wealth manager with strong
investment banking capabilities.
Locations
London, Dublin, Paris, Milan, Madrid
Frankfurt, Moscow, Istanbul, Doha, Dubai
and other worldwide locations.
What are our graduate opportunities?
We offer internship and graduate
opportunities in our Investment Banking
and Capital Markets, Global Markets,
Technology and International Wealth
Management Divisions.
•
•
•
•
Spring Insight: 2022 Graduates
Summer Internship: 2021 Graduates
Final Year Internship: 2020 Graduates
Full-time Program: 2020 Graduates
210 | UK 300 2019/20
Our programs give you the chance to make
a difference from day one, and provide
world-class training and support to help you
to develop into a future leader.
Number of employees
45,000
How do we select?
We look for people with a wide range of
experiences, interests and degrees who will
add fresh perspectives to our business.
Candidates should apply online with CV and
cover letter and are required to take
numerical and verbal reasoning online tests.
Successful candidates will be invited to
interview and assessment centres.
Core skills required
Ability to work under pressure
Communication skills
Leadership potential
Problem solving skills
Teamwork skills
Number of graduate vacancies in 2020
100+
UK
300
DAC Beachcroft
R A N K I N G S
278th In the top 300
www.dacbeachcroft.com
More about us
DAC Beachcroft is a leading international law
business with over 2,500 people working
across the UK, Europe, Asia Pacific and Latin
America. Our lawyers advise many types of
businesses and other organisations. We’re
recognised as market-leaders in Insurance,
Health and Real Estate, but we also work in
a wide range of other sectors. We’re proud of
our inclusive and supportive environment
which helps colleagues to build varied and
interesting careers. Our approach is
collaborative, creative and challenging – in
other words, we offer an environment that
enables you to succeed and make the most
of your individual potential.
‘The best thing about a
Training Contract at
DAC Beachcroft is the
supportive culture, world
class training and some
fun along the way.’
Sue Jenkins, Talent Partner
& Training Principal
Contact
Richard Boyce (Head of Recruitment),
0117 918 2681
rboyce@dacbeachcroft.com
Type of employer
A leading international law business
Locations
London, Bristol, Leeds, Manchester
What are our graduate opportunities?
Our future leaders need both technical and
leadership skills, so our Training Contract
route combines technical and personal
development. During the two-year
programme, you will have the opportunity to
work with market-leading professionals and
clients across a range of sectors. You’ll gain
early exposure to interesting and
challenging work with support from highly
experienced supervisors.
How do we select?
Applications will open in early October 2019
and will close at the end of January 2020.
Candidates will be assessed via their online
application as well as through an online
assessment. Final stage assessment
centres, including for the vacation scheme,
will be held in Spring 2020.
212 | UK 300 2019/20
Number of employees
2,500
Number of graduate vacancies in 2022
20 per year
Core skills required
Commercial awareness
Creativity
Leadership potential
Problem solving skills
Teamwork skills
DEALS THAT DRIVE YOU.
LEADERS WHO BELIEVE IN YOU.
A career at DAC Beachcroft is exactly that, not
merely a job or a springboard. That’s because
we believe our people make us who we are,
and so we’re passionate about giving them the
exposure and support they need to bring out
their best. That’s what makes people join us.
That’s what makes them stay.
Find out more at: dacbeachcroft.com/careers
A LIFE THAT WORKS
UK
300
Danone
R A N K I N G S
145th In the top 300
www.danone.com
More about us
For over 100 years, a unique purpose to
bring health through food to as many people
as possible, has inspired Danone’s world
leading brands such as Evian, Activia, Alpro,
Cow&Gate and Nutricia. Today, this purpose
unites 100,000 Danone employees around
the world who work to build the future
strategy of the business together.
‘’Danone, one planet. One health is
our vision that speaks directly to
the generation of people around
the world who are looking to
reclaim sovereignty over what
they eat and drink — the food
generation. It drives our strategic
decisions to deliver the healthier,
more sustainably produced food
and drink choices that people
have come to expect from us.”
We believe food plays a fundamental role in
development and well-being for everyone.
We’re committed to using our product
categories to make people healthier in every
way and at every stage of life, from
promoting a balanced diet to delivering
specific, targeted health benefits.
Emmanuel Faber, Chairman & CEO
Contact
Twitter: @Danone
Facebook: Danone
Instagram: DanoneCareersuk
LinkedIn: Danone
Type of employer
A leading global food & beverage company.
Locations
London, Trowbridge & UK Field based
What are our graduate opportunities?
On our Graduate Programmes, Commercial:
Marketing & Sales or Nutrition, you will
complete two 12 months rotations across
our businesses, developing a breadth of
skills and experience with world class
brands, whilst being given the ability to
make a real impact from Day 1. Danone was
built on the pioneering spirit of its founders
and we are looking for this spirit in our
grads to help us contribute to a healthier
world.
How do we select?
• Online Application
• Online Testing
• Video Interview
• Assessment Centre
214 | UK 300 2019/20
Number of employees
100,000
Core skills required
Communication skills
Creativity
Leadership potential
Problem solving skills
Teamwork skills
TO FIND OUT MORE AND APPLY VISIT:
WWW.DANONE.CO.UK/GRADUATES
/DANONEUKGRADUATES
/DANONECAREERSUK
DO YOU WANT TO...
BUILD POWERFUL BRANDS?
WORK WITH INSPIRING CUSTOMERS AND CONSUMERS?
HAVE A REAL IMPACT FROM DAY ONE AND
CONTINUALLY GROW AND DEVELOP?
Kick start your career
WITH THE DANONE GRADUATE PROGRAMME
Applications now open for
Commercial (Marketing & Sales)
and Nutrition Programmes
APPLICATIONS
now open
UK
300
Deloitte
R A N K I N G S
2nd Accounting and financial
management
2nd
Consulting
16th In the top 300
deloitte.co.uk/careers
More about us
Deloitte is a business that doesn’t just
recognise your need to remain curious, but
fully embraces it. Here, you’ll follow a career
path that enables you to be true to yourself.
To dream bigger, think creatively and deliver
real impact. Deloitte is reshaping both the
business and technology landscape. From
Human Capital, Tax Consulting and Legal to
Technology and Cyber. We’re delivering endto-end improvement programmes, turning
disruption into opportunity, and redesigning
the art of Audit through automation – you
could be part of it.
Looking for a career full
of challenges, learning
and progression?
Driven by curiosity?
Then Deloitte could be
right for you.
Contact
FB: DeloitteCareersUK
Twitter: @DeloitteCareers
Insta: @DeloitteCareersUK
YouTube: DeloitteCareersUK
Type of employer
Consulting, Finance, Legal, Technology,
Professional Services
Locations
Deloitte has 29 offices across the UK and
Northern Ireland, including Aberdeen, Cardiff,
Channel Islands, Gatwick, London,
Manchester, Reading, St. Albans and many
more. Whichever location you choose you
can be sure of joining a business that is both
local and global, with networks, connections
and values that reach right across the world.
What are our graduate opportunities?
It’s not your background or experience that
matters most; it’s your mind, and how you’ll
use it to make an impact for clients, as well
216 | UK 300 2019/20
as your own career. We have opportunities
across our entire business, so whatever
your passion is you’ll find something that’s
right for you.
• Audit & Assurance
• Business & Financial Advisory
• Cyber
• Governance, Risk & Regulation
• Human Capital
• Legal
• Real Estate
• Strategy & Operations
• Tax Consulting
• Technology
How do we select?
For full details of our application process
check out our website. A few tips: do your
research, read the job descriptions carefully
and apply your knowledge to the role and,
most importantly, be yourself and show us
who you really are.
Number of employees
15,000+
Number of graduate vacancies in 2020
1,000+
Core skills required
Communication skills
Team work skills
Problem solving skills
Relationship building skills
Inclusive and respectful working style
Results driven
Multi-tasking skills
Thirst for knowledge
Where are solutions
before they’re found?
Welcome to the home of the curious.
A place for those who know that imagination,
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across all industries, to those who are true
to themselves. Those who set no limits to
their dreams and ambitions.
deloitte.co.uk/careers
What impact will you make?
UK
300
Deutsche Bank
R A N K I N G S
6th Investment banking and
investment
68th In the top 300
db.com/careers
Contact
facebook.com/DeutscheBankCareers
@careersDB (Twitter)
linkedin.com/company/deutsche-bank
youtube.com/user/DEUTSCHEBANKGROUP
@deutschebank (Instagram)
Type of employer
Deutsche Bank is Germany’s leading bank
with international reach.
Locations
London
What are our graduate opportunities?
Our programme is designed to equip you
with the skills and knowledge you need to
immediately add value and contribute to
meeting the needs of our world-class
clients. You’ll join your global classmates
across all business areas for orientation
where you’ll hear directly from executive
board members regarding the future of the
218 | UK 300 2019/20
“With us, you’ll find a
structured programme
with premium training
built around you. You’ll
work alongside senior
leaders, on projects that
reflect your interests,
and enjoy client and
global exposure from day
one. Show us brilliant
thinking and we’ll put it
into action.”
More about us
Deutsche Bank is Germany’s leading bank
with strong market positions in Europe and
significant presence in the Americas and
the Asia-Pacific. We’re driving growth
through our strong client franchise.
Investing heavily in digital technologies,
prioritising long term success over shortterm gains, and serving society with
ambition and integrity. We serve our clients’
real economic needs in commercial and
investment banking, retail banking and
transaction banking, and provide groundbreaking products and services in asset
and wealth management. That means a
career packed with opportunities to grow
and the chance to shape the future of our
clients.
bank. Following this, best-in-class product
trainers will give you an unrivalled
introduction to our business and the
industry. You’ll build a broad knowledge
base and hone your skills through
immersive classroom and online modules
that are built around you, preparing you for
a thriving career where you can make a
difference at Deutsche Bank.
Number of employees
Nearly 100,000 globally
How do we select?
Deutsche Bank recruits on-campus for
graduate opportunities across the globe.
However, we also accept applications from
universities where we don’t have an oncampus presence. To be considered for a
role, everyone has to submit an online
application. The recruitment process
consists of two rounds of interviews before
final decisions are made. In some regions,
you’ll also be asked to take part in
assessment tests.
Number of graduate vacancies in 2020
100+
Core skills required
Ability to work under pressure
Commercial awareness
Initiative
Motivation
Problem solving skills
Deutsche Bank
db.com/careers
We’re ready to transform the future.
Our graduates
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structured training programmes will support your
continuous development and give you the chance to
work on live, global projects alongside colleagues and
senior leaders across the globe. If you have the drive to
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and to apply, please visit db.com/careers.
UK
300
DLA Piper
R A N K I N G S
7th Law – solicitors
109th In the top 300
www.dlapipergraduates.com
More about us
DLA Piper is one of the world’s leading
business law firms. With over 90 offices in
more than 40 countries, the firm provides
seamless local and cross-border advice. DLA
Piper believes great businesses can make a
better world and clients include
multinationals, startups, public sector
bodies and governments.
“What kind of trainees do
we want? Improvers,
challengers, and people
who can build valuable
networks inside and
outside the firm. In short,
if you’ve got a great idea,
we want to hear it.”
The firms’ entrepreneurial and supportive
culture promotes bold, ambitious thinking
and a warm, empathetic approach. Trusting,
collaborative relationships with clients and
each other are at the heart of everything it
does.
Sandra Wallace
(UK Managing Partner)
Contact
graduaterecruitment@dlapiper.com
DLA Piper UK LLP, 160 Aldersgate St,
London, EC1A 4HT, United Kingdom
T: 020 7349 0296
Type of employer
DLA Piper is a global business law firm.
Locations
Birmingham, Edinburgh, Leeds, Liverpool,
London, Manchester, Sheffield
What are our graduate opportunities?
We offer approximately 65–70 Training
Contracts across our UK offices. Our
graduates complete four six month
rotations, and the majority will undertake an
international or client secondment. Our
industry leading training is designed to
equip our graduates to develop the
knowledge, skills and behaviours to become
220 | UK 300 2019/20
the future leaders of our firm. We’re looking
for ambitious, capable and forward-thinking
graduates to join our journey. As part of our
future, you’ll have the resources and
opportunities to build an exciting, fulfilling
career.
How do we select?
We hire graduates from all kinds of
backgrounds. Not only does this allow us to
serve our diverse client base better; it keeps
our thinking fresh by opening up a wider
range of perspectives. While you could be
studying from a range of degree subjects,
you will need a strong academic record. But
it goes further than that. You’ll need to be
naturally inquisitive, have plenty of drive
and possess a genuine commitment to your
career path. Among other things, we’ll be
looking at your extracurricular activities for
evidence of these qualities.
Number of employees
Number of Partners: 1,300
Number of non-Partner fee earners: 4,000
Number of graduate vacancies in 2022
Up to 70 across all UK offices each year
Core skills required
Leadership
Teamwork
Interpersonal skills
Analytical skills
Creativity
Organisation
Adaptability
Commercial outlook
SHARE OUR VISION
S H A P E Y O U R F U T U RE
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UK
300
DWF Group Plc
R A N K I N G S
251st In the top 300
www.dwf.law/graduate
More about us
DWF is a global legal business, transforming
legal services through our people for our
clients. Led by Group CEO Andrew
Leaitherland, we have 27 key locations and
over 3,000 people delivering services and
solutions that go beyond expectations.
At DWF, we use our values to
help define and reinforce our
culture enabling us to recruit,
retain and develop the highest
quality people. This is reflected
in our training contract, where
our future trainees are made to
feel part of the DWF team from
the initial offer. Once within the
business, our trainees get a
high level of responsibility in
terms of legal work, exposure
to business development and
CSR.
Contact
trainees@dwf.law
Type of employer
Legal Business
Locations
Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds, Birmingham,
London, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Belfast, Dublin.
What are our graduate opportunities?
Our training contract gives you the
opportunity to experience a variety of work
and make a more informed decision about
your career. There are opportunities to learn
from legal, technical and sector experts, and
our trainees are supported to fulfil their full
potential through training, practical day-today working and in-house learning.
We recruit the majority of our trainees
through the vacation scheme, so it’s a good
opportunity to discover why DWF is the
222 | UK 300 2019/20
By questioning traditions and thinking
beyond conventions, we achieve
outstanding levels of innovation. We have
received recognition for our work by The
Financial Times who named us as one of
Europe’s most innovative legal advisers, and
we have a range of stand-alone consultative
services, technology and products in
addition to the traditional legal offering.
right fit for you. You’ll get the chance to
work on live legal matters and be given
responsibility right from day one. There are
also internal workshops, presentations and
a group project that will help you develop
some of the essential skills of a successful
lawyer.
Our summer vacation scheme takes place in
June, dates of which depend on location,
and applications are usually open from
September until January. If you are in your
penultimate or final year of a law degree,
final year of a non-law degree or a graduate
of any degree discipline, then you are
eligible to apply.
How do we select?
Online application form, video interview,
assessment centre, vacation scheme (if
applicable), ‘meet the senior partners’
event.
Number of employees
circa 3,200 employees
Number of graduate vacancies in 2022
c. 35
Core skills required
Attention to detail
Commercial awareness
Communication skills
Initiative
Problem solving skills
UK
300
Dyson
R A N K I N G S
9th Engineering, design and
manufacturing
58th In the top 300
careers.dyson.com/early-careers
More about us
Dyson is a global technology enterprise. We
transform every category we enter with
iconic re-inventions that simply work better.
Dyson people apply ‘wrong thinking’,
experiment without fear and create both
machines and experiences that defy
convention. The future is bright and the next
few years will be our busiest yet.
“We are on an
ambitious mission, but
with our combination of
people, technology and
spaces, anything is
possible.”
Contact
graduates@dyson.com
Type of employer
Engineering, technology and innovation
Locations
Depending on the role, your UK starting
point could be at one of our Technology
Campus’ in Malmesbury and Hullavington,
or our Bristol Software Hub. With offices
worldwide where will Dyson take you next?
224 | UK 300 2019/20
What are our graduate opportunities?
We have roles across marketing,
engineering and technology to name a few.
We’re on the lookout for people who have a
passion for solving problems that can
contribute to the future of cutting edge
technology. People who won’t settle for
‘good enough’ and can push the boundaries
without fear.
How do we select?
Apply via our website where you’ll be invited
to complete a short form and online tests. If
successful, we’ll invite you to take part in a
digital interview. You’ll find out more about
life at Dyson, whilst showing us you’ve got
the skills and motivation for the role. Final
stage is an assessment centre at Dyson’s
Malmesbury Technology Campus.
Number of employees
12,000 +
Number of graduate vacancies in 2020
100+ graduate and undergraduate UK
opportunities
Core skills required
Ability to work under pressure
Creativity
Initiative
Motivation
Problem solving skills
UK
300
Enterprise Rent-A-Car
R A N K I N G S
201st In the top 300
careers.enterprise.co.uk
More about us
Add an annual turnover of over $24 billion to
a rental and leasing fleet of 1.9 million
vehicles spread across over 10,000
locations worldwide and you get Enterprise
Rent-A-Car – a business that’s grown into
the largest car rental company in the world.
‘When I was researching
Enterprise, they stood out
because of the promote from
within culture. Most of our
employees started their
career on our Graduate or
Internship programme,
including our CEO. If you’re
after progression, there’s no
place like Enterprise to start
your career.’
Contact
Ashley Hever
Ashley.V.Hever@ehi.com
Type of employer
Management Training Programme
Locations
450 offices throughout England, Scotland,
Wales and Northern Ireland
Our approach is simple. We empower our
people to take control of their work and
career. That’s then coupled with an
unwavering commitment to customers. It’s
a combination that has made Enterprise a
real success story and a truly special place
to work.
What are our graduate opportunities?
Our Management Training Programme
allows you to develop the skills you’ll need
to move into senior management. With our
help, you’ll hone your talents in key areas
such as sales and marketing, customer
service and finance. It’s entirely possible to
be a Branch Manager within just two years
of joining, and it really is up to you how fast
you progress.
How do we select?
1. Online application form
2. Telephone interview
3. Meet a recruiter
4. Visit a branch
5. Assessment day
226 | UK 300 2019/20
Number of employees
Over 4,500 in the UK and Ireland
Number of graduate vacancies in 2020
900
Core skills required
Ability to work under pressure
Attention to detail
Commercial awareness
Communication skills
Creativity
Customer service
Initiative
Leadership potential
Meeting deadlines
Motivation
Organisational skills
Problem solving skills
Teamwork skills
UK
300
ExxonMobil
R A N K I N G S
4th Energy and utilities
88th In the top 300
Careers.ExxonMobil.com
More about us
ExxonMobil develops and applies nextgeneration technologies to help safely and
responsibly meet the world’s growing needs
for energy and high-quality chemical products.
“The sheer size and scale
of ExxonMobil allows the
corporation to offer
unrivalled opportunities
and potential; different
assignments keep you
challenged, motivated
and enthusiastic.”
Contact
Facebook: ExxonMobilCareers
Twitter: @ExxonMobil_UK
Website: Careers.ExxonMobil.com
Email:
UK.Campus.Recruitment@ExxonMobil.com
Type of employer
ExxonMobil is a global provider of energy
and petrochemicals.
Locations
• Fawley, Hampshire
• Fife, Scotland
• Newport, Wales
• Leatherhead, Surrey
• Terminals, UK wide
What are our graduate opportunities?
We offer Chemical Engineering, Project
Engineering, Engineering Specialist and
Commercial graduate roles.
228 | UK 300 2019/20
Our business divisions are:
• Upstream: Exploring for and developing all
resource types across the globe, relying on
industry-leading technologies and
capabilities.
• Chemical: ExxonMobil Chemical is one of
the largest chemical manufacturing
companies in the world.
• Downstream: ExxonMobil’s global Fuels &
Lubricants organisation drives the efficient
development and deployment of global
best-practices and new technologies.
• Natural Gas and Power Marketing: A global
team of commercial experts maximises the
value of the company’s gas, natural gas
liquids and power interests.
Whichever team you start in you’ll have real
responsibility from day one. We offer a
supportive and rewarding work
environment, where during your career you
will be assigned to roles that will challenge
you and grow your technical and business
knowledge.
How do we select?
Applicants should complete an online
application, including CV and cover letter,
followed by an online test involving
numerical and working style questions. This
is followed by a competency-based Skype
interview and, if successful, a face-to-face
interview on site. The final part of the
process is the Graduate Assessment Centre,
after which successful candidates will
receive a conditional offer of employment.
Number of employees
2,500 (across all UK sites); Over 72,000
globally
Number of graduate vacancies in 2020
No fixed quota.
Core skills required
Communication skills
Initiative
Leadership potential
Motivation
Problem solving skills
UK
300
Fidelity International
R A N K I N G S
169th In the top 300
earlycareersatfidelity.com/home
More about us
Fidelity International is a privately-owned
and family-run global asset management
business that aims to help its clients fulfil
financial goals and add value to their lives.
From individuals to large companies,
financial advisers to institutions and
governments, we are dedicated to delivering
the Fidelity experience to as wide a range of
people as we can; we help our clients save
for retirement and meet their long-term
investment objectives. We care because our
clients depend on us to; it’s a commitment
that’s been at the core of our business for
nearly 50 years.
“With offices all around
the world, we’re
creating value for
everyone, everywhere.”
Contact
Fidelity International,
4 Cannon Street, London, EC4M 5AB
earlycareersatfidelity@fil.com
Type of employer
financial services • sales • marketing
Locations
Cannon St, London and Kingswood, Surrey
What are our graduate opportunities?
We offer a wide variety of roles across
several departments, ranging from
investment management (Equity Research,
Fixed Income or Multi-Asset) to the
commercial side of the business (Sales &
Marketing or Technology). Whether you
want a front-office role in asset
management, or want to be involved in the
backbone of the company, you will be
expected to add value from the start.
How do we select?
After an online application, you will be invited
to complete an online strengths assessment.
If successful at the online stage, you will be
invited to a video interview, followed by a
face-to-face interview for successful
candidates. The final stage is an assessment
centre, consisting of an interview, numerical
test or group task, and a technical case study
exercise.
230 | UK 300 2019/20
Number of employees
7,000
Number of graduate vacancies in 2020
30
Core skills required
Attention to detail
Commercial awareness
Communication skills
Initiative
Problem solving skills
Create Value
with Fidelity
Fidelity International is a privately-owned and family-run
global asset management business that aims to help its
clients fulfil financial goals and add value to their lives.
From individuals to large companies, financial advisers to
institutions and governments, we are dedicated to delivering
the Fidelity experience to as wide a range of people as
we can; we help our clients save for retirement and meet
their long-term investment objectives. We care, because our
clients depend on us to; it’s a commitment that’s been at the
core of our business for nearly 50 years.
Equity Research
Fixed Income
Multi-Asset
Every single one of our 7000 employees, working in over 40
countries, takes pride in developing a deep understanding
of our clients’ needs.
Find out more at earlycareersatfidelity.com
Sales & Marketing
Technology
UK
300
Financial Conduct Authority
R A N K I N G S
127th In the top 300
www.fca.org.uk/careers/early-careers
More about us
There are few jobs where you can make a
real difference to the two million people who
work in the UK financial services industry,
the 40 million consumers of financial
products, and the stability of our economy
as a whole.
From regulating consumer credit to driving
action on foreign exchange manipulation or
helping to strengthen accountability in the
banking sector, we work with the industry to
protect consumers, ensure the integrity of
the UK financial system, and promote fair
and effective competition.
Our remit has expanded significantly since
our creation in 2013, with the number of
firms we regulate growing from 23,000 to
over 56,000. We oversee conduct across
the full span of the financial sector from
global investment banks to high street
payday lenders. A competitive, healthy,
transparent financial industry ultimately
benefits everyone in society, and helps to
protect the prosperity and security of future
generations.
Our people are integral to our success as an
organisation, working alongside industry,
visiting firms and speaking to consumers
every day as we strive to ensure we are
setting the standard for other regulatory
bodies across the world.
Choose a career
that matters
Contact
Fca.graduates@fca.org.uk
@FCA_Careers
Type of employer
In 2013, the Financial Conduct Authority
(FCA) became the new regulator of the UK
financial services industry.
Locations
London
What are our graduate opportunities?
This is a really exciting time to be
considering a career in financial services
regulation. Our programmes offer the
chance to experience working at the heart
of the financial services industry.
With our specially designed graduate
programmes, you’ll gain an unprecedented
helicopter view of the world of financial
services.
How do we select?
In addition to a 2:1 in any degree discipline,
we’re looking for bright and inquisitive
graduates from all walks of life and cultural
backgrounds to join our graduate
programmes.
232 | UK 300 2019/20
Number of employees
c.3,500
Number of graduate vacancies in 2020
c.85
Core skills required
Commercial awareness
Communication skills
Initiative
Motivation
Teamwork skills
Choose a career
that matters.
Think broader horizons.
Graduate careers with the
Financial Conduct Authority
www.fca.org.uk/careers
@FCA_Careers
UK
300
The Frontline Organisation
R A N K I N G S
120th In the top 300
www.thefrontline.org.uk
More about us
At least half a million children in England
don’t have a safe or stable home. These
children and their families face some of the
worst life chances, but we know that great
social work has the power to change this.
That’s why Frontline recruits and develops
outstanding individuals to be social workers
and leaders to transform the lives of the
most vulnerable children and families.
“You learn so much, not just
about working with people but
also about yourself. Doing the
Frontline programme has given
me a passion I didn’t know I had
and has opened up a world of
opportunities.”
Asha, 2016 Cohort
Contact
Recruitment@thefrontline.org.uk
www.facebook.com/frontlinechanginglives
Type of employer
Public service, charity and social work
Locations
Greater London
South East
South West
Midlands
North West
North East
234 | UK 300 2019/20
What are our graduate opportunities?
Our two-year Leadership Development
Programme offers graduates an exciting
new route into one of Britain’s most
challenging and rewarding professions:
child protection social work. You will work
directly with children, families, schools,
courts and the police, to empower families,
whilst studying for fully-funded
qualifications.
How do we select?
Throughout the selection process we
assess your potential to become an
outstanding children’s social worker and
leader. The first application stages are
online: self-selection, application form,
online-testing and video interview. The final
stage is a half-day assessment centre.
Number of employees
100 in our Head Office
Number of graduate vacancies in 2020
452
Core skills required
Communication skills
Leadership potential
Motivation
Problem solving skills
Teamwork skills
RULE BREAKER
RISK TAKER
DEAL MAKER
BE THE DIFFERENCE
There’s no rule book that tells you what to do in every situation. That’s
why Frontline’s two-year leadership development programme teaches you
to innovate and adapt, with training in the field. Earn up to a £20k bursary
in your first year while you train, and up to a £34k salary in your second
as a qualified social worker.
THEFRONTLINE.ORG.UK/BE-THE-DIFFERENCE
Leadership Development Programme
Children’s Social Work
UK
300
GCHQ
R A N K I N G S
4th Public sector
20th In the top 300
www.gchq-careers.co.uk
More about us
Here at GCHQ, we have a clear purpose – we
want to help protect the UK. We work against
cyber-attacks, terrorism and espionage.
So, everyone who works here, works
towards that goal. But we always do it
together, supporting each other every step
of the way. We’re proud to collaborate, and
even prouder to work with purpose. We also
work closely with our British Intelligence
partners. It means you’ll have one of the
most interesting careers there is to offer.
When you protect the
country, you protect
your own future.
Contact
careers@recruitmentteam.org.uk
Type of employer
Intelligence Agency
Locations
Our Headquarters are based in Cheltenham,
but we also have offices in London, Bude,
Scarborough, Harrogate, Lincolnshire and a
new site in Manchester.
What are our graduate opportunities?
We recruit graduates from a variety of
degree disciplines into multiple areas.
Some of the opportunities are mentioned
above.
Look out for our paid summer placement
opportunities in languages, mathematics,
cyber security, procurement, technology
and more. These are often advertised in the
autumn.
236 | UK 300 2019/20
That’s why we recruit for a wide range of
graduate roles such as language analysts
and intelligence analysts, and areas
including mathematics and cryptography,
finance, procurement and project
management. We run regular campaigns for
technology and engineering roles, including
software engineers and computer network
operations – not to mention others.
We also offer a software engineering degree
apprenticeship and a CyberFirst degree
apprenticeship. We even offer a CyberFirst
student bursary. CyberFirst supports your
personal development and allows you to
learn in a community of curious people.
At GCHQ, you’ll be developing new skills
while protecting your country.
example you may still be eligible to apply.
Our rigorous, but fair, vetting process can
take up to nine months and you must be
over 18 when you join us. We’re also a
Disability Confident employer, dedicated to
providing guaranteed interviews to all
disabled candidates who meet our
minimum criteria.
Visit www.gchq-careers.co.uk for more
information and to apply.
Number of employees
6,000+
How do we select?
We welcome applications from everyone –
regardless of age, experience, cultural
background or sexual orientation. We do
have some strict nationality, residency and
security requirements, but these are all to
help keep you safe. You need to be a British
citizen, (dual nationality is fine in many
cases) and have lived in the UK for more
than five years. If you’ve been living
overseas due to your parent’s work for
Number of graduate vacancies in 2020
100+
Core skills required
Teamwork
Problem solving
Ingenuity
Communication skills
Attention to detail
Making a difference
WHEN YOU PROTECT THE COUNTRY,
you protect your own future.
At GCHQ, our mission is to protect Britain from ever-evolving threats everything from terror plots to cyber-attacks. It’s challenging work that relies
on people of all ages, with different skills and unique perspectives. That’s why
we’re always looking for young people with fresh ideas to join us. You’ll have
the chance to gain lots of qualifications and learn new skills. So when you
protect the country, you’ll protect your own future.
To find out more about our variety of roles, please visit www.gchq-careers.co.uk
@GCHQ
@GCHQ
UK
300
Goldman Sachs International
R A N K I N G S
2nd Investment banking and
investment
15th In the top 300
GoldmanSachs.com/Careers
More about us
We believe who you are makes you better at
what you do. We seek out people with all
types of skills, interests and experiences.
Even if you have never imagined a career in
finance, there’s a place for you here. For us,
it’s all about bringing together people who
are curious, collaborative and have the drive
to make things possible for our clients and
communities.
At Goldman Sachs, we connect
people, capital and ideas to
help solve problems for our
clients. We are a leading
global financial services
firm providing investment
banking, securities and
investment management
services to a substantial
and diversified client
base that includes
corporations, financial
institutions, governments
and individuals.
Contact
GoldmanSachs.com/Careers
Type of employer
Investment Bank
Locations
European opportunities are available in
London, Frankfurt, Paris, Madrid, Milan,
Moscow, Stockholm, Warsaw and Zurich.
Opportunities are also available in other
worldwide locations; please see our website
for further information.
What are our graduate opportunities?
Whatever your background or area of
academic study, we value the intellect,
personality and integrity of an individual.
While an interest in and appreciation for
finance is important, one’s personal
qualities are key.
We offer opportunities in the following
divisions:
• Consumer & Investment Management
• Engineering
238 | UK 300 2019/20
Interested? We’d love to meet you – join us
at our upcoming events or programmes to
meet us and learn more about the
opportunities we offer.
• Executive Office
• Finance
• Global Compliance
• Global Investment Research
• Human Capital Management
• Internal Audit
• Investment Banking
• Legal
• Merchant Banking
• Operations
• Realty Management
• Risk
• Securities (Sales and Trading)
• Services
How do we select?
We seek out people with all types of skills,
interests and experiences.
Apply online at
www.goldmansachs.com/careers
Number of employees
c. 30,000
Number of graduate vacancies in 2020
c.400
Core skills required
Communication and interpersonal
skills
Strong sense of teamwork
Commitment to excellence
Leadership
Intellectual curiosity, passion and
self-motivation
Integrity, ethical standards and sound
judgment
Curious, collaborative and
driven? Let’s chat.
See yourself here.
At Goldman Sachs, we believe who you are makes you better at what you
do. We seek out people with all types of skills, interests and experiences.
Even if you have never imagined a career in finance, there’s a place for
you here.
Application Deadlines
24 November, 2019
All applications for the following
programmes (excluding Off-cycle and
Warsaw which will be rolling-deadline):
ƒ Spring Programme
ƒ Summer Analyst
ƒ Work Placement
ƒ New Analyst
For us, it’s all about bringing together people who are curious, collaborative
and have the drive to make things possible for our clients and communities.
Interested? We’d love to meet you – join us at our upcoming events
or programmes to meet us and learn more about the opportunities we offer.
Discover your path at Goldman Sachs
Visit our careers site to learn more about Goldman Sachs and the career
opportunities we provide across all of our divisions and office locations.
ƒ Consumer and Investment
Management
ƒ Engineering
ƒ Executive Office
ƒ Finance
ƒ Global Compliance
ƒ Global Investment Research
ƒ Human Capital Management
ƒ Internal Audit
ƒ Investment Banking
ƒ Legal
ƒ Merchant Banking
ƒ Operations
ƒ Realty Management
ƒ Risk
ƒ Securities (Sales and Trading)
ƒ Services
Make things possible.
Visit gs.com/careers for more information.
© 2019 The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. All rights reserved. Goldman Sachs is an equal opportunity employment/affirmative action employer Female/Minority/Disability/Vet.
UK
300
Google
R A N K I N G S
1st IT and technology
1st
In the top 300
www.google.com
More about us
A problem isn’t truly solved until it’s solved
for all. Googlers build products that help
create opportunities for everyone, whether
down the street or across the globe. Bring
your insight, imagination and a healthy
disregard for the impossible. Bring
everything that makes you unique.
Together, we can build for everyone.
A problem isn’t truly
solved until it’s solved
for all. Come help us
build for everyone.
Contact
Website: google.com/students
Social: @googlestudents
Type of employer
Technology
Locations
The location of our student opportunities
vary depending on the role or function
What are our graduate opportunities?
We hire across a range of teams from
Engineering, Sales, Marketing, People
Operations, Finance and more. If you’re not
ready for an internship or full-time roles,
there are a number of ways to build your
skills with Google. From coding
competitions, workshops, mentorship
programs and scholarships, check out
google.com/students.
240 | UK 300 2019/20
How do we select?
There are two types of interviews in our
hiring process 1. Phone/Hangout
interviews. During phone or Google Hangout
interviews, you’ll speak with a potential peer
or manager. 2. Onsite interviews. You’ll
usually meet with four Googlers—some
potential teammates and some crossfunctional. All candidates will have the
chance to highlight strengths in four
different areas: General cognitive ability,
Leadership, Role-related knowledge and
Googleyness.
Between each round, we gather feedback
from your interviewers and determine next
steps. After your interviews are done,
independent hiring committees made up of
Googlers at various levels of the company
review your candidate packet, which
includes your interview feedback and
scores, your resume, references, and any
work samples you submitted. Hiring
committees help make sure we’re holding
true to our hiring standards as we grow.
Google has a unique hiring process which
can take several weeks. We strive to keep
you updated, but don’t hesitate to reach out
to your recruiter if you have any questions.
Learn more about our hiring process at
google.com/how-we-hire
Number of employees
80,000+ worldwide
Core skills required
There’s no one kind of Googler, so we’re
always looking for people who can bring
new perspectives and life experiences to
our teams. If you’re looking for a place that
values your curiosity, passion, and desire to
learn, if you’re seeking colleagues who are
big thinkers eager to take on fresh
challenges as a team, then you’re a future
Googler.
Build
for
everyone
Togetherr,, we can create
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UK
300
Grant Thornton UK LLP
R A N K I N G S
6th Accounting and financial
management
136th In the top 300
www.grantthornton.co.uk
More about us
Grant Thornton is one of the world’s leading
independent assurance, tax and advisory
firms. We are driven by independent
thinkers that provide high quality business
and financial advice to a wide range of
clients in countries all over the world. We
believe we’re best positioned to make a
meaningful impact on the economy. As one
of our trainee business advisers, you’ll help
us provide our clients with the insight and
ideas they need for the future of their
business.So bring your passion, ambitions
and inspiration, and together let’s make it
happen.
Looking for a fulfilling
career? One that can
have a wider impact
on society? At Grant
Thornton, that’s
precisely what we
offer. A career where
you can have your
ideas implemented.
Your opinions heard.
Your contributions valued.
Contact
traineerecruitment@uk.gt.com
Type of employer
Financial sector focusing on Audit, Tax and
Advisory.
Locations
Multiple locations across the UK.
What are our graduate opportunities?
As well as learning on-the-job, you’ll enjoy
rigorous training, starting with your
orientation that will immerse you in our
business, vision and purpose. Join our
graduate or school leaver programme and
you’ll also study towards a qualification at
college. We’ll cover the costs and give you
paid study leave too. You can also develop
and stretch your skills in different ways
from mentoring schemes and secondments
242 | UK 300 2019/20
to working on exciting firmwide projects. Our
interns and placements get the opportunity
to work on real projects from the outset,
gaining an in-depth insight into business
and working with our clients.
How do we select?
We’re looking for talented people who want
to be a part of something bigger. Free to be
yourself, confident and approachable. You’ll
build relationships and inspire everyone
around you with your insights and ideas.
Integrity will be at the heart of everything
you. We have a flexible approach to
academic entry requirements. We’ll consider
your academic achievements, but your
strengths, motivations and connection with
us and our values are more important. We’re
looking for people with a broad range of
interests and experiences.
Number of employees
4,500
Number of graduate vacancies in 2020
250
Core skills required
Commercial awareness
Communication skills
Creativity
Motivation
Teamwork skills
SHAPE
MORE THAN
JUST YOUR
CAREER
At Grant Thornton we have a unique
culture where thinking differently is
encouraged, your opinions are heard
and your contributions are valued.
Our people are given the freedom to
drive change and shape their own
destinies. So if you’d like to make
a difference, bring your passion,
ambitions and inspiration, and
together let’s make it happen.
trainees.grantthornton.co.uk
© 2019 Grant Thornton UK. All rights reserved. Grant Thornton UK is a member firm of Grant Thornton International Limited (GTIL). GTIL and the member
firms are not a worldwide partnership. Services are delivered by the member firms. GTIL and its member firms are not agents of, and do not obligate, one
another and are not liable for one another’s acts or omissions. Please see grantthornton.co.uk for further details
UK
300
GSK
R A N K I N G S
1st Scientific research and
development
www.gsk.com
Type of employer
A global healthcare company, producing
innovative pharmaceuticals, vaccines and
consumer healthcare products.
Locations
South East, North West, North East, Scotland
What are our graduate opportunities?
We offer a wide range of graduate
opportunities across our businesses. But
they all share one common objective - to
improve people’s lives all over the world.
244 | UK 300 2019/20
In the top 300
9th
Consumer goods –
manufacturing and
marketing
More about us
We are a science-led global healthcare
company, tackling some of the world’s
biggest healthcare challenges. We have
three world-class businesses that research,
develop and manufacture some of the most
innovative pharmaceutical medicines,
vaccines and consumer healthcare products
in the world.
“Today there are still
millions of people
without access to basic
healthcare, thousands of
diseases without adequate
treatments and millions
more people who suffer
from everyday ailments.
At GSK we want to
change this.”
Contact
facebook.com/GSKcareers
twitter.com/gsk(@GSK_Careers)
linkedin.com/company/glaxosmithkline
youtube.com/user/GSKvision
5th
We are committed to broadening access to
our products, so more people can benefit,
no matter where in the world they live, or
what they can afford.
We’ll give you exceptional opportunities to
develop both your technical and leadership
skills.
You’ll experience diverse aspects of our
business and build breadth into your career
by working both inside and outside your
business unit.
How do we select?
We have a robust selection process to make
sure GSK is the right place for you to thrive.
We’ll ask you to complete a quick eligibility
form, then complete an immersive online
assessment. You’ll receive personalised
feedback at this stage. Then, if successful,
you’ll be invited to a job simulation. The final
stage is an assessment centre, typically
held at our global headquarters in London.
Number of employees
100,000
Number of graduate vacancies in 2020
50+
Core skills required
Ability to work under pressure
Communication skills
Initiative
Leadership potential
Motivation
Problem solving skills
Help improve lives
at the heart of
global healthcare
Join our Future Leaders Programme
and you’ll be part of a leading global
business tackling the world’s
biggest healthcare challenges.
Find out more at
www.gsk.com/careers
Jeffrey
Business Operations
UK
300
Herbert Smith Freehills
R A N K I N G S
134th In the top 300
careers.herbertsmithfreehills.com/uk/grads
More about us
We’re a leading, full-service, global law firm
working on some of the world’s biggest
cases and deals at the forefront of the
world’s most exciting sectors. With an
award-winning depth of expertise across a
wide variety of sectors, geographies and
legal specialisms, we’re the firm where you
can build your future in law.
Herbert Smith
Freehills –
By combining perspectives and potential
from diverse backgrounds, we can offer our
clients pioneering solutions. With our
innovative and inclusive culture, we’re
building a law firm ready to lead the future.
Our progressive approach allows us to
continually break new ground; whether it’s a
complex international dispute or a billionpound, cross-border deal. You’ll add your
insight and expertise from day one.
The future of
law is here.
Contact
Herbert Smith Freehills, Exchange House,
Primrose Street, London EC2A 2EG
020 7374 8000
graduatesUK@hsf.com
careers.herbertsmithfreehills.com/uk/grads
facebook.com/HSFgraduatesUK
twitter.com/HSFgraduatesUK
linkedin.com/company/herbert-smithfreehills
instagram.com/hsfgraduatesuk
Type of employer
Full-service, global law firm
Locations
Europe, USA, Asia, Australia and Africa
What are our graduate opportunities?
All our opportunities are open to students of
any discipline with the exception of our
Intellectual Property (IP) Open Day for
which we seek out STEM graduates.
246 | UK 300 2019/20
• Training contracts (places selected
through our vacation schemes – see our
website for details)
• First year workshops
• Campus ambassadors
• Open days
• Vacation schemes
How do we select?
At Herbert Smith Freehills, we recognise
that exceptional lawyers can come from any
background. To ensure that we are
recruiting a diverse and innovative group of
trainees, our application and qualification
processes are designed to be fair and
inclusive.
Three simple steps:
• Take a blended online assessment
• Complete our online application form
• Come to our assessment centre
Number of employees
5,165 Globally
Number of graduate vacancies in 2022
Training Contract: 60
Vacation Placements: 100
Core skills required
Communication skills
Initiative
Leadership potential
Motivation
Teamwork skills
THE FUTURE OF
LAW IS HERE
27
OFFICES
GLOBALLY
INCLUSIVE
15
INTERNATIONAL
SECONDMENTS
CHALLENGING
45K
IN FIRST
YEAR
PROGRESSIVE
CAREERS.HERBERTSMITHFREEHILLS.COM/UK/GRADS
22,869
HOURS OF PRO BONO
& CSR ADVICE
DIVERSE
10
DAYS FOR
INNOVATION
INNOVATIVE
UK
300
Hilton
R A N K I N G S
1st Hospitality, leisure and
tourism
70th In the top 300
jobs.hilton.com
More about us
We have the best-performing portfolio of
brands in the business, with 17 brands
positioned across more than 5,760 hotels in
113 countries and territories to serve any
guest, anywhere they want to be in the
world, for any travel need they have.
“In order to
achieve great
It is our Mission to be the World’s Most
Hospitable Company, by positively
impacting our Team Members, Guests,
Owners and Communities.
things, one
must dream
In the first quarter of 2019, we were named
a Great Place to Work in countries like China,
Colombia, Italy, Netherlands, Peru, Saudi
Arabia, United Arab Emirates, United
Kingdom and United States. The Ethisphere
Institute recognized Hilton as one of the
World’s Most Ethical Companies in 2019.
great dreams.”
Conrad Hilton
Contact
E: bjorn.olthof@hilton.com
T: +31 6 2111 6598
Regional corporate office for Europe, Middle
East and Africa: Watford, Hertfordshire
Type of employer
Hilton is the Most Recognized Hotel Brand in
the World!
Locations
We are a global employer and we welcome
candidates from all over the world!
What are our graduate opportunities?
All EMEA Programmes have an annual intake:
• Elevator, our fast track General Manager
Graduate Development Programme
• Finesse, our fast track Director of Finance
Graduate Development Programme
• E.D.G.E., our fast track Revenue Management
Graduate Development Programme
248 | UK 300 2019/20
• MDP Operations, our UK & Ireland
Operational Head of Department Graduate
Development Programme
• MDP Engineering, our Middle East & Africa
Chief Engineering Graduate Development
Programme
• Corporate and Hotel Based Internships in
Operational, Financial, Commercial, Human
Resources and supporting departments
(min 6–12 months)
• Direct Entry Positions in every (Corporate
and Hotel Based) department.
How do we select?
Our Graduate Development Programme
intakes consist of the following stages:
1. Initial screening -> meeting specific
programme criteria
2. Online aptitude tests
3. HireVue – digital online interview
4. Face-to-face interview with senior leader
and/or assessment center
Number of employees
400,000+
Number of graduate vacancies in 2020
We offer 60–80 in our EMEA Graduate
Development Programmes, 2,500+
Corporate and Hotel Based Internships
across EMEA and countless number of
Direct Entry Positions for fresh graduates.
Corporate values
Hospitality
Integrity
Leadership
Teamwork
Ownership
Now
UK
300
HM Revenue and Customs
R A N K I N G S
4th Banking, insurance and
financial services
10th Public sector
59th In the top 300
www.hmrc.gov.uk/graduate
More about us
With almost 63,000 employees, more than
£600 billion revenue and around 45 million
customers, HM Revenue and Customs
(HMRC) is a major government department.
HMRC’s work and the revenue it collects
touches the lives of every adult and
business in the UK, from students and
single mothers to the largest multi-national
corporations. HMRC is the business that
helps keep the UK working. As such, HMRC
is in a league of its own.
The work that
HMRC does is
vital for the
We are the UK’s tax, payments and customs
authority and we have a vital purpose: we
collect the money that pays for the UK’s
public services and help families and
individuals with targeted financial support.
UK economy.
The work that HMRC does is vital for the UK
economy.
Contact
www.hmrc.gov.uk/graduate
www.facebook.com/HmrcGraduates
Type of employer
Public sector, tax
Locations
Belfast, Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff,
Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool,
London (Greater), London (Central),
Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham
What are our graduate opportunities?
We need people with the potential to
become part of the highly trained cadre of
tax professionals who tackle the most
challenging aspects of tax work in HMRC.
The Tax Specialist Programme exists to
identify and develop these people.
The programme is structured to identify and
develop your potential, ensuring you’re
ready to take up a senior tax position when
250 | UK 300 2019/20
you complete the programme, which takes
around 3 years.
Number of employees
63,000
Along the way, as you’re gaining experience
and confidence through early responsibility,
supported by mentoring, advice and
supervision, you’ll enjoy a competitive
salary. At the end of the programme, you
can specialise and move around HMRC to
build on your experience.
Number of graduate vacancies in 2020
200+
You’ll learn to deal with complex tax cases,
confidently negotiate with customers and
their professional advisers, and lead and
influence teams.
How do we select?
• Assessment centre
• Aptitude tests
• Psychometric tests
• Video Interview
www.civilservicejobs.service.gov.uk
Core skills required
Attention to detail
Leadership potential
Organisational skills
Problem solving skills
Teamwork skills
UK
300
HSBC
R A N K I N G S
2nd Banking, insurance and
financial services
4th
39th In the top 300
hsbc.com/earlycareers
More about us
Our unparalleled international network links
developed and emerging markets, and
spans the world’s largest and fastestgrowing trade corridors.
We are one of the largest
banking and financial
services organisations in
the world, with operations in
65 countries and territories.
We aim to be where the
growth is, enabling
businesses to thrive and
economies to prosper, and,
ultimately, helping people
to fulfil their hopes and
realise their ambitions.
Contact
hsbc.com/earlycareers
Type of employer
Financial Services
Locations
Opportunities available globally, including
UK, Dubai, Hong Kong, China and New York
What are our graduate opportunities?
We can offer a rewarding and exciting career
for those who are about to, or have,
embarked on the early stage of their
careers. We have opportunities across our
four global businesses: Commercial
Banking, Global Banking and Markets, Global
Private Banking, and Retail Banking and
Wealth Management; as well as in our two
large global teams, Global Technology and
Global Operations.
252 | UK 300 2019/20
Investment banking and
investment
Our four global businesses, Commercial
Banking, Global Banking and Markets, Global
Private Banking and Retail Banking and
Wealth Management, serve more than 40
million customers worldwide; and are
supported by large global teams including
Global Technology and Global Operations.
Our HSBC colleagues are open to different
ideas and cultures; and are connected with
our customers, our communities and each
other across the world. It’s the talent and
diversity of our people that are the
foundations of our success, so whatever
your path into HSBC and regardless of your
role, you will be valued as an individual and
for the contributions you make.
How do we select?
We use a range of carefully chosen
selection tools, including online
assessments and a stretching but
enjoyable assessment centre.
Number of employees
238,000
Number of graduate vacancies in 2020
900 (global)
Core skills required
Commercial awareness
Communication skills
Leadership potential
Motivation
Problem solving skills
Teamwork skills
Values driven
We value your courage.
Because we’re just as courageous.
At HSBC we encourage all our employees to have the courage to challenge the status
quo. Because it’s often the people who are bold enough to share and voice their opinions
who can change the world for the better.
That’s why we’re looking for people who think, see and do things differently and who
can represent and relate to our diverse global customer base. Regardless of your degree
discipline, we have a variety of internship and graduate opportunities across our four
global business areas:
• Commercial Banking
• Global Banking and Markets
• Global Private Banking
• Retail Banking and Wealth Management
So, if you’re a courageous mind wanting a career in banking visit hsbc.com/earlycareers
Together we thrive
UK
300
INEOS
R A N K I N G S
252ndIn the top 300
www.ineos.com
More about us
INEOS is a global manufacturer of
petrochemicals. It comprises of 34
businesses; each with a major chemical
company heritage. INEOS’s production
network spans throughout the world in 171
sites in 24 countries, generating an annual
turnover of around $60 billion.
INEOS’ success is built
on challenge, seeking
new opportunities
and giving our
people the scope
and accountability
to deliver
We are often referred to as the biggest
company that you have never heard of. We
are not publicly quoted and don’t sell
directly to consumers. Rather, we sell our
products as the raw materials from
business to business for manufacturing
goods. Our businesses produce the raw
materials that are essential in the
manufacturing of a wide variety of goods;
from paints to plastics, textiles to
technology, medicines to mobile phones –
chemicals manufactured by INEOS enhance
almost every aspect of modern life.
Contact
www.ineos.com/graduates
opportunities.uk@ineos.com
What are our graduate opportunities?
At INEOS we offer two graduate
programmes:
Type of employer
INEOS is a leading global manufacturer of
petrochemicals, speciality chemicals and oil
products.
The commercial programme is designed for
future leaders and provides international
experience early in your career. During the
5-year programme you will move between
INEOS businesses, functions and countries.
Locations
UK, Germany, Belgium, France and
Switzerland
The engineering programme is designed for
you to achieve chartership. Based at one of
our large manufacturing sites, working with
senior engineers.
You can progress in all key engineering
disciplines.
How do we select?
Our application process is simple.
Stage 1: Online application form
Stage 2: Telephone interview
Stage 3: Assessment centre
Stage 4: Final interviews with senior
management
254 | UK 300 2019/20
Number of employees
21,000 +
Number of graduate vacancies in 2020
25+
Core skills required
Ability to work under pressure
Communication skills
Initiative
Leadership potential
Teamwork skills
ABLE TO LEAD FROM THE FRONT?
ineos.com/graduates
UK
300
Inmarsat
R A N K I N G S
268th In the top 300
www.inmarsat.com & careers.inmarsat.com
More about us
Inmarsat was set up by the International
Maritime Organisation (IMO) in 1979 to
provide a satellite communications network
that would protect the lives of mariners
anywhere at sea.
“I have three kids, and
they think I’ve got the
coolest job. Spacecraft,
satellites: it’s intrinsically
interesting. But better
than that is what we do
with these assets;
connecting people,
saving lives...”
We were the first satellite operator to meet
the stringent requirements of the Global
Maritime Distress and Safety System
(GMDSS) and the International Civil Aviation
Organization (ICAO) for global safety
communications.
Today our satellite communication services
are not only saving lives but empowering
people and communities, enabling business
and trade, and supporting humanitarian
work in the most remote and challenging
locations.
Rupert Pearce, CEO
Contact
99 City Road, London EC1Y 1AX
United Kingdom
T + 44 (0)207 728 1000
E earlycareers@inmarsat.com
Type of employer
As the pioneer and world leader in mobile
satellite communications, Inmarsat has
been powering global connectivity for
four decades.
Locations
Primarily in London, Singapore, Canada, US,
Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland, Australia
and the Middle East
What are our graduate opportunities?
Since 2017 we have been growing our
graduate offerings and continue to do so.
Currently we have 3 programmes:
• A Technology and Engineering
Programme for students with a STEM
256 | UK 300 2019/20
background interested in our technology,
operations and product teams.
• A Finance Programme with support to
become qualified with the Chartered
Institute of Management Accountants
(CIMA) – this programme is for both
graduates and school leavers and we
have 2 separate pathways
• A Sales programme for graduates with
support to develop account management
and new business skills.
It is likely that we will add other
programmes in 2020 that may be more IT
and Business focused so it’s worth
checking out the website for the most up to
date information: careers.inmarsat.com
How do we select?
We focus our assessments on behaviours
and values and look at the potential the
individual can add to the organisation.
Number of employees
Approximately 1800 globally
Number of graduate vacancies in 2020
Approximately 20 annually
Core skills required
Attention to detail
Communication skills
Leadership potential
Problem solving skills
Teamwork skills
Powering global
connectivity
Find
nd out more on inmarsat.com
Inmarsat is the world’s leading
provider of global mobile
satellite communications. We
offer a complete portfolio of
mobile voice and data services
through the most reliable
satellite network in the world.
Whether on land, on sea or in the
air, millions place their trust in
Inmarsat daily, knowing we’ll be
there when it matters most.
UK
300
Irwin Mitchell
R A N K I N G S
6th Law – solicitors
102nd In the top 300
www.irwinmitchell.com/graduates
More about us
Irwin Mitchell is a diverse legal group based
across the UK who were established in 1912
and have 3000 employees. They offer a wide
variety of legal services covering businesses
and private individuals.
I have been heavily involved in the
office’s Charity Committee which
organises various fundraising events
throughout the year. I am also part of
IM Respect which discusses issues
surrounding ethnicity and race in the
workplace and our wider society. I
thoroughly enjoy being involved in
these groups and I can see the
positive impact they have. I was
always keen to train at a firm that
placed importance on CSR and
therefore IM has been a great choice
for me.
They are committed to excellent client
service with an ethos of ‘expert hand, human
touch’ which guides their client interactions
alongside the firm’s five values.
Huseyin Kahyalar
Contact
Marissa Sanders,
Head of Graduate Recruitment
Type of employer
A full service law firm
Locations
Birmingham, Bristol, Cambridge, Chichester,
Gatwick, Leeds, London, Manchester,
Newcastle, Sheffield, Southampton
What are our graduate opportunities?
The national firm offers training contracts at
11 different offices across the UK. Trainees
choose between either Business Legal
Services (BLS) or Personal Legal Services
(PLS). Within BLS, seat rotations include
areas such as corporate, real estate,
litigation and tax. PLS offers bother personal
injury seats including serious injury,
medical negligence and court of protection,
but also private wealth seats such as wills,
trust and estate disputes, and family law.
258 | UK 300 2019/20
Trainees will complete four training seats
over two years, interacting with partners
and senior associates. At Irwin Mitchell, the
trainees need to be passionate about the
firm, client focused, display emotional
intelligence, and possess strong analytical
and problem solving skills.
A large number of training contracts are
offered to those who have previously
completed a legal work placement with the
firm, therefore it is recommended to apply to
the scheme where possible. This gives you
an insight into the firm, the type of work they
carry out and the people you will work with.
There is a strong emphasis on well-being,
smart working and a range of benefits to
support your career at the firm. They
welcome candidates from all backgrounds
and offer real responsibility, supportive
supervision and close client contact. The
awards they have won show their
commitment to clients and employees alike.
How do we select?
The process involves an online application,
video interview and assessment centre.
Number of employees
3,000
Number of graduate vacancies in 2022
50
Core skills required
Ability to work under pressure
Attention to detail
Commercial awareness
Communication skills
Initiative
Motivation
Organisational skills
Problem solving skills
Teamwork skills
expert hand, human touch
Join the UK’s largest
full-service law firm
Irwin Mitchell is unique, both in its
culture and its approach to law.
With a strong national presence, we
genuinely have something different
to offer.
www.irwinmitchell.com/graduates
@IMGraduates
For a list of our offices visit our website. Irwin Mitchell LLP is authorised and
regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
UK
300
Jacobs
R A N K I N G S
118th In the top 300
www.jacobs.com
More about us
Jacobs leads the global professional
services sector delivering solutions for a
more connected, sustainable world. With a
global talent force of more than 50,000,
Jacobs provides a full spectrum of services
including scientific, technical, professional
and construction- and programmanagement for business, industrial,
commercial, government and infrastructure
sectors. Our people deliver complex,
sustainable projects and programmes
focusing on critical issues such as access to
clean air and safe water, energy, civil and
national security, life sciences, and
safeguarding mobility. In the UK, we have
more than 8,500 people working across a
variety of opportunities and disciplines.
“I am part of Jacobs’ Careers
Network, through which I have
been able to meet to like-minded
people who are also at the start
of their career. Jacobs’ UK &
Ireland Graduate Development
Programme has been a great
benefit to me. Setting me up with
the skills I’ll need throughout my
career, it has enabled me to
create a network of support
outside of my team.”
Lizzie, Graduate Transport Planner
Contact
gary.anderson@jacobs.com
recruits professionals as diverse as
animators, ecologists and economists.
Type of employer
Global provider of full spectrum technical,
professional and construction services.
Our summer intern programme operates for
12 weeks across numerous disciplines. As
one of our 100 + Interns, you will have a
fantastic opportunity to gain hands-on
workplace experience that is relevant,
flexible, diverse and fun.
Locations
Globally, we operate in 40+ countries
c. 35 UK offices include locations in London,
Reading, Glasgow, Manchester, Leeds,
Birmingham, Newcastle, Bristol, Edinburgh,
Swindon, Westlakes.
What are our graduate opportunities?
Jacobs’ UK & Ireland Graduate Development
Programme, now in its 26th year, continues
to grow year on year and currently has more
than 600 graduates completing the
programme. Alongside entrants from
engineering backgrounds, Jacobs also
260 | UK 300 2019/20
Jacobs is also training more than 130 UK
apprentices. Our apprenticeships are
available to anyone over the age of 16 and
include a wide range of programmes
including Building Services Design, Railway
Engineering Design and Project Controls.
How do we select?
Visit www.jacobs.com/careers. Please have
a CV and your Cover Letter prepared to
upload to a specific role. CV screening by our
experienced team will occur, followed by an
interview or an assessment.
Number of employees
More than 50,000 people globally.
8,500+ employees in the UK
Number of graduate vacancies in 2020
200+ graduate, 100+ interns,
50+ apprentices
Core skills required
Commercial awareness
Communication skills
Creativity
Initiative
Problem solving skills
Teamwork skills
Hello,
future
Today, your vision for the future meets its full
potential, combining our talents and greater
solutions to deliver more: The promise of a
more connected, sustainable world.
Everything is possible.
Find out more at www.jacobs.com/careers/early-careers
or follow us @JacobsConnects
UK
300
Johnson & Johnson
R A N K I N G S
4th Scientific research and
development
5th
Careers.JNJ.com
Consumer goods –
manufacturing and
marketing
44th In the top 300
More about us
At Johnson & Johnson, good health forms
the foundation of vibrant lives, thriving
communities and forward progress. For
more than 130 years, the company has
aimed to keep people well at all ages and at
all stages of life. Today, as the world’s
largest and most broadly-based healthcare
company, it is committed to using its reach
and size for the good of humanity.
We’re creating
the future and
you could too.
Contact
LinkedIn: johnson-&-johnson
Facebook: @JNJCareers
Twitter: @JNJCareers
Instagram: @jnj
Type of employer
Global leader in healthcare across 3 sectors:
Consumer Products
Pharmaceuticals
Medical Devices
Locations
High Wycombe
Leeds
Wokingham
262 | UK 300 2019/20
What are our graduate opportunities?
J&J operates across Pharmaceuticals,
Medical Devices and Consumer Products
through more than 275 companies. Being
part of such a diverse and growing global
business opens up a range of opportunities.
Graduate and placement roles span many
areas including Marketing, Sales,
Engineering, R&D and Finance, with all
areas offering potential to work on dynamic
and challenging projects that matter to
people everywhere.
How do we select?
When you apply for a graduate opportunity
at Johnson & Johnson, you will need to
complete our three stage recruitment
process once you have submitted your
application via our website:
1. Online Testing
2. Video Interview
3. Assessment Centre
Number of employees
130,000
Number of graduate vacancies in 2020
30
Core skills required
Commercial awareness
Creativity
Leadership potential
Organisational skills
Teamwork skills
Your next breakthrough belongs
at Johnson & Johnson. JOIN US.
A vaccine for HIV. AI that discovers life-saving drugs. Digital health tools to track symptoms
and treatments. It’s all happening at Johnson & Johnson.
Here, your impact is amplified and no one is smarter than everyone. At J&J, our power is
in the collective, among 275+ companies focused on consumer products, pharmaceuticals,
and medical devices. Whatever your role or career goals, we make sure that you have the
support and tools you need to live your best life, however you define it.
With locations in 60+ countries, together with experienced colleagues and immense
resources, you can change the trajectory of human health, one breakthrough at a time.
Working with us can change everything.
Including YOU.
CAREERS.JNJ.COM
© Johnson & Johnson Services, Inc. 2019. Johnson & Johnson companies are equal opportunity employers.
Johnson & Johnson Services, Inc. is a member of the Johnson & Johnson Family of Companies.
UK
300
Johnson Matthey
R A N K I N G S
209th In the top 300
www.matthey.com
More about us
Johnson Matthey uses science to make the
world cleaner and healthier. Today more
than 90 percent of our sales come from
technologies that benefit the environment
and health, enhancing people’s lives on a
global scale. We are over 200 years old and
over the past two centuries we have built
our reputation as a global leader in
sustainable technologies created and driven
through innovation. With operations in over
30 countries, we operate across 4 sectors:
Clean Air; Efficient Natural Resources;
Health; and New Markets. In addition to our
world class manufacturing, we take R&D
seriously, with around £200m invested last
year and 1500 staff working
in our Technology Centres in the UK and
the US.
“We’re a company
that’s focused on
helping you reach your
full potential whilst
contributing to a more
sustainable future.”
Contact
www.matthey.com
Type of employer
A global leader in speciality chemicals and
sustainable technologies
Locations
UK (South East, North West, North East and
Scotland), US, Asia, Europe
What are our graduate opportunities?
Our opportunities are as diverse as our
organisation. We offer both structured
rotational programmes and a direct entry
route where you’ll join one of our
businesses from day one. Whichever route
you choose, you will be given real
responsibilities working within a team
environment on new or existing projects.
We’ll challenge, support and develop you
throughout your journey with us.
264 | UK 300 2019/20
How do we select?
We need ambitious, focused graduates with
a first degree, Masters or PhD and typically
recruit from the following disciplines:
• Chemistry
• Chemical Engineering
• Materials/Minerals
• Mechanical/Manufacturing
• Automotive
• Science/Maths
Depending on the role, our process may
include online psychometric assessments,
technical and behavioural interviews and
group activities.
Number of employees
14,000 globally
Number of graduate vacancies in 2020
40+ globally
Core skills required
Attention to detail
Communication skills
Initiative
Leadership potential
Problem solving skills
UK
300
Jones Day
R A N K I N G S
202nd In the top 300
www.jonesdaylondon.com
More about us
Jones Day is a global law firm with more
than 2,500 lawyers in 43 offices across five
continents, distinguished by a singular
tradition of client service. Jones Day, as a
recognized leader in both cross-border M&A
transactions and global disputes, looks for
extraordinary individuals who want to be
challenged on an international platform, and
can become part of our future, not just train
with us. You do not need a background in
law. More than half of our trainees are nonlaw graduates. Several have post-graduate
degrees in disciplines other than law.
Our trainees work on
global transactions,
flourish on early
responsibility, and
develop as lawyers fast.
We recruit to retain. Half
our London partners
trained with the Firm.
Contact
Graduate Recruitment Manager
recruit.london@jonesday.com
Facebook:Jones Day London Careers
Type of employer
Jones Day is a global law firm with a
significant presence in the City of London.
Locations
London, Continental Europe, Asia, North
America, Latin America, Middle East,
Asia-Pacific.
What are our graduate opportunities?
We sponsor our graduates through law
school and offer them an unusual two–year
training contract designed to provide
flexibility and responsibility from the
beginning.
266 | UK 300 2019/20
Jones Day’s rare and distinctive nonrotational training system enables you to
assume your own workload and contribute
across different practice areas at the same
time. You will see through the completion of
deals and trials in which you are involved
because you won’t switch departments
every six months.
Our work placement schemes are the route
to our way of training. Operating like mini
training contracts, you gain a real insight
into life as a trainee at our elite, global law
firm. You are eligible if you are a final year
student, graduate or postgraduate of any
discipline, or (after this year) still have one
more year to complete of a qualifying law
degree.
How do we select?
Apply online for a placement. No
supplemental questions, psychometric
tests, video interviews, assessment days.
We select for interview with 2 senior
lawyers. If successful, you attend our
placement scheme and interview for a
training contract. Applications open
1 September. We recruit on a rolling basis,
so apply early as we cannot guarantee
availability.
Number of employees
London: 350
Number of graduate vacancies in 2022
Placements (2019/20): 70
Training contracts (commencing 2022):
15–20
Core skills required
Ability to work under pressure
Attention to detail
Commercial awareness
Communication skills
Creativity
Initiative
Leadership potential
Meeting deadlines
Motivation
Organisational skills
Problem solving skills
Teamwork skills
Your Career at Jones Day
Distinctive Non-Rotational Training Contract
Collaborative Not Competitive Culture
Leaders in Cross-Border Transactions & Disputes
Become Part of Our Future
• We recruit only from our vacation schemes
• One simple application for a vacation scheme and training contract
• Placements open to any final-year students, graduates or postgraduates
and penultimate-year students of a qualifying law degree
• Places fill on a rolling basis, starting 1 September
For information on events and how to meet us before applying online:
jonesdaylondon.com
facebook.com/jonesdaylondoncareers
UK
300
J.P. Morgan
R A N K I N G S
1st Investment banking and
investment
7th
In the top 300
www.jpmorgan.com/careers
More about us
At J.P. Morgan, we are committed to helping
businesses and markets grow and develop
in more than 100 countries. Over the last
200 years, we have evolved to meet the
complex financial needs of some of the
world’s largest companies as well as many
of the smaller businesses driving industry
change globally and locally.
“Nothing is more vital
to our long-term growth
than our ability to
attract and retain
Our people work hard to do the right thing
for our clients, shareholders and the firm
every day. Joining us means you’ll learn
from our experts in a collaborative team
environment where you will be supported to
make an immediate impact from the start.
talented and dedicated
employees.”
Jamie Dimon, Chairman and
CEO, JPMorgan Chase & Co.
Contact
www.jpmorgan.com/careers
Type of employer
J.P. Morgan is a leading global financial
services firm.
Locations
Worldwide
What are our graduate opportunities?
Internship and graduate positions are
available across our firm, so we encourage
you to learn as much as possible about our
business areas and roles. We also offer preinternship programs such as Spring Week
that give you insights into our industry and
programs. We often hire directly from these
opportunities – giving you early exposure to
our firm and how we do business.
Programs include:
• Asset Management Program
• Corporate Analyst Development Program
268 | UK 300 2019/20
• Data Science & Machine Learning
Program
• Global Finance & Business Management
Program
• Human Resources Program
• Investment Banking Program
• Markets Program
• Quantitative Analyst Program
• Risk Program
• Software Engineer Program
• Tech Connect Program
• Wealth Management
• Wholesale Payments & Corporate
Banking Program
Application Deadline: 24th November 2019
How do we select?
We want to see your creativity,
communications skills and drive. While your
academic achievements are important,
we’re also looking for your individuality and
passion as demonstrated by extra-
curricular activities. We want to help you
fulfil your potential as you build your career
here.
For more information on how we hire and
advice about our recruitment process,
please visit our Advice Center:
jpmorgan.com/careers/advice
Number of employees
250,000+ globally
Number of graduate vacancies in 2020
500+
Core skills required
Commercial awareness
Communication skills
Leadership potential
Motivation
Teamwork skills
All minds wanted.
Especially yours.
Our programs
are now open,
apply by
24 November
We’re looking for students from all majors and backgrounds
to join our diverse, global team.
As a top employer in financial services, J.P. Morgan does
much more than manage money. We create unexpected
solutions to help individuals, companies, institutions and
governments tackle financial and business challenges.
That’s why we need diverse minds like yours.
Here, you’ll have more chances to continuously innovate,
learn and make a positive impact for our clients, customers
and communities. We offer internships in over 12 different
business areas with 3 Early Insight Programs to introduce
you to the industry and our company.
To see how you can join our collaborative team,
visit jpmorgan.com/careers to learn more about our
programs and upcoming on-campus and virtual events.
We look forward to meeting you.
©2019 JPMorgan Chase & Co. All rights reserved. J.P. Morgan is an equal opportunities employer.
UK
300
Kennedys
R A N K I N G S
223rd In the top 300
www.kennedyslaw.com
More about us
Kennedys is a global law firm with expertise
in litigation and dispute resolution,
particularly in the insurance/reinsurance
and liability industries.
20 of our partners
At Kennedys we’re here to make a
difference for our clients, and each other,
every day.
began their life in law
We empower our people to deliver the very
best work and reach their full potential. We
do this by putting our values centre stage.
as trainees with us
including our senior
Our culture and values are at the core of
who we are and what make us a great firm
to work with and for, and we take them very
seriously. We make a difference by being
approachable, straightforward, supportive
and distinctive. We deeply value the
relationships we build with our clients and
we know that they value our warm, friendly
human approach.
partner.
Contact
Kennedys
25 Fenchurch Avenue
London
EC3M 5AD
0207 667 9667
www.kennedyslaw.com
www.facebook.com/KennedysTrainees
Type of employer
Global law firm with specialist expertise in
litigation/dispute resolution.
Locations
Belfast, Birmingham, Cambridge,
Chelmsford, Edinburgh, Glasgow, London,
Manchester, Sheffield, Taunton, Auckland,
Bermuda, Bogota, Brussels, Copenhagen,
Dubai, Dublin, Hong Kong, Lima, Lisbon,
Madrid, Mexico City, Miami, Moscow, Paris,
Santiago, Sao Paulo, Singapore, Sydney,
Basking Ridge, New York, Austin,
Philadelphia and Chicago.
270 | UK 300 2019/20
What are our graduate opportunities?
During the two year training contract, our
trainees will complete four, six month seats
giving them the opportunity to experience
high quality work and liaise with clients
across a variety of industries. The purpose
of the training contract is to give our
trainees a mix of experience and skills that
will set them up in their legal career as an
excellent solicitor. We also offer exciting
secondment opportunities to our Hong Kong
office and UK clients
In January, we run a one week vacation
scheme in our London office, offering the
opportunity to experience what it would be
like to work as a trainee at Kennedys.
How do we select?
Online application form, video interview,
online critical thinking test, assessment
day including a group task, written exercise
and interview.
Number of employees
Approx. 2,000
Number of graduate vacancies in 2022
20
Core skills required
Attention to detail
Commercial awareness
Communication skills
Meeting deadlines
Resilience
At Kennedys,
we make a difference
We support our clients, beyond the law. By providing
clients with innovative products and invaluable resources,
we empower them to achieve great things, even when
we’re not in the room.
A training contract at Kennedys could mark the beginning of an exciting
and successful career in a global law firm. As a trainee, you will be guided
by experienced associates and partners, exposing you to responsibility
and a varied workload early on in your career. For more information
and to apply, please visit our website: kennedyslaw.com/careers/graduates.
Global reach Local expertise
kennedyslaw.com/careers/graduates
UK
300
Kerry
R A N K I N G S
285th In the top 300
www.kerrygraduates.com
More about us
Kerry Group is a world leader in food and
beverage. Kerry Group has 23,000
employees globally, 15,000 products and
revenues of €6.6 billion.
“The Graduate Programme has
undoubtedly thrown me in at the
deep end at the start of my
professional career with real
responsibility, stretching my
capabilities and constantly
making me think outside the
box. I believe this is the best
way to learn and grow as a
young professional! Every
day at Kerry brings a new
challenge, but with that
comes a warming sense of
community and uplifting team
spirit which I absolutely love.”
Our business is comprised of 2 divisions:
Kerry We think of ourselves as the Taste &
Nutrition company. We understand that
consumers want delicious products made
from trusted, authentic foods and flavours.
Every day millions of people throughout the
world consume foods and beverages
containing our taste and nutrition solutions.
Kerry Foods We are a leading name in the
global food industry – producing branded &
customer branded food across Meals, Meats
and snacking & Dairy. We have an incredible
heritage and amazing brands. With brilliant
people, and big ambitions. Our products,
many of which are household favourites, are
eaten by 60m people every day.
Kerry Group graduate
Contact
Kerry Graduate Recruitment Team
+44 (0)20 7654 7201
kerrygraduates@gtisolutions.co.uk
facebook.com/Kerry.Group.Graduate.
Recruitment/
linkedin.com/company/kerry
What are our graduate opportunities?
We offer our Graduates a permanent job
from the outset.
Type of employer
Kerry Group is a world leader in food and
beverage manufacturing
70% of your learning takes place on the job
through projects, rotations and being
granted responsibility early in your career;
Locations
UK, Ireland and Europe - candidates must be
flexible with regard to travel and relocation
20% comes from the support you receive
from your manager and your mentor who is
a senior leader in Kerry.
We also support your career development
through our Graduate Development
Programme. Our Programme follows the
70:20:10 development model:
10% comprises a personal leadership
programme run in conjunction with a
leading Executive Education school.
How do we select?
Online application, Aptitude testing, Video
Interview, Assessment Centre
272 | UK 300 2019/20
Number of employees
23,000 globally
Number of graduate vacancies in 2020
We recruit approximately 80 graduates
annually.
Core skills required
Attention to detail
Commercial awareness
Creativity
Leadership potential
Teamwork skills
A GRADUATE PROGRAMME
WHERE YOU’LL FLY
www.kerrygraduates.com
UK
300
Kier Group
R A N K I N G S
5th Construction, civil
engineering and surveying
130th In the top 300
www.kier.co.uk/earlycareers
“The last 6 years have flown by! During my
time with Kier I have had the full support of
the Graduate Development Programme and
a Supervising Engineer, allowing me to
become Chartered within 5 years. In
that time, I have worked on a wide
range of design projects, including
large temporary propping schemes
and complex detailed connection
design. I also enjoyed an extended
secondment to the Crossrail
project. I enjoy the challenge, as
well as the camaraderie, pub
lunches and the occasional
obstacle race which give us some
light hearted fun together. The
flexibility and variety of work will allow
me to further my career with Kier.”
Fiona, Design Engineer
Contact
earlycareers@kier.co.uk
Type of employer
Kier Group is a leading property, residential,
construction and services group
Locations
Across the UK
More about us
Kier is a leading infrastructure, buildings,
developments and housing group. We invest,
build and maintain across a range of different
sectors from education, health, heritage,
defence and custodial to highways, rail,
aviation, industrial, power and utilities.
Being part of Kier means living our values of
being collaborative, enthusiastic and forward
thinking. Graduates join us to receive
mentorship and support, the opportunity to
work on hugely notable, cutting-edge
projects, and leave a legacy by developing
your practical and theoretical knowledge
surrounded by industry experts.
What are our graduate opportunities?
We offer Graduate and Undergraduate
Programmes across all our divisions in roles
including Civil Engineers, Design Engineers,
Design Managers, Construction Managers
and Quantity Surveyors to name a few. We
look for those who embody our company
ethos, whilst academically you’ll be on
course to achieve a 2.1 or above in a
relevant degree.
How do we select?
To apply, please submit your application via
our website at www.kier.co.uk/earlycareers.
You will need to upload your CV and answer
some application questions. If successful,
we will invite you to complete a one-way
video interview and possibly some online
tests. The final stage is to attend an
assessment centre so we can get to know
you a little more.
274 | UK 300 2019/20
Number of employees
Over 18,000 people globally
Number of graduate vacancies in 2020
Over 80
Core skills required
Ability to work under pressure
Commercial awareness
Communication skills
Problem solving skills
Teamwork skills
UK
300
Kirkland & Ellis International LLP
R A N K I N G S
187th In the top 300
ukgraduate.kirkland.com
More about us
Kirkland & Ellis is a leading international law
firm with more than 2,500 lawyers
representing global clients in complex
Corporate, Debt Finance, Investment Funds,
Restructuring, Real Estate Finance, Tax,
Financial Services Regulatory, International
Arbitration and Litigation, Antitrust and
Competition, Technology and IP
Transactions, IP Litigation and Capital
Markets matters.
Kirkland & Ellis:
A law firm serving
global clients
Kirkland is ranked 1st in the Global 100
(Legal Business 2018) and based in the
heart of the city in the iconic Gherkin
building, our London office – comprising
around 325 lawyers – acts in some of the
most complex high value and high profile
transactions in Europe.
Contact
Lauren Massey
Legal Recruiting Coordinator
020 7469 2000
ukgraduaterecruitment@kirkland.com
What are our graduate opportunities?
High-quality training is the hallmark of the
graduate programme at Kirkland & Ellis
International LLP. For 2022 we are offering
up to 10 training contracts.
Number of employees
325 Attorneys – London, 2,500 – worldwide
Type of employer
International Law Firm
Vacation schemes are a vital part of the
graduate recruitment process. We would
strongly encourage those interested in the
firm to apply for a vacation scheme.
Core skills required
Ability to work under pressure
Attention to detail
Commercial awareness
Initiative
Motivation
Locations
London
International secondment opportunities
276 | UK 300 2019/20
How do we select?
Vacation scheme and training contract
candidates are invited to apply online with
an application form, CV and covering letter.
Assessment days are run at the start of the
year to select vacation scheme candidates.
Vacation scheme participants are
interviewed for training contracts during
their scheme.
Number of graduate vacancies in 2022
Up to 10 per annum
STAND OUT
FROM THE
CROWD
At Kirkland & Ellis we keep our trainee intake
small giving you the chance to shine.
We hire just 10 trainees each year and provide
you with high quality work from day one.
You will be treated as a lawyer from the start
and be given every opportunity for success.
Graduate careers in law
ukgraduate.kirkland.com
The Gherkin, 30 St Mary Axe, London
UK
300
KPMG LLP
R A N K I N G S
3rd Accounting and
financial management
3rd
Consulting
24th In the top 300
www.kpmgcareers.co.uk
More about us
KPMG in the UK is part of a global network of
member firms. Our largest practice is Audit,
which provides independent challenge and
delivers quality audits to organisations of all
shapes and sizes. In Tax & Pensions,
Consulting, Deal Advisory and Technology &
Engineering, we work shoulder-to-shoulder
with clients to help them solve some of their
most complex business challenges.
“You get the full
package of achieving a
qualification, working
for a global network of
firms and meeting lots
of amazing people”
Our colleagues come from all sorts of
degree disciplines and backgrounds, but
share a natural curiosity, a desire to work
together, to explore new ideas and inspire
change.
Vanessa,
Graduate Trainee
– Audit in Bristol
Contact
Graduate Recruitment
15 Canada Square, Canary Wharf,
London, E14 5GL
Freephone 0800 328 5764
graduate@kpmg.co.uk
facebook.com/kpmgrecruitment
twitter.com/kpmgrecruitment
Type of employer
Audit, Tax & Pensions, Consulting,
Deal Advisory, Technology & Engineering
and KPMG Business Services.
Locations
Nationwide
What are our graduate opportunities?
Our programmes span Audit, Tax & Pensions,
Consulting, Deal Advisory, Technology &
Engineering, and KPMG Business Services.
KPMG trainees undertake intellectually-
278 | UK 300 2019/20
Life at KPMG means being part of a fastmoving, intellectually challenging and
supportive community, where everyone is
inspired to learn, grow and thrive.
stimulating work alongside some of the
brightest minds in business. You’ll gain
exposure to a range of sectors and
companies – from the biggest multinationals
through to the most innovative start-ups. With
our numerous community initiatives, you’ll be
encouraged to make a difference beyond the
office, too. We’ll provide access to funded
professional qualifications or accreditations
relevant to your programme, and all the
support you need to build a rewarding career.
How do we select?
Initially, you’ll complete an online
application form and online assessments.
Our innovative Launch Pad assessment, is a
one-day event at the final stage of the
recruitment process. If successful,
candidates will receive a job offer within just
two working days. See our careers website
for details.
Number of employees
14,500+ in the UK
Number of graduate vacancies in 2020
c.1,200
Core skills required
Collaboration
Striving for continual improvement
Professional judgement
Problem-solving skills
Curiosity
Resilience
Attention to detail
Commercial awareness
Communication skills
Initiative
Meeting deadlines
Motivation
Organisational skills
Teamwork skills
Let your
curiosity
lead you.
Graduate and undergraduate
opportunities
At KPMG, curiosity could take you on a rewarding
journey. We work side-by-side with clients to help
them to solve some of their most complex business
challenges, seeking the facts, applying insights and
delivering quality results.
On our programmes, you’ll have the opportunity
to work with a variety of organisations, from the
biggest multinationals through to the most innovative
start-ups. You’ll use your natural curiosity and fresh
perspective to empower change and help businesses
succeed now, and in the future. In return, we’ll give
you all the support you need to learn and grow. Join
us in Audit, Tax & Pensions, Consulting, Deal Advisory,
Technology & Engineering or KPMG Business
Services and discover a career path full of rewards.
kpmgcareers.co.uk
Anticipate tomorrow. Deliver today.
© 2019 KPMG LLP, a UK limited liability partnership and a member firm of the KPMG network of independent
member firms affiliated with KPMG International Cooperative (“KPMG International”), a Swiss entity. All rights reserved.
Printed in the United Kingdom. The KPMG name and logo are registered trademarks or trademarks of KPMG International.
UK
300
L’Oréal
R A N K I N G S
3rd Consumer goods –
manufacturing and
marketing
23rd In the top 300
careers.loreal.com/UKgrads
More about us
With 34 world-famous brands selling in 140
countries it’s easy to see why L’Oréal is the
world’s No. 1 cosmetics group. Even our
brands are household names in their own
right. From Ralph Lauren to Maybelline, if
there’s a name you love in cosmetics, there’s
a good chance it’s ours.
“I feel like I’ve got
room to explore
my talents here:
I had amazing
responsibilities
really early on.”
In 2018, the group registered an impressive
505 patents for new products and formulae,
and was the third largest advertiser in the
world!
We believe every day is a new day to explore
and start new adventures, and that’s
reflected in our graduates and interns. We
offer Graduate Schemes, Apprenticeships,
Industrial Placements, Summer Internships,
and Spring Insights, and we look for worldclass talent to help us lead the way.
Lewis,
Marketing Graduate, L’Oréal
Contact
gradsandinterns@loreal.com
Facebook.com/LorealTalentUKI
Twitter @LOreal_UKI
instagram.com/lorealtalentuki
Type of employer
World #1 Beauty FMCG
Locations
Graduate Schemes, Industrial Placements
and Summer Internships are based in
London, Hammersmith. Although applicants
must be flexible as regional opportunities can
arise on all schemes.
What are our graduate opportunities?
We believe in developing our talent from the
ground up, providing our employees with the
opportunity to grow within the company and
build a career with us. As a result, a portion of
our Management Trainee roles are filled by
individuals from our apprenticeships,
280 | UK 300 2019/20
internships and spring insight programmes,
creating a well-rounded junior talent journey
at L’Oréal. The remainder of the graduate
roles are sourced from the external market,
to ensure an equal opportunity for all
potential candidates to join this exciting
business.
Graduates work across all our brands and are
placed in a variety of different business
functions to lead the change with L’Oréal.
Each Management Trainee takes on three
different rotations, gaining exposure to
different brands. They’ll work in either
Marketing, Finance, Commercial, or
Operations, and will be supported by their
own HR sponsor.
We also offer 12-month industrial placements
and 10-week summer internships for
undergraduates, as well as a Spring Insight
Programme. Opportunities are spread across
a variety of functions so that students can
find the opportunity that’s right for them.
How do we select?
All applications must be made online at
careers.loreal.com/UKgrads. Our website
details the full selection process, alongside
some useful hints and tips.
Number of employees
86,000+ globally and 7,500+ in the UK
Number of graduate vacancies in 2020
28 across Marketing, Commercial, Finance
and Supply Chain
Core skills required
Ability to work under pressure
Attention to detail
Communication skills
Initiative
Leadership potential
Motivated
Problem solving skills
Teamwork skills
UK
300
Laing O’Rourke
R A N K I N G S
181st In the top 300
www.laingorourke.com/careers
More about us
We are Laing O’Rourke. We design,
manufacture, engineer and build iconic
buildings and complex infrastructure projects
used by millions of people every day. It’s our
mission to be the recognised leader for
innovation and excellence in the construction
industry. To achieve that, we’re changing the
way we work, using the very latest digital
tools and platforms. And we’re always looking
to create structures that will help build a
better future for everyone. We are proud to
work on some of the most prestigious
projects in the UK, from Europe’s largest
infrastructure programme, Tideway, to
Manchester Airport Terminal 2 expansion,
Hinkley Point C and Edinburgh St James
shopping complex.
“Every day brings a
new set of challenges
which keeps me on my
toes. Being able to see
what I have built as
part of a team fills me
with pride.”
– Isabel Lambert,
Graduate Civil Engineer
Contact
Email: earlytalent@laingorourke.com
Twitter @Laing_ORourke
www.instagram.com/laingorourke
Type of employer
We design, manufacture, engineer and build
iconic buildings and complex infrastructure
projects.
Locations
Dartford, Kent (UK Head Office) plus key
projects in Edinburgh, Manchester, London
and Hinkley in Somerset.
What are our graduate opportunities?
We run a 32-month graduate development
programme for civil engineers, quantity
surveyors, planners, construction
managers plus opportunities for disciplines
from our central functions. Each placement
combines practical experience and
academic learning with professional
development. Throughout we help introduce
graduates to the very latest engineering and
construction techniques and develop their
technical capabilities and personal skills.
How do we select?
Our selection process is broken down into
key stages: an online application form, an
online test, and a video interview. This initial
stage is followed by an assessment centre
comprising a second interview, group
exercise and presentation.
282 | UK 300 2019/20
Number of employees
UK staff 7,000+
Number of graduate vacancies in 2020
50
Core skills required
Complete alignment
- Work as one team
- Know yourself well
- Passion for development
- Excellent client engagement
Inclusive thinking
- Work well under pressure
- Show resistance
- Organisational skills
Making the complex simple
- Ability to decipher and cut
through ambiguity
- Creative mindset
- Courage to speak up
BUILT FOR YOU
EARLY TALENT PROGRAMMES
Every day, we design, manufacture, engineer and build iconic buildings and complex
infrastructure projects that go on to be used by millions of people. From deep under the
ground to thousands of feet in the air, from rail to retail developments, we’re changing
the industry with innovative design and delivery techniques. And we’re always looking to
create structures that will help build a better future for us all.
Find out more at laingorourke.com/careers
UK
300
Lidl Ltd
R A N K I N G S
144th In the top 300
www.lidlgraduatecareers.co.uk
More about us
We’re proud pioneers in the world of retail.
With over 760 stores, 13 warehouses and
22,500 employees in the UK alone, we’re
one of the fastest growing retailers in the
country. But it doesn’t stop there. Our
ambitious plans for UK growth over the
coming years show we don’t like to stand
still. We have and will continue to challenge
the retail market, and we are committed to
driving various responsibility programmes
including recycling schemes and
sustainably sourcing for the future. We are
looking to continually improve and strive to
make the Lidl experience exceptional for all,
from our customers to employees. We have
exciting opportunities for ambitious,
passionate and motivated people to join our
fast-paced environment, where you will be
challenged to reach your full potential.
“At Lidl we are committed to
providing you exciting opportunities
across our key business areas
and will give you the training
and guidance to take on any
challenge. We are looking for
our future leaders to drive our
ambitious expansion plans.
You don’t need a specific
degree; we are looking for
your personality to shine
through.”
Katie Sudds
Graduate Recruitment
Manager at Lidl
Contact
Email: recruitment@lidl.co.uk or visit
www.lidlgraduatecareers.co.uk
Type of employer
Grocery Retailer
Locations
Nationwide
What are our graduate opportunities?
Our graduate opportunities across all areas
of the business are designed to develop you
quickly by challenging you to reach your
potential. No two people are the same and
so your experience at Lidl will be unique to
you. Experiences span Lidl’s stores,
warehouses and regional offices giving you
the best possible exposure to the business
along with a range of opportunities to
develop your leadership expertise. You will
use your enthusiasm to succeed at any
challenge and the skills, knowledge and
opportunities you will gain are endless. We
284 | UK 300 2019/20
are proud of what we have achieved and are
always looking to the future. We will provide
you with the tools, training and
development to succeed in our world.
Bring your best, we’ll do the rest.
How do we select?
We’re not looking for one type of person, or
polished abilities and substantial
experience. We’re looking for ambitious,
committed people with personality and
potential. Potential to become one of the
future leaders of our business.
We want you to showcase your abilities,
passion and ambitions throughout our
application process. Stand out from the
crowd in your application, online
assessments and our Assessment Day.
Show us your enthusiasm for wanting to be
a part of the Lidl team. Take your time, come
prepared and you’re sure to make an
impression that lasts through to offer.
Number of employees
20,000+ in the UK
Number of graduate vacancies in 2020
60+ across all areas
Core skills required
Commercial awareness
Communication skills
Leadership potential
Organisational skills
Resilience
Teamwork skills
UK
300
Linklaters
R A N K I N G S
4th Law – solicitors
87th In the top 300
careers.linklaters.com
More about us
From a shifting geopolitical landscape to the
exponential growth in FinTech, this is a time
of unprecedented change. At Linklaters,
we’re ready. Our people go further to
support our clients, with market-leading
legal insight and innovation. And we go
further for each other, too. We’re people you
want to work with, generous with our time
and ready to help. So no matter what the
future holds, with us you’ll be one step
ahead. Great change is here, and we make
sure you’re ready.
Great change
is here.
Are you ready?
Contact
graduate.recruitment@linklaters.com
Type of employer
Linklaters is an innovative, global,
commercial law firm.
Locations
London, Europe, Asia, USA
What are our graduate opportunities?
We offer Winter, Spring and Summer
Vacation Schemes for penultimate year
students and beyond. We hire
approximately 100 candidates each year for
Training Contracts. First year students or
second year students on a four year degree
can apply for Pathfinder, our two-day insight
programme.
How do we select?
Online assessment, critical reasoning test,
interviews and case study.
286 | UK 300 2019/20
Number of employees
5,290 worldwide
Number of graduate vacancies in 2020
100
Core skills required
Commercial awareness
Communication skills
Leadership potential
Motivation
Teamwork skills
@linklatersgradsuk
@LinklatersGrads
LinklatersUK Grads
UK
300
Lloyd’s
R A N K I N G S
10th Banking, insurance and
financial services
121st In the top 300
www.lloyds.com
More about us
Based in the City of London, in the iconic
Lloyd’s building, we operate globally,
working in over 200 countries across the
world to help empower human progress.
There are two parts to Lloyd’s: the
Corporation and the market. Like any
market, we enable those with something to
sell – underwriters providing insurance
coverage – to come face-to-face with those
who want to buy: brokers, working on behalf
of their clients who are seeking insurance.
The Corporation is there to oversee, support
and promote the market.
“As the global specialist for
insurance, we recognise that
people are our strongest asset.
Hiring graduate talent is a key
focus for us. As we develop our
schemes, we focus not only on the
needs of the Corporation but also
the ambitions of our graduates.
That means – wherever you join us
– we’ll give you the experiences
you need to succeed.”
Paul Awcock, Head of Talent Sourcing
Contact
lloydsemergingtalent@recruitmentsupport.co.uk
Type of employer
Specialist risk solutions
Locations
HQ in London, North America, Latin America,
Europe, Africa, Asia Pacific
What are our graduate opportunities?
We have three types of 24-month scheme.
First, there’s the Lloyd’s Insurance Graduate
Scheme: the first scheme of its kind to be
accredited by the Chartered Insurance
Institute. It will see you undertake
placements across both the Corporation and
Lloyd’s market, giving you a 360°
perspective of the industry as well as the
internationally recognised ACII qualification.
288 | UK 300 2019/20
Second, we have our Actuarial scheme – the
perfect option for those wishing to
specialise earlier. This year, we are also
running a Business scheme, allowing you to
understand and rotate through different
functions within the Corporation. Each will
see you fast-tracking your career in your
chosen area and gaining a relevant
professional qualification.
How do we select?
After completing the initial application form
you will undertake a number of online
assessments which include a situational
judgement test and ability tests. These are
designed to tell us more about you and align
to the Lloyd’s competencies and values. If
successful at this stage you would
undertake a video interview followed by an
assessment centre at our offices in London.
Number of employees
1,065
Number of graduate vacancies in 2020
15
Core skills required
Relating and networking
Delivering results and meeting
customer expectations
Adapting and responding to change
Commercial thinking
Creating and innovating
Achieving goals and objectives
Perspective
changes
everything
Lloyd’s is changing and needs curious
minds to define what that change will look
like. Whatever department you join, you’ll
be learning somewhere that is always
thinking about the future consequences
of daily decisions. And as part of
the Corporation, you’ll ensure these
decisions turn out for the best. We’re
looking for people with new perspectives
and the confidence to share them.
We offer a two-year programme,
designed to launch your career at Lloyd’s.
www.lloyds.com
UK
300
Lloyds Banking Group
R A N K I N G S
6th Banking, insurance and
financial services
85th In the top 300
www.lloydsbankinggrouptalent.com
More about us
As the UK’s largest retail and digital bank,
with over 26 million customers, Lloyds
Banking Group offers employees a wide
range of opportunities to make a real impact,
through main brands like Lloyds Bank,
Halifax, Scottish Widows and Bank of
Scotland.
Discover careers
As we work to redefine financial services for
the digital age, we need a broader range of
skills and experience, which means you don’t
necessarily need a business or finance
degree to join us. Instead, we’re looking for
passionate, inquisitive individuals who can
bring their unique perspective to work and
help drive the business forward. In return,
you’ll enjoy a range of opportunities that
include everything from leading technology
innovation and shaping strategy, to helping
customers, local and global business clients.
with real impact
Contact
Email address
lloydsbankinggrouptalent@tmpw.co.uk
Facebook page
facebook.com/discoverwhatmatters/
Instagram page
@lbgtalent
Type of employer
The UK’s largest retail and digital bank with
over 26 million customers
Locations
Nationwide, including London, Bristol,
Leeds, Edinburgh
290 | UK 300 2019/20
What are our graduate opportunities?
From learning how to lead, to coding next
generation banking products, we have a
variety of graduate programmes and
internships that will shape your future.
Whatever your background, if you’re
ambitious and share our purpose, we’ll help
you succeed. You’ll receive real
responsibility from day one and have
access to extensive learning and
development opportunities.
How do we select?
The application process will include an
online application, testing, a video interview
and an assessment centre. Discover more
about our application process at:
lloydsbankinggrouptalent.com/graduates
Number of employees
75,000
Number of graduate vacancies in 2020
200+
Core skills required
Communication skills
Initiative
Leadership potential
Motivation
Problem solving skills
Teamwork skills
Molecular
Biology
degree
“I raised thousands
for our charity
partner, Mental
Health UK”
Commercial
Banking:
Client Solutions
programme
International
placement in
Singapore
WHAT IMPACT
WILL YOU MAKE?
We believe diverse skillsets are essential to great work. By supporting
the national re-structuring of UK banks and doing philanthropic work
for Mental Health UK, Hebe is making the most of her science degree.
Want to do the same? Join our team and help Britain prosper.
Discover careers with real impact at
lloydsbankinggrouptalent.com
UK
300
Macfarlanes
R A N K I N G S
231st In the top 300
www.macfarlanes.com
More about us
Macfarlanes is a distinctive London-based
law firm, focussed on its clients and on
delivering excellence in the international
legal market. The firm is known for the
quality of its work; not just in dealing with
the full range of corporate and commercial
matters, but in advising clients on their
private affairs as well.
During the two-year
training contract
you will find
there’s no
watching from the
sidelines: training
here means
getting involved.
Contact
Address: 20 Cursitor Street,
London EC4A 1LT
Telephone: 020 7831 9222
Fax: 0202 7831 9607
Email: gradrec@macfarlanes.com
Facebook: @MacfarlanesGrad
Twitter: @Macfarlanesgrad
Type of employer
Macfarlanes is a distinctive London-based
law firm.
Locations
London
292 | UK 300 2019/20
Macfarlanes has made a deliberate choice to
remain smaller that many of its peers. The
cohesive nature of the firm means that
clients benefit from collective experience
and close-knit teams. The firm has decided
against growth at the expense of quality,
against size at the expense of efficiency
and agility. So whilst large enough to advise
on the most complex matters, the firm is
also small enough to ensure that its people
and work are exceptional, without fail.
What are our graduate opportunities?
Woven into every aspect of life at the firm is
an enduring commitment to the
development of trainees. We recruit 30
trainees yearly.
Number of employees
814
During the two-year training contract you
will find there’s no watching from the
sidelines; training here means getting
involved. You will be working on real cases,
doing real work for real clients from day one.
Core skills required
Ability to work under pressure
Attention to detail
Commercial awareness
Communication skills
Teamwork skills
How do we select?
Applications are to be made online via our
website. Successful applicants will be
invited to an assessment day which will
involve a partner interview, a written
exercise, a group exercise and an in-tray
exercise.
Number of graduate vacancies in 2022
31
UK
300
Marks & Spencer
R A N K I N G S
6th Retail
74th In the top 300
careers.marksandspencer.com
More about us
We have 32 million customers across the
world. And award-winning food, clothing and
homeware products. But retail is changing
and so are we – fast. Becoming a digitalfirst, future-focused business that’s more
relevant to our customers. Transforming not
only what we do, but how we do it. Setting
bolder goals and giving our people more
resources and space to achieve them.
“It’s a truly exciting
time to be at M&S. With
retail moving faster
than ever before,
anyone joining the
Our future needs doers as well as thinkers
who can evolve a more agile business and
deliver a whole new retail experience.
Where we go next will be up to you.
company now will be
building the business
of the future.”
Contact
early.careers@marks-and-spencer.com
Facebook.com/MarksandSpencer
linkedin.com/company/marks-and-spencer
twitter.com/MandSTalent
WhatsApp 07834 335603
Type of employer
One of the UK’s leading retailers, with over
1,460 stores worldwide
Locations
UK-Wide
294 | UK 300 2019/20
What are our graduate opportunities?
We need big-picture all-rounders and
subject area experts. Be an entrepreneurial
change agent, influencer and future leader
on our Enterprise Programme. Or specialise
in areas such as design, buying,
merchandising or food technology. A
business of our size and ambition needs all
kinds of talent. Visit our website for more
details.
How do we select?
This includes a number of selection
exercises, verbal reasoning, numerical tests
plus a personality questionnaire. These are
designed to tell us if you’d enjoy working
here and be a good fit for the business. If
you do well, we’ll be in touch to invite you to
an assessment centre or interview.
Number of employees
80,000
Number of graduate vacancies in 2020
50
Core skills required
Ability to work under pressure
Commercial awareness
Leadership potential
Motivation
Problem solving skills
THE
YO
YOU
Y
facebook.com/MarksandSpencer
UK
300
Mars
R A N K I N G S
7th Consumer goods –
manufacturing and
marketing
77th In the top 300
mars.co.uk/graduates
More about us
Mars has been proudly family owned for
over 100 years and is the company behind
billion dollar brands like Pedigree©,
Whiskas©, Royal Canin©, M&M’s©,
Snickers©, Dove© and Extra©. This enables
us to invest in the long-term future of our
business, our people and the planet — all
guided by our enduring 5 Principles.
Your tomorrow
We believe the world we want tomorrow
starts with how we do business today. Our
bold ambitions must be matched with
actions today from our more than 115,000
Associates in 80 countries around the
world.
starts today
Contact
LinkedIn: Mars
Glassdoor: Mars
Instagram: Mars.UK
Facebook: Mars Careers UK
Type of employer
FMCG
Confectionary, Petcare and Food
Location
Worldwide
296 | UK 300 2019/20
What are our graduate opportunities?
We offer Mars Leadership programs across
Europe for graduates in the areas:
• General Management
• Engineering
• Finance
• R&D
• Procurement
We also offer internships in France,
Germany, Netherlands and Poland.
How do we select?
These are the steps in our selection
process: Online application & questionnaire
> digital interview > Skype Interview Mars
manager > Assessment centre > getting
hired!
Number of employees
Over 115,000 worldwide
Number of graduate vacancies in 2020
25–30
Core skills required
Commercial awareness
Communication
Initiative
Leadership potential
Teamwork skills
Leadership
Experience
UK
300
Mayer Brown International LLP
R A N K I N G S
230th In the top 300
mayerbrownfutures.com
More about us
Mayer Brown was one of the first law firms
to develop a global platform in recognition
of the fact that many of its clients
increasingly needed integrated, cross
border legal advice. The firm is now one of
the world’s leading global law firms with
offices in major cities across the Americas,
Asia, Europe and the Middle East. In Brazil,
the firm has an association with Tauil &
Chequer Avogados. Through the association,
the extensive international expertise of its
lawyers and its presence in the leading
financial centres around the world, Mayer
Brown provides high quality legal advice
and client-focused solutions to support
many of the world’s leading businesses.
Contact
Danielle White
Graduate Recruitment & Development
Manager
Type of employer
Global law firm
Locations
Bangkok, Beijing, Brasilia, Brussels,
Charlotte, Chicago, Dubai, Dusseldorf,
Frankfurt, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Hong
Kong, Houston, London, Los Angeles, Mexico
City, New York, Palo Alto, Paris, Rio de
Janeiro, San Francisco, São Paulo, Shanghai,
Singapore, Tokyo and Washington DC.
What are our graduate opportunities?
One of the advantages of joining Mayer
Brown are the choices available to you. Our
trainees can tailor their training contract
from a range of different seats, including
our main practice areas in London
(Corporate & Securities, Banking & Finance,
298 | UK 300 2019/20
Real Estate, Construction, Litigation,
International Arbitration, Employment,
Pensions, Antitrust and Competition,
Insurance and Reinsurance, Tax, Financial
Services Regulatory and Intellectual
Property, Restructuring, Banking and
Insolvency) and international secondments.
If you don’t want to stray too far, a wealth
of in-house experience is also available via
our client secondments within the UK. For a
large international firm, our London office
remains a tightly knit team with an open
and inclusive culture. You will nevertheless
be given significant opportunities to assist
on matters which may be multi-disciplinary,
cross-border, complex and high-profile in
nature.
How do we select?
Online application form, online testing,
telephone interview with graduate
recruitment and an assessment centre.
Number of employees
Approx 460
Number of graduate vacancies in 2022
15
Core skills required
Attention to detail
Commercial awareness
Communication skills
Initiative
Teamwork skills
rays
Let’s talk
Practise across inspiring industries and sectors,
including cutting-edge solar energy production.
From energy companies and investment banks, to media
moguls and sports stars, our trainees help advise some
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the world. Their stories are challenging and diverse. By
working with them, yours can be too.
Get the full story at www.mayerbrownfutures.com
@Talk2MayerBrown
Open days | Vacation Schemes | Training contracts
Law worth talking about
UK
300
MBDA
R A N K I N G S
184th In the top 300
www.mbdacareers.co.uk
More about us
Whether it’s designing a future concept for
the British Army, managing the
procurement of a missile component or
using your software skills to integrate one
of our products on to the newest fighter jet,
you can be a part of delivering a more
secure tomorrow.
“I don’t think there are many
graduate opportunities that
could provide you with the
exciting opportunities
I have been privileged to
experience at MBDA. I’ve
travelled to places all over
the world with my team
and have been able to get
hands on with some of the
most advanced defence
capability, ensuring that
it is ready for use in the
armed forces.”
Alex, Test Engineer
Contact
www.mbdacareers.co.uk
Twitter.com/MBDACareers
Linkedin.com/company/mbda
Type of employer
A world-leading defence engineering
organisation.
Locations
Stevenage, Bristol and Bolton
Regarded as one of the most trusted
suppliers of defence solutions in Europe, we
have a relationship with the UK military
spanning back over 70 years. Our UK
graduate programmes in business,
technical and engineering areas provide the
foundation for a unique and exciting career
with real purpose.
What are our graduate opportunities?
We have a variety of roles in our Engineering
and Technical areas ranging from design,
research, programming, human behaviour ,
hands-on manufacturing and customer
focused aspects.
Our Business roles offer a great variety of
choice too with graduate programmes in
Finance, Supply chain, Project Management
and Procurement.
How do we select?
If successful after completing an application
from our website, we will invite you to take
part in an online test before being invited to
our assessment days.
300 | UK 300 2019/20
Number of employees
10,000+
Number of graduate vacancies in 2020
80
Core skills required
Attention to detail
Communication skills
Motivation
Problem solving skills
Teamwork skills
FOR THE
FUTURE:
SHAPERS
I N N O VAT O R S
TEAM WORKERS
EXPLORERS
IMPLEMENTORS
INFLUENCERS
w w w. m b d a c a r e e r s . c o . u k
UK
300
McDonald’s
R A N K I N G S
227th In the top 300
people.mcdonalds.co.uk
More about us
McDonald’s has operated in the UK since
1974 and currently operates over 1,280
restaurants employing over 125,000 people
who work together to combine great tasting
food, made from high quality ingredients
with service that our customers know and
trust. Our employees are committed to
being the best they can be by always
delivering a great customer experience.
Attracting, retaining and
engaging the best people
is key to our business.
That’s why we put training
and development and
creating a great place to
work at the heart of
everything we do.
Contact
people.mcdonalds.co.uk
Type of employer
Global restaurant chain with over 1,280 UK
outlets
Locations
UK-wide
What are our graduate opportunities?
If you are interested in a career leading to
managing all aspects of a successful
restaurant, including a team of around 80
employees, then the Trainee Manager
programme would be a great first step. Open
to graduates, or those with experience of
working in a customer facing environment
and managing teams – this role is restaurant
based and does involve changeable shift
patterns including working weekends and
bank holidays.
After successfully completing the training
period, Trainee Managers are promoted to
302 | UK 300 2019/20
McDonald’s invests over £43 million in
development programmes for its employees
each year. The company has a proven track
record of career progression, with a number
of the executive team having started their
careers on the graduate Trainee Manager
programme. Whatever our employees are
looking for from a career, they can find it
with us.
2nd Assistant Managers and become part of
the core restaurant management team.
Opportunities for promotion include
progressing to 1st Assistant Manager then to
Business Manager – opportunities then arise
to progress to area management roles or
secondments in support departments.
How do we select?
If you are applying to be a trainee manager at
McDonald’s, you can expect the recruitment
process to typically last between four and
eight weeks. There are five stages:
• The online application
• The personality questionnaire
• The assessment centre
• The on-job evaluation (OJE)
• The final interview
Throughout the selection process,
McDonald’s recruiters will be assessing you
against the core skills listed in this article.
Number of employees
125,000
Number of graduate vacancies in 2020
30
Core skills required
Ability to work under pressure
Communication skills
Leadership potential
Problem solving skills
Teamwork skills
UK
300
MI5 – The Security Service
R A N K I N G S
2nd Public sector
11th In the top 300
www.mi5.gov.uk/careers
More about us
MI5 safeguards the UK against threats to
national security including terrorism,
espionage, cyber and sabotage. We
investigate suspect individuals and
organisations to obtain, collate, analyse and
assess secret intelligence relating to these
threats. We also act to counter the sources
of threats and advise the critical national
infrastructure on protective security
measures, to help them reduce their
vulnerability. Graduates from a range of
backgrounds join MI5 for stimulating and
rewarding careers, in a supportive
environment, whilst enjoying a good worklife balance.
“Whatever your role across MI5,
it’s never about personal
recognition. It’s about feeling that
sense of achievement when your
team has helped to keep the
country safe. Because you can’t
shout about what you do, you find
yourself turning to those around
you. That’s why the people here
really do become your support
network. It’s this feeling of being
in it together that’s so rewarding.”
Contact
www.mi5.gov.uk/careers
Type of employer
MI5 is the UK’s national security intelligence
agency.
Locations
Great Britain and Northern Ireland
What are our graduate opportunities?
Many graduates join our Intelligence Officer
Development Programme which covers the
first 4 years of an Intelligence Officer’s
career. It is designed to teach you about
investigations and give you the skills to
run them.
Others join our Intelligence and Data Analyst
Development Programme which is a
structured 2 year programme where you
will be analysing and interpreting data
which is vital to our investigations.
304 | UK 300 2019/20
MI5 also offers a Technology Graduate
Development Programme which is a
structured programme that gives you the IT
skills to work in our pioneering IT function.
For graduates who are looking for a
rewarding career in corporate services MI5
also recruits Business Enablers.
Graduates can also join as Russian or
Mandarin analysts.
How do we select?
The process varies by role but is likely to
contain online, technical or language tests
related to the role; a telephone interview; an
assessment centre; a competency based
face-to-face interview; a security interview
with a vetting officer and a final selection
board.
Number of employees
c. 4,000
Number of graduate vacancies in 2020
c. 200+
Core skills required
Attention to detail
Communication skills
Motivation
Problem solving skills
Teamwork skills
YOUR
POTENTIAL IS
GREATER THAN
FICTION
Intelligence Officer
Development Programme
£31,807, rising to £34,385
afte
af
terr one
te
one year
y ar
ye
after
You might think that working for MI5 as an Intelligence
Officer is the stuff of imagination. But it’s a real job for
real people. In fact, we need individuals from a diverse
range of backgrounds to bring different perspectives
and experiences to the role.
You might assume that you don’t have what it takes
but you could well have the attributes we’re looking
for. We need people with excellent communication
skills, who enjoy problem solving and have the ability
to see the bigger picture. We’ll teach you the rest
through a structured development programme
where you’ll learn how to help keep the country safe.
And while you might think it’s a stressful, intense job,
it’s actually all about team-work and the environment
is incredibly supportive. You also can’t take your work
home with you, so that’s the work-life balance sorted!
MI5 is committed to equal opportunities and to reflecting
the society we protect. All applications are welcome, but
we particularly welcome applications from women and
Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic candidates.
To enjoy one of the most rewarding careers you can
imagine, find out more about the Intelligence Officer
Development Programme at www.mi5.gov.uk/careers
UK
300
MI6 – Secret Intelligence Service
R A N K I N G S
1st Public sector
4th
In the top 300
www.sis.gov.uk
More about us
We’re MI6, also known as the Secret
Intelligence Service (SIS). Since 1909, our
people have been united by a single
mission: to protect the security and
economic wellbeing of the UK from foreign
threats.
“I learn something
Regional instability, terrorism and cyber
attacks are just some of the major
challenges facing the world in the 21st
Century. We help ensure the Government
can counter these threats effectively
through the provision of secret intelligence.
A career in MI6 will see you providing vital
support to this work, while learning from
some of the best minds in their fields.
new every day in
MI6: some very
basic, and some
mind-blowing.”
Contact
www.sis.gov.uk
Type of employer
MI6 operate worldwide to protect the
security and economic wellbeing of the UK
from overseas threats.
Locations
London and overseas
What are our graduate opportunities?
If you’ve never considered a career in MI6,
then you’re probably exactly who we’re
looking for. Initially London-based,
depending on the role you could be working
overseas experiencing new cultures,
supported by excellent training and
development. Changing roles every 3 years
means you gain a range of skills and
experience, while immersing yourself in
projects vital to national security.
How do we select?
The requirements vary, depending on the
role you’re interested in. However, typically
you’ll complete an online application form
and be invited to interview, followed by an
assessment centre. If successful, you will
be required to go through our stringent
vetting process. All applicants need to be
British citizens or have dual British
nationality.
306 | UK 300 2019/20
Number of employees
400+
Number of graduate vacancies in 2020
A range of corporate and operational roles.
Core skills required
Ability to work under pressure
Attention to detail
Commercial awareness
Communication skills
Creativity
Initiative
Leadership potential
Meeting deadlines
Motivation
Organisational skills
Problem solving skills
Teamwork skills
I’ve never been near
a top university.
And I’m the perfect
fit for MI6.
Corporate and Operational
Graduate opportunities
Find out more at www.sis.gov.uk
Secretly,
we’re just
you.
Many
backgrounds,
one like
mission
UK
300
Mills & Reeve LLP
R A N K I N G S
249th In the top 300
www.mills-reeve.com
More about us
You will often hear us say “Achieve more.
Together”, and while many law firms talk
about teamwork and collaboration, it’s not
just a catchphrase for us. It’s the cornerstone
of our culture and how we work.
Of course, you want to know that we have
six offices across the UK with 1,000 staff
and over 500 lawyers. But more importantly
you should know that we were crowned Law
Firm of the Year by both Legal Week and
RollonFriday, and we have appeared in The
Sunday Times Top 100 Best Companies to
Work For list for a record 16 years (the only
law firm to do this).
97% of us would
recommend you
work here.
Being a trainee at Mills & Reeve gives you
something a bit different. The quality of the
work you will get involved with, the contact
and relationships you will build with clients
and the culture of the firm you work in. And
that’s why 97% of us would recommend you
work here!
Contact
Rachel Chapman
78-84 Colmore Row, Birmingham B3 2AB
T: 0121 454 4000
E: graduate.recruitment@mills-reeve.com
Type of employer
Legal sector
Locations
Birmingham, Cambridge, Leeds, London,
Manchester, Norwich
What are our graduate opportunities?
A Mills & Reeve trainee gets more
opportunities and experiences than many
firms. We want you to really understand
what it’s like to be a lawyer and the best
way to do that is to give you responsibility.
You’ll be working with national and
international clients where you are given
the freedom to learn in a supportive
environment. Trainees take on six 4-month
seats in our offices in Birmingham,
Cambridge, Manchester or Norwich offices.
308 | UK 300 2019/20
Completing a seat in a different office
(including Leeds and London) is
encouraged and supported with an
accommodation allowance.
Our award-winning summer vacation
scheme is the ideal introduction to Mills &
Reeve and gives you a real taste of life as a
lawyer. During your time with us you will be
placed in real-life situations, preparing draft
documents, researching, attending court
hearings and meeting clients. You will work
with a variety of lawyers around the
business over the course of two weeks,
changing teams every two to three days.
This year, we will only be recruiting trainees
through our summer vacation scheme and
we are currently recruiting for our 2022
trainee cohort.
How do we select?
Online application form, online critical
thinking test, assessment centre, face to
face interview.
Number of employees
1,069
Number of graduate vacancies in 2022
37 summer placements
20 training contracts
Core skills required
Ability to work under pressure
Attention to detail
Commercial awareness
Communication skills
Creativity
Initiative
Leadership potential
Meeting deadlines
Motivation
Organisational skills
Problem solving skills
Teamwork skills
We are Mills & Reeve
UK Law Firm of the Year
British Legal Awards 2018/19
Expect more from
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www.mills-reeve.com
UK
300
Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP
R A N K I N G S
256th In the top 300
www.morganlewis.com
More about us
With 31 offices across North America, Asia,
Europe and the Middle East, Morgan Lewis
provides comprehensive corporate,
transactional, regulatory and litigation
services to clients of all sizes across all
major industries. The firm’s regulatory and
industry focused practices help clients
address legal, government and policy
challenges. Morgan Lewis’ London office
offers a wide range of business and
commercial services for various business
sectors, including life sciences, financial
services and technology, where the firm’s
leading regulatory and commercial lawyers
provide a real insight into their industries.
Agile. Responsive.
Results Minded.
Contact
Morgan, Lewis & Bockius UK LLP
Condor House, 5–10 St. Paul’s Churchyard,
London, EC4M 8AL, United Kingdom
020 3201 5000
londontrainingprogramme@
morganlewis.com
Type of employer
A US law firm offering a wide range of
business and commercial services.
Locations
Abu Dhabi, Almaty, Beijing, Boston,
Brussels, Chicago, Century City, Dallas,
Dubai, Frankfurt, Hartford, Hong Kong,
Houston, London, Los Angeles, Miami,
Moscow, New York, Nur-Sultan, Orange
County, Paris, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh,
Princeton, San Francisco, Shanghai, Silicon
Valley, Singapore, Tokyo, Washington DC
and Wilmington.
310 | UK 300 2019/20
What are our graduate opportunities?
Trainees in our London office work directly
with senior lawyers across practices and
industry groups on complex and, frequently,
cross-border matters. We offer a hands-on
and varied experience where trainees build
a thorough understanding of our firm’s
business and of working with international,
high-profile clients.
Our summer vacation scheme provides
students with the opportunity to learn more
about the firm, meet some of our people
and gain insight into life at Morgan Lewis.
How do we select?
Applications for both our summer scheme
and training contract programmes should
be made online in the first instance. We
then conduct first-stage telephone
interviews, before inviting successful
applicants to an assessment centre which
includes panel interviews, a written exercise
and a group activity.
Number of employees
Over 2,200 legal professionals around the
world.
Number of graduate vacancies in 2022
Up to 8 training contracts and up to 10
summer scheme placements per year
Core skills required
Ability to work under pressure
Attention to detail
Commercial awareness
Communication skills
Initiative
Problem solving skills
Teamwork skills
ALWAYS ON
At Morgan Lewis, we work in collaboration. We work
around the clock and around the world—always ready,
always on—to respond to the needs of our clients and
craft powerful solutions for them. From our 30 offices
in North America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East,
we work with clients that range from established,
global Fortune 100 companies to enterprising startups.
www.morganlewis.com
© 2018 Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP
© 2018 Morgan Lewis Stamford LLC
© 2018 Morgan, Lewis & Bockius UK LLP
Morgan, Lewis & Bockius UK LLP is a limited liability partnership registered in England and Wales under number OC378797 and is a law firm authorised and regulated by the
Solicitors Regulation Authority. The SRA authorisation number is 615176.
*Our Beijing office operates as a representative office of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP. In Shanghai, we operate as a branch of Morgan Lewis Consulting (Beijing) Company Limited,
and an application to establish a representative office of the firm is pending before the Ministry of Justice. In Hong Kong, Morgan Lewis operates through Morgan, Lewis & Bockius,
which is a separate Hong Kong general partnership registered with The Law Society of Hong Kong as a registered foreign law firm operating in Association with Luk & Partners.
This material is provided for your convenience and does not constitute legal advice or create an attorney-client relationship. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes. Attorney Advertising.
UK
300
Morgan Stanley
R A N K I N G S
5th Investment banking and
investment
40th In the top 300
www.morganstanley.com/campus
More about us
Morgan Stanley is one of the world’s leading
financial services firms. We generate,
manage and distribute capital, helping
businesses get the funds they need to
develop innovative products and services
that benefit millions. Our work is defined by
the passion and dedication of our people,
and their goals are achieved through hiring,
training and rewarding the best possible
talent.
Contact
www.morganstanley.com/campus
Type of employer
Financial Services
Locations
London and Glasgow
What are our graduate opportunities?
Morgan Stanley has graduate opportunities
in Finance, Human Resources, Investment
Banking and Technology. All of Morgan
Stanley’s programmes are designed to
provide the knowledge and toolkit
graduates need to develop quickly into an
effective and successful professional in
their chosen area. Training is not limited to
the first weeks or months on the job, but
continues throughout a graduate’s career.
312 | UK 300 2019/20
How do we select?
There is no typical person at Morgan
Stanley. Our people come from a wide
variety of backgrounds and interests but
they are all high achievers who share
integrity, intellectual curiosity and the
desire to work in a collegial environment.
Attitude is therefore just as important as
aptitude, which is why we accept
academically excellent applicants from all
degree disciplines.
Candidates must apply online at
www.morganstanley.com/campus and are
encouraged to apply early as we recruit on
an ongoing basis.
Number of employees
60,000
Number of graduate vacancies in 2020
200
Core skills required
Communication skills
Initiative
Motivation
Problem solving skills
Teamwork skills
Want to see the world?
How about building
a new one?
Anyone can tour China. How about helping create jobs there?
Or helping revitalize the airline industry in Spain?
Or strengthening the mobile infrastructure in Mexico?
That’s the kind of change we’re working to create.
Because we don’t want to just see the world, we want to
see a better one. Join us.
What Will You Create?
morganstanley.com /campus
Morgan Stanley is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversifying its workforce. ʽȼȺȻɂ Morgan Stanley
Anjali
Technology
UK
300
Mott MacDonald
R A N K I N G S
3rd Construction, civil
engineering and surveying
83rd In the top 300
www.mottmac.com/careers/uk-graduate
More about us
We’re a global engineering, management
and development consultancy focused on
guiding our clients through many of the
planet’s most intricate challenges.
“Together with our clients,
we are solving the world’s
most intricate challenges.
We search out the
connections others fail to
make, to unlock creativity
and deliver better
outcomes for the lives
we touch every day.”
Contact
Early Careers Talent Acquisition Team
Mott MacDonald House
8–10 Sydenham Road
Croydon CR0 2EE
earlycareers.recruitment@mottmac.com
Twitter: MottMacLife
Instagram: mottmacgroup
Facebook: mottmacdonaldgroup
LinkedIn: mott-macdonald
YouTube: mottmacdonaldgroup
Type of employer
An employee owned global management,
engineering and development consultancy.
Locations
Active in 150 countries
What are our graduate opportunities?
Civil and structural engineering, mechanical
engineering, electrical engineering, project
management, building services, quantity
surveying, transport planning, management
314 | UK 300 2019/20
Our 16,000- strong network of experts find
opportunities in complexity, so our graduate
schemes will enable you to enhance your
skills, knowledge and experience with the
right support and guidance every step of
the way.
Our employees take leading roles on some
of the world’s highest profile projects,
turning obstacles into elegant, sustainable
solutions. By challenging norms and
unlocking creativity, we deliver long-lasting
economic, environmental and social
outcomes for societies around the globe.
consultancy, aviation, environment, fire
engineering and acoustic engineering. We
also recruit some additional disciplines
which change on an annual basis. You’ll be
enrolled onto Accelerating Your Future, a
structured development programme
introducing key business and commercial
competencies. This programme will support
you in driving your careers forward with us,
while helping you develop skills to unlock
your full potential. We also have a summer
internship and industrial placement scheme.
How do we select?
You’ll be asked to complete an online
strength based assessment and following
this you’ll be invited to complete our
application form. This is designed to find out
about your passion for the sector you are
applying for and what motivates you.
We conduct face to face interviews where
you will have the chance to meet our teams
and see the offices.
Number of employees
16,000+
Number of graduate vacancies in 2020
280
Core skills required
Ability to work under pressure
Communication skills
Creativity
Meeting deadlines
Motivation
Problem solving skills
UK
300
National Audit Office
R A N K I N G S
5th Accounting and financial
management
122nd In the top 300
www.naoaccountancyscheme.co.uk
“I have worked on the whole of
government accounts, which is
a really cool thing to experience
as it gives you a great insight
into how the world works.”
(Current trainee)
More about us
Our position is unique, and our work is
highly influential. Totally and distinctively
independent, we scrutinise public spending
for Parliament and investigate major
government projects and programmes. This
means we work for, and for the good of,
everyone in the country. We help our
economy and society work better –
supporting and enabling improvements in
the way services are delivered right across
the public sector to all citizens. Our people
have a great reputation among our clients,
Parliament, other international audit
institutions and the wider accountancy
profession. In addition to Accountants we
employ Analysts, Statisticians, Economists
and specialists in a variety of other
disciplines to foster a fantastic learning
environment.
“No two days in the office are
the same; each day presents a
new challenge and you
regularly get exposed to a
different range of clients. As I
progress in my role, I learn to
take on challenging areas that
involve more judgement.”
(Current trainee)
Contact
Telephone the Recruitment Team on:
020 7798 7227 or e-mail:
HRServiceDesk@nao.org.uk
away, helping to research, plan and carry
out audits as well as getting opportunities
to work on our high profile value for money
studies.
Number of employees
c.900
Type of employer
The National Audit Office scrutinises
government spending on behalf of
Parliament.
How do we select?
Our selection process involves the following:
• online application
• online assessments
• telephone interview
• assessment centre
Core skills required
Attention to detail
Commercial awareness
Communication skills
Motivation
Organisational skills
Problem solving skills
Teamwork skills
Locations
London and Newcastle
What are our graduate opportunities?
We recruit around 70 graduates a year with
a 2:1 degree or better in any subject. We
offer a three-year full funded ACA training
programme, which sees our graduates right
through to qualification as a chartered
accountant. Trainees get to work with our
unique set of government clients straight
316 | UK 300 2019/20
Candidates are assessed on their data
analytical skills as well as their ability to
demonstrate sound judgement, collaborate,
communicate and prioritise. We also look for
people who understand the bigger picture
and how we support crucial improvements
to how public services are delivered to
millions of people everyday. So come join
the NAO, where you can make a real
difference!
Number of graduate vacancies in 2020
c.70
CHANGE
YOUR
WORLD
ACA CHARTERED
ACCOUNTANCY SCHEME
naoaccountancyscheme.co.uk
UK
300
Next
R A N K I N G S
200th In the top 300
www.careers.next.co.uk/trainees
More about us
Want to train with one of the greats in retail
fashion, and ignite your career with us?
Offering one of the
Our story
We are one of the largest UK retailers in
fashion & home.
best career training
opportunities in
Retail Fashion.
Next is a mainstay in the FTSE-100, with
over 740 global stores and online presence
in over 70 countries. We’re everywhere!
Be part of our Next
We are focused on designing the latest
trends & dedicated to creating leading
collections, from swimwear to sofas.
generation.
Contact
Say hello
Trainee_careers@next.co.uk
linkedin.com/companies/next-group-plc
facebook.com/nextcareers
instagram.com/next_careers
Type of employer
We are one of the UK’s leading retailers,
ruling the roost in the style stakes.
Locations
Head Office, Leicester
What are our graduate opportunities?
We are looking for Trainee Merchandisers –
We’re after those with a head for figures and
a heart for fashion. So, if you’re analytically
minded, this could be the job for you.
Merchandising’s about more than just
number crunching. You’ll be right there in
the middle of all the commercial challenges
318 | UK 300 2019/20
and creative excitement that comes with
bringing next season’s hottest looks to the
high street. As a Trainee Merchandiser you
will analyse sales daily, manage and
negotiate with our suppliers across the
globe and contribute to developing the
produce range for your area.
How do we select?
There are four steps to our process
1) Online application, questionnaire &
numerical and verbal reasoning tests.
2) Video Interview
3) Telephone interview
4) Assessment Centre
Depending on your availability, the process
from application to being offered the role
can be completed in 2 months. If you have
any Merchandising experience e.g. a
placement year, let us know
(trainee_careers@next.co.uk) and we can
fast track you through the process.
Number of employees
Over 40,000 people in the UK
Number of graduate vacancies in 2020
c50 (Our intake runs throughout the year)
Core skills required
Ability to work under pressure
Attention to detail
Commercial awareness
Communication skills
Organisational skills
Problem solving skills
FIXATED BY
FASHION & FIXTURES?
WE WANT TO MEET TRAINEE
MERCHANDISERS WHO GET A KICK OUT OF
TRENDS AND FIGURES.
Someone who is ready to start a progressive
career in the fashion world, with constant
training and development opportunities.
If you are tantalised by the sound of the above
and ready to make an impact at Next, then
we’d love to hear from you.
CHECK US OUT AT:
CAREERS.NEXT.CO.UK/TRAINEES
UK
300
NFU Mutual
R A N K I N G S
253rd In the top 300
www.nfumutual.co.uk
More about us
For over 100 years, we’ve insured Britain’s
farming communities. Now, our customers
come from all walks of life, but our ethos is
the same – honesty, fairness and trust.
Today, our customers are as diverse as our
products. But each and every one of them
appreciates – and deserves – our personal
service and honest advice. We offer
insurance, pensions, investments and
protection. Whether our customers are
insuring their home or their business,
organising a pension or investing their
money, our experts are available.
“I am immensely proud of our
Graduate Scheme here at
NFU Mutual and the way it
has grown over the last 9
years. It’s a real testament to
our commitment in bringing
in the next generation of
talent and our goal of being a
Great Place to Work.”
(Trisha Jones – HR Director)
Contact
@nfum_Careers, nfumutual.co.uk/graduate,
talent_development@nfumutual.co.uk
Type of employer
Insurance, Pensions and Investments
Locations
Nationwide
What are our graduate opportunities?
We have graduate schemes in every area of
the business from Marketing and IT, Sales &
Business Management through to Claims,
Underwriting and HR. We offer a tailored
development programme for all trainees as
well as supporting a relevant professional
qualification. We have both rotational and
function specific schemes with the main
aim of providing future leadership potential,
giving both breadth and depth of
knowledge.
How do we select?
The first stage is completion of verbal and
numerical reasoning tests. We then do a CV
sift followed by video interview and
assessment centre. The final stage of the
process is a face to face competency based
interview. We will keep in touch with you
every step of the way to ensure you receive
the best possible candidate experience.
320 | UK 300 2019/20
Number of employees
3,500
Number of graduate vacancies in 2020
30
Core skills required
Commercial awareness
Creativity
Initiative
Leadership potential
Motivation
NFU MUTUAL
For over 100 years, we’ve insured Britain’s
farming communities. Now, our customers
come from all walks of life, but our ethos is
the same – honest, fairness and trust. Today,
our customers are as diverse as our products.
But each and every one of them appreciates – and
deserves – our personal service and honest advice.
We offer insurance, pensions, investments and
protection. Whether our customers are insuring
their home or their business, organising a pension
or investing their money, our experts are available.
WHAT ARE OUR GRADUATE OPPORTUNITIES?
We have graduate schemes in every area of the
business from Marketing and IT, Sales & Business
Management through to Claims, Underwriting and
HR. We offer a tailored development programme
for all trainees as well as supporting a relevant
professional qualification.
leadership potential, giving both breadth and depth
of knowledge.
HOW DO WE SELECT?
The first stage is completion of verbal and
numerical reasoning tests. We then do a CV sift
followed by video interview and assessment centre.
The final stage of the process is a face to face
competency based interview.
We will keep in touch with you every step of the way
to ensure you receive the best possible candidate
experience.
“I am immensely proud of our Graduate
Scheme here at NFU Mutual and the way it
has grown over the last 9 years. It’s a real
testament to our commitment in bringing in
the next generation of talent and our goal of
being a Great Place to Work.”
Trisha Jones – HR Director.
We have both rotational and function specific
schemes with the main aim of providing future
The National Farmers Union Mutual Insurance Society Limited (No. 111982). Registered in England. Registered office: Tiddington Road, Stratford upon Avon, Warwickshire CV37 7BJ.
A member of the Association of British Insurers. Authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority.
UK
300
NHS Graduate Management Training Scheme (GMTS)
NHS Leadership Academy
R A N K I N G S
9th Public sector
36th In the top 300
www.nhsgraduates.co.uk
More about us
Our NHS is like no other organisation. With
an annual budget of approximately £115
billion, we’re Europe’s largest employer.
Founded in 1948, the NHS was created from
the vision that good healthcare should be
available to all, regardless of wealth.
Nothing’s changed: yet our challenges are
tougher than ever. Only the most
determined, resilient, talented graduates
will thrive on our multi-award winning, fasttrack development scheme to healthcare
leadership.
What other graduate
scheme gives you
the opportunity to
help shape the way
healthcare is
delivered to a
nation
Contact
Email: graduatescheme.nla@hee.nhs.uk
Facebook: NHSGraduateScheme
Twitter: @NHSGradScheme.
SnapChat:
snapchat.com/add/nhsgradscheme
Type of employer Healthcare Provider
Locations Nationwide
What are our graduate opportunities?
The NHS Graduate Management Training
Scheme is nothing less than a life defining
experience. Whether you join our Finance,
General Management, Human Resources,
Health Informatics, Policy and Strategy or
Health Analysis specialisms, you’ll receive
everything you need to make a positive
impact on the lives of 56 million people
across England and to develop as a
professional leaderYou’ll benefit from a
comprehensive learning and development
package designed by some of the most
experienced and expert learning providers in
the UK.
322 | UK 300 2019/20
How do we select?
Stage 1
• Candidates are asked to complete an
online application form by visiting the
apply section of our website.
• Completion of the application form is
followed by 5 online tests. These tests
focus on candidate’s general abilities and
how they would respond to situations they
would typically face on the scheme.
Stage 2
• If your application is successful you will
be invited to the interview stage which
could be face to face with Senior NHS
Managers or a video interview.
Stage 3
• Should the candidate then be successful
at interview, they will be asked to attend
an assessment centre which will involve a
mixture of interactive exercises designed
to give you an insight into the
responsibilities and challenges you would
face on the scheme.
Number of employees
Over 1.2 million
Number of graduate vacancies in 2020
Approx. 500
Core skills required
Ability to work under pressure
Initiative
Leadership potential
Problem solving skills
Teamwork skills
I WANT THIS TO BE A PART OF
POSITIVE CHANGE
TO IMPROVE
PATIENT CARE
AND EXPERIENCE.
THIS IS NO ORDINARY
GRADUATE SCHEME.
UK
300
Nissan UK
R A N K I N G S
150th In the top 300
www.careersatnissan.co.uk
More about us
As a world leader, Nissan has an established
presence in the UK with locations including
Sunderland, Maple Cross and Cranfield
covering a variety of areas including
Research & Development, Manufacturing
and Sales & Marketing. Our continued
success is driven by our ability to produce
high quality vehicles at a competitive cost.
We are looking for graduates and
placements to join us in defining the future
of intelligent mobility. Our programmes are
designed to give you hands-on experience
and the opportunity to get involved in multimillion pound projects with global impact.
Regardless of your degree we want to hear
from you.
“We expect a lot from
you but we think you
should expect a lot
from us in return”
VP of Human
Resources,
Nissan Europe
Contact
Please follow our Facebook Page – Nissan
Jobs for regular updates on recruitment
activity.
Type of employer
We are the largest automotive company in
the UK
Locations
Sunderland, Cranfield and Maple Cross
What are our graduate opportunities?
We offer graduate opportunities across a
range of functions including: Engineering,
Finance, Health & Safety, HR, Information
Systems (Business Technology & Software
Engineering), Business Operations &
Logistics, Quality Engineering, Sales &
Marketing, Legal, Procurement and
Research and Development. Our schemes
are designed to give you the skills and
324 | UK 300 2019/20
experience to become an expert in your
field. All of our graduates and placements
get the chance of real responsibility and
experience in a challenging and diverse
environment.
How do we select?
All applicants will be required to apply via
our main corporate website. Once you select
the position you wish to apply for, then you
will need to create a profile and upload your
CV. Once your CV has been reviewed, the
first stage of the process is a values based
test, then followed by video interview. If
successful past both stages you will be
invited to assessment centre. If you pass
our assessment centre we will then
formalise your job offer. All of our job offers
are subject to medical, right to work check
and proof of degree.
Number of employees
7,000
Number of graduate vacancies in 2020
60
Core skills required
Ability to work under pressure
Communication skills
Creativity
Leadership potential
Teamwork skills
UK
300
Norton Rose Fulbright LLP
R A N K I N G S
147th In the top 300
www.nortonrosefulbrightgraduates.com
More about us
We provide the world’s preeminent
corporations and financial institutions with
a full business law service. Recognised for
our industry focus, we are strong across all
the key industry sectors: financial
institutions; energy; infrastructure, mining
and commodities; transport; technology
and innovation; and life sciences and
healthcare. Through our global risk advisory
group, we leverage our industry experience
with our knowledge of legal, regulatory,
compliance and governance issues to
provide our clients with practical solutions
to the legal and regulatory risks facing their
businesses.
When we hire you, we are
making an investment. We
ensure we all get the
maximum return on this by
providing the highest
standards of training.
Becoming an outstanding
lawyer is about continuous
development - we will make
sure you are challenged and
rewarded in equal measure.
Contact
Graduate Recruitment
Tel: 020 7444 2113
Email: graduate.recruitment@
nortonrosefulbright.com
Type of employer
Law Firm
Locations
We have more than 4,000 lawyers and other
legal staff based in Europe, the United
States, Canada, Latin America, Asia,
Australia, the Middle East and Africa.
What are our graduate opportunities?
We offer up to 45 training contracts each
year across two intakes. Over two years –
broken into four six-month seats – you’ll hit
all kinds of new firsts with us, big and small.
326 | UK 300 2019/20
You’ll explore new areas, for instance. Each
seat will take you through different sectors
and practice areas, with at least one seat in
each of corporate, banking and litigation.
One of your seats will almost certainly be on
secondment too – your first encounter with
working in a new country, or maybe six
months spent working in a client office.
We also offer Winter, Spring and Summer
vacation schemes, a First Step programme
(for first years) and open days. For more
information please visit our website.
How do we select?
Online CV and covering letter. Assessment
days for vacation scheme and TCs.
Number of employees
Trainees: 79
Partners: 1,100 worldwide
Total staff: 4,000 worldwide
Number of graduate vacancies in 2022
Up to 45
Core skills required
Ability to work under pressure
Attention to detail
Commercial awareness
Communication skills
Creativity
Initiative
Leadership potential
Meeting deadlines
Motivation
Organisational skills
Problem solving skills
Teamwork skills
UK
300
nucleargraduates
R A N K I N G S
10th Scientific research and
development
117th In the top 300
www.nucleargraduates.com
More about us
The UK’s nuclear industry is facing its
biggest challenge in decades. Existing
power stations are being decommissioned,
a new wave of plants has been given the go
ahead, the next generation of submarines is
being tested and a long term waste storage
solution is required.
“Two years, three
secondments,
The need for suitably skilled graduates from
the UK is greater and more urgent than ever.
endless
Engineers and scientists will all be essential
to the future of this sector. That’s why
leading businesses and organisations have
come together to create the most
comprehensive scheme the industry has
ever seen, nucleargraduates.
possibilities.”
Contact
questions@nucleargraduates.com
Type of employer
A collaborative approach by UK nuclear
sector employers.
Locations
National; including Bristol, Cumbria, Derby,
Warrington and Liverpool.
What are our graduate opportunities?
Our scheme lasts for two experience-packed
years. Built around diverse placements and
structured training this IMechE, IET, IoP and
RSC accredited programme will see you
sponsored by a choice of companies,
followed by employment with your
sponsoring company.
We are looking for engineers, scientists and
business graduates. We have some of the
most cutting-edge roles available for
electrical engineers.
How do we select?
The process consists of 3 stages: online
application form and on-line tests, video
interview and assessment centre. This
challenging but rewarding experience involves
role playing, interviews and presentations to
help us learn more about you.
You will also be subject to security checks
following the assessment centres.
328 | UK 300 2019/20
Number of employees
100+
Number of graduate vacancies in 2020
45
Core skills required
Ability to work under pressure
Initiative
Meeting deadlines
Motivation
Organisational skills
BEGIN A CAREER.
EXPLORE A WHOLE
INDUSTRY
TWO YEARS.
THREE SECONDMENTS.
ENDLESS POSSIBILITIES
nucleargraduates is a unique graduate programme
where you join three different employers over two
years to get your career within the Nuclear Industry
off to a flying start.
Discover more about this exciting gateway to
one of the most stable and secure industries
in the United Kingdom today by visiting
nucleargraduates.com/apply
nucleargraduates.com
UK
300
Osborne Clarke LLP
R A N K I N G S
248th In the top 300
www.joinoc.com
More about us
Osborne Clarke is a forward thinking
multinational legal practice. Our focussed
strategy and positive working environment
have been rewarded by many prestigious
awards for career progression, management
and culture. With 24 offices around the
world. The core sectors we work in all thrive
on innovation; digital business, energy,
financial services, life sciences, real estate,
recruitment and transport. Our sector teams
include lawyers from all legal disciplines,
effortlessly blending expertise, insight and
enthusiasm – organised around the current
affairs and future challenges of the
industries we serve, rather than traditional
legal practice areas. It helps keep us one
step ahead.
“I got client contact
from day one of my
training contract, and
three weeks in was
asked to run a client
meeting”
James Taylor
Senior Associate,
Corporate
Contact
Trainee recruitment
E: trainee.recruitment@osborneclarke.com
T: 0117 917 3484
Twitter: @OC_Trainee
Type of employer
Law Firm
Locations
We are recruiting trainee solicitors for our
London, Bristol and Thames Valley offices.
What are our graduate opportunities?
We recruit 20 trainee solicitors each year.
We look for candidates who can;
communicate effectively, think
commercially and practically, solve
problems creatively, build effective
relationships and demonstrate initiative.
Foreign language skills are an advantage.
Strong academic achievement is essential
and you should have achieved, or expect to
achieve, at least a 2.1 degree in any
discipline with grades A-B at A level or
equivalent.
How do we select?
• Online application form and verbal
reasoning test.
• Assessment day (group exercises and
written exercise).
• Panel interview.
330 | UK 300 2019/20
Number of employees
1,632
Number of graduate vacancies in 2022
20
Core skills required
Attention to detail
Commercial awareness
Communication skills
Organisational skills
Problem solving skills
osborneclarke.com
At Osborne Clarke, we’re uniquely focused on the
issues driving change and shaping the brave new world of
international business. And the possibilities are limitless.
Helping you succeed
in tomorrow’s world.
Tomorrow, telematics could revolutionise the automotive industry.
Wearable technology may re-imagine healthcare. And digital
currencies could have the potential to redefine geo-politics.
But one thing’s for sure. Join us and you’ll be at the centre of
the action, proving that there’s no commercial challenge that
can’t be tackled with a little imagination and a lot of insight.
Visit futuretrainees.osborneclarke.com to apply.
UK
300
Pinsent Masons
R A N K I N G S
142nd In the top 300
www.pinsentmasons.com and www.pinsentmasons.com/graduate
More about us
Pinsent Masons is a global 100 law firm,
specialising particularly in the energy,
infrastructure, financial services, real estate
and advanced manufacturing and
technology sectors. The firm employs nearly
3000 people worldwide, including around
1500 lawyers and 400 partners. Pinsent
Masons’ international footprint
encompasses seven offices across Asia
Pacific, two offices in the Middle East, five
offices in continental Europe and one in
Africa. The firm also has comprehensive
coverage across each of the UK’s three
legal jurisdictions.
“The scale and scope of the
work that Pinsent Masons does
is impressive, and I have been
involved in multibillion pound
transactions from very early
on. The culture of the firm is
flexible and forward looking,
and there are lots of
opportunities to build your
experience and take on
responsibility.”
Sarah Manfredi, Trainee
Contact
graduate@pinsentmasons.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/PMGrads
Twitter: @PMGrads
Instagram: @pm_grads
Type of employer
Law firm
Locations
London, Aberdeen, Belfast, Birmingham,
Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds and Manchester
What are our graduate opportunities?
Vacation Placement
Over the course of a number of weeks,
attendees will be fully immersed in all
aspects of working life at Pinsent Masons.
Placement students will experience a
structured programme of work-based
learning, skills training and presentations,
as well as plenty of socialising and
networking. The programme is available
across all of our UK offices.
332 | UK 300 2019/20
Training Contract
The two-year Training Contract comprises
four six-month seats, spent in different
Practice Groups, and combines regulatory
and skills training. Seat allocations take
account of trainees’ preferences and aim to
strike a balance between their choices and
the firm’s requirements. In each seat,
trainees will be supervised by a senior
colleague who will guide them through their
learning and development. There is also full
support from Pinsent Masons’ Graduate
Development team who will meet trainees
regularly to discuss their on-going
performance.
How do we select?
Online application form, followed by an
online psychometric test and an
assessment centre in one of our offices.
Number of employees
c.3,000
Number of graduate vacancies in 2022
68
Core skills required
Attention to detail
Commercial awareness
Communication skills
Organisational skills
Teamwork skills
We want people who make the most of every opportunity available to them,
so we give them plenty.
At Pinsent Masons we have a variety of programmes available for candidates
wanting to kick start their career in a leading commercial law firm; from
School Work Experience, Apprenticeship and Vacation Placement to our
two year Training Contract which is the final stage for anyone who wishes
to qualify as a Solicitor.
If you're prepared to put yourself forward, to think commercially, to learn
new things, to respond to an ever changing environment, be innovative and
to make business work better for everyone, this could be your first step into
a great career and to you taking the law into your own hands.
pinsentmasons.com/graduate
#takethelaw
UK
300
Police Now
R A N K I N G S
106th In the top 300
www.policenow.org.uk
More about us
Police Now’s National Graduate Leadership
Programme offers outstanding graduates
the opportunity to pursue a highly
ambitious vision for social change. Its
mission? To transform communities by
inspiring, recruiting and developing leaders
in policing.
‘I have a community
to watch over, listen to
and support.’
This is a challenge that extends beyond the
basic aim of the police to prevent crime and
disorder. It’s the chance to be a leader in
society and on the policing frontline.
DC Mtitimila,
Police Now participant
DC Mtitimila is a trainee detective who
originally started his career in the police as a
neighbourhood police officer following the
completion of Police Now’s National Graduate
Leadership Programme.
Contact
graduates@policenow.org.uk
facebook.com/PoliceNow
youtube.com/PoliceNowChangeTheStory
linkedin.com/company/Police-Now
instagram.com/policenowgraduates
Type of employer
Police Now recruits and develops
outstanding graduates to be leaders in
society and on the policing frontline.
Locations
Police Now is expanding to work with over 30
forces across England and Wales, giving more
opportunities for outstanding graduates to
step forward and change the story, not just
today but for generations to come.
What are our graduate opportunities?
This is a two-year programme where
graduates become fully warranted
neighbourhood police officers. They get to
know their communities – the problems, the
334 | UK 300 2019/20
prominent offenders and the crime hotspots
within them. And right from the beginning,
they are expected to use innovative ideas
and tactics to tackle the toughest problems
and deliver high impact results.
The programme is challenging but graduates
are supported by mentors, coaches and line
managers. Opportunities to undertake
prestigious secondments with Police Now’s
partner organisations give graduates
exposure to a wide range of industries and
sectors. The skills and experience graduates
gain throughout the Police Now National
Graduate Leadership Programme ensures
that they are highly in demand, whether they
choose to stay in policing or pursue a career
elsewhere.
How do we select?
• Application form
• Online assessment
• Assessment centre
Number of graduate vacancies in 2020
380+
Core skills required
Ability to work under pressure
Communication skills
Initiative
Leadership potential
Problem solving skills
UK
300
Reed Smith
R A N K I N G S
197th In the top 300
www.reedsmith.com/united_kingdom/graduates
More about us
Founded in 1877, Reed Smith is a global
relationship law firm that represents leading
international businesses, from Fortune 100
corporations to mid-market and emerging
enterprises. Its lawyers provide litigation
and other dispute resolution services in
multi-jurisdictional and high-stake matters,
deliver regulatory counsel, and execute the
full range of strategic domestic and crossborder transactions. Reed Smith is a
preeminent advisor to industries including
financial services, life sciences, health care,
advertising, technology and media,
shipping, energy trade and commodities
and real estate.
We are looking for
outstanding graduates
to join us. Could you be
one of them?
Contact
The Graduate Recruitment Team
graduate.recruitment@reedsmith.com
+ 44 (0) 203 116 3000
Type of employer
Law Firm
Locations
Century City, Chicago, Dallas, Falls Church,
Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York,
Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Princeton,
Richmond, San Francisco, Silicon Valley,
Washington, D.C., Wilmington, Abu Dhabi,
Dubai, Greece, London, Munich, Paris,
Beijing, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Singapore,
Kazakhstan and Frankfurt
What are our graduate opportunities?
We offer a two-year, four-seat, training
contract programme, and there are also
opportunities for secondments to clients
and our overseas offices. We have 25
vacancies for training contracts.
How do we select?
As of 2015, we have moved to a strengthsbased assessment for the recruitment of
our trainee solicitors and vacation scheme
students, which focuses on what
individuals enjoy doing, rather than simply
what they can do. Unlike competency-style
questions, this type of assessment does
not heavily rely on the use of past
experience. As a result, we hope this will
level the playing field for all candidates.
To apply for an opportunity at Reed Smith,
please apply on our website.
336 | UK 300 2019/20
Number of employees
3,567 globally
Number of graduate vacancies
25
Core skills required
Attention to detail
Commercial awareness
Motivation
Problem solving skills
Teamwork skills
Training programme
Shape a career without limits
Ambitious and entrepreneurial graduates are rewarded at Reed Smith with a training programme that is
supportive, challenging and exciting, offering unparalleled client and international secondments. Our unique
culture, which allows trainees to turn passions into careers, is one of the reasons our lawyers remain with us
for such a long time, moving seats, jobs roles and even countries, but sticking with the firm.
Reed Smith is a dynamic international law firm dedicated to helping clients move their businesses forward.
Our belief is that by delivering smarter and more creative legal services, we will not only enrich our clients’
experiences with us, but also support them in achieving their business goals.
Our long-standing relationships, international outlook, and collaborative structure makes us the go-to partner
for the speedy resolution of complex disputes, transactions, and regulatory matters.
As a leading adviser to industries including financial services, energy and natural resources, entertainment
and media, real estate and shipping, our lawyers work with some of the most innovative organisations in the
world – from multi-billion dollar Silicon Valley giants to national banks. We have even represented some of the
biggest pop stars on the planet.
We offer stimulating work in an informative, challenging and busy environment where your contribution
counts from the year before you join, with our unique MA/LPC programme, through to the end of your
training contract. With four seats over two years, you choose the practice or industry group areas you would
like to experience, as well as benefiting from a client or international secondment. Our intake per year is 25,
meaning that at any given time, we will have 50 trainees in total.
If you like the sound of our firm, we would love to hear from you.
Graduate.recruitment@reedsmith.com – www.reedsmith.com/ukgraduates
reedsmith.com
UK
300
Roche
R A N K I N G S
8th Scientific research and
development
93rd In the top 300
www.roche.co.uk & www.roche.com/careers
More about us
We have had a presence in the UK since
1908, operating across three main
businesses:
Our pharmaceutical business in the UK is
one of our most important global centres for
researching and developing novel
medicines, as well as marketing these
medicines once they have been developed.
Bench to Bedside.
We lead the UK in providing a broad and
cutting-edge portfolio of tests and
technology to prevent, diagnose and
manage diseases.
We provide diabetes management solutions
and services to improve the lives of people
living with diabetes.
Contact
www.roche.co.uk
www.roche.com/careers
Type of employer
Biotech company
Locations
UK Welwyn Garden City
UK Burgess Hill
338 | UK 300 2019/20
What are our graduate opportunities?
• Data Science
• Marketing
• Public Affairs
• Regulatory
• Safety Science
How do we select?
CV & Cover Letter Screen > Video
Interview/Game Based Assessment >
Assessment Centre
Number of employees
UK 2,000
Globally 94,000
Number of graduate vacancies in 2020
Vary – 10+
Core skills required
Ability to work under pressure
Creativity
Initiative
Problem solving skills
Teamwork skills
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UK
300
Rolls-Royce
R A N K I N G S
1st Engineering, design and
manufacturing
9th
In the top 300
careers.rolls-royce.com
More about us
This is your chance to get hands-on
experience on some ground-breaking
projects as part of a business that employs
some 54,500 people in 50 countries.
“Working at Rolls-Royce is
dynamic and exciting. Teams
from all over the world work
together on some of the most
complex systems to deliver
world-class products for our
customers. I get to be part of
that every day and it makes me
immensely proud.”
A career with Rolls-Royce means creating
cleaner, faster, more competitive power;
looking to the future, and shaping the world
we live in. Whether we’re building the
world’s most efficient large aero-engine or
supporting NASA missions on the edge of
space, Rolls-Royce is all about innovation.
And as we continue to transform the
potential of technology, so could you.
We value fresh perspectives, diverse
approaches and different ways of looking
at things.
Akshay, Manufacturing
Engineering
Contact
careers.rolls-royce.com
Facebook: Rolls-Royce plc
Twitter: @rollsroyce
LinkedIn: Rolls-Royce
Youtube: rollsroyceplc
Instagram: @rollsroycegroup
Type of employer
We’re a world-leading industrial technology
company
Locations
UK, Germany, US, India, Singapore, China,
Japan
What are our graduate opportunities?
Wherever you join us, you’ll learn from
brilliant people and enjoy a range of
development opportunities. And because
graduates work on live projects, there’s
huge scope to make a big contribution.
340 | UK 300 2019/20
Opportunities are available in diverse
engineering and manufacturing engineering
specialisms. Across every programme,
Rolls-Royce looks for agile people who are
creative, analytical, innovative and
enthusiastic.
How do we select?
Our assessment process is designed to give
us an insight into your skills and
qualifications and why you’d like to be part
of Rolls-Royce. This involves:
• An online application plus online
assessments – you can practice these at
rolls-royce.cut-e.com
• An assessment centre, including
interviews and group exercises
If you’re successful, we’ll be in touch with
the good news.
Number of employees
54,500
Core skills required
Commercial awareness
Creativity
Initiative
Leadership potential
Problem solving skills
UK
300
Royal Navy
R A N K I N G S
76th In the top 300
www.royalnavy.mod.uk/careers
More about us
The Royal Navy is first and foremost a
fighting force, serving alongside our allies in
operations around the world. We protect
Britain’s ports, fishing grounds and
merchant ships, help tackle international
smuggling, terrorism and piracy.
Increasingly, we are involved in
humanitarian and relief missions, where our
skills and resourcefulness make a real
difference to people’s lives.
BA Modern Languages –
Junior Warfare Officer
“It’s more than a job,
it’s a life and a lifestyle,
and has without a
doubt truly exceeded
my expectations.”
Contact
Call 0345 607 5555 or visit
royalnavy.mod.uk/careers
How do we select?
Once we have confirmed your eligibility the
joining process for Officer is:
Type of employer
Public Sector, Armed Services
1. Register your interest
2. Medical
3. Take Fitness Test
4. Interview
5. The Admiralty Interview Board –
A one and a half day competency
based assessment
6. Selection to start training
Locations
Worldwide
What are our graduate opportunities?
We have opportunities for high-calibre, selfstarting graduates to become Royal Navy
Officers. As an Officer you will be an
important part of our command structure,
charged with managing the men and women
that make up our world leading maritime
defence. You’ll also have access to an
almost limitless career ladder as well as
training and leisure activities that few other
organisations can provide.
342 | UK 300 2019/20
Number of employees
35,000
Number of graduate vacancies in 2020
There are graduate vacancies throughout
the year.
Core skills required
Ability to work under pressure
Communication skills
Leadership potential
Organisational skills
Teamwork skills
UK
300
RPC
R A N K I N G S
270th In the top 300
www.rpc.co.uk/strikinglyreal
More about us
If you value character over conformity, the
unique over the uniform, and ambition over
apathy, let’s talk.
For us, success comes from building reallife relationships. Real-life relationships with
our clients as much as our people. And it
comes from thinking creatively to achieve
the best commercial solutions. We thrive in
an environment that’s collaborative,
forward-thinking and where you’re free to
express your personality. An environment
that allows you to make the most of your
strengths.
At RPC, you can
be you. In an
environment that’s
real. Strikingly real.
Our lawyers are market leaders. Our clients
are often household names. And together
we achieve award-winning results. Results
that have seen RPC regularly voted amongst
the best for commercial advice.
Contact
Trainee Recruitment Team
020 3060 6000
Tower Bridge House
St Katharine’s Way
London
E1W 1AA
Type of employer
Law Firm
Locations
London
Bristol
Hong Kong
Singapore
What are our graduate opportunities?
As a trainee, we believe you’ll deliver your
best if you’re free to be you. That means
being able to ask questions openly, being
supported to develop your strengths, and
having the right opportunities to grow. Our
offices are non-hierarchical and open plan.
This means from day one you’ll be sitting
close to a Partner. Whether you’re handling
complex insurance claims, resolving largescale disputes, or providing commercial
advice and transactional support, your
opinions will be listened to and respected.
In addition, as an RPC trainee, you may get
an opportunity to spend six months of your
contract seconded to our Hong Kong or
Singapore offices.
How do we select?
Face to face interview, presentation,
aptitude test and case studies.
344 | UK 300 2019/20
Number of employees
800
Number of graduate vacancies in 2022
12 (London) and 2 (Bristol)
Core skills required
Ability to work under pressure
Commercial awareness
Motivation
Problem solving skills
Teamwork skills
UK
300
Samsung
R A N K I N G S
4th IT and technology
29th In the top 300
www.samsung.com/uk/emergingtalent
More about us
Samsung is an amazing place to work full of
endless opportunities, exceptional people
and an excellent environment. As well as
this, Samsung provides the opportunity to
be a part of innovation that makes a real
difference in the lives of millions of people
worldwide. We are looking for exceptional
people to join our journey. Throughout our
history we’ve taken on big challenges and
we strive to be the very best at what we do.
This spirit is the driving strength that has
made us a global leader. This sustains our
ambition to develop state of the art
technologies that push the boundaries of
what’s possible. Join us and discover your
potential.
Inspire the World,
Create the Future.
Contact
www.linkedin.com/company/samsungelectronics
www.instagram.com/samsungtalent
Type of employer
Consumer Electronics
Locations
The majority of our opportunities are based
in our hub in Chertsey, Surrey. Our offices
are located in beautiful grounds, within easy
reach of London, and just off the M25.
What are our graduate opportunities?
Joining our Emerging Talent programme here
at Samsung means you will be a part of an
unrivalled professional development cohort
that will enable you to progress as a
professional and shape your future. You will
have a full support network in place to enable
you to be successful within your chosen
business area, along with more formal
development sessions, led by learning
346 | UK 300 2019/20
experts, throughout your two year
programme. This will give you a wide range of
commercial experience within a fast paced
environment and a platform to create new
possibilities and achieve the impossible.
Whether your role is rotational or fixed, you
can guarantee a first class learning
experience from one of the world’s most
recognisable brands. We recruit graduates
and placement students into all areas of the
business including Sales, Marketing,
Finance, Legal, Customer Experience, People,
Technical and Product Management!
How do we select?
Our application process consists of 4 stages:
• Apply online with your CV
• Complete our online assessment
• Record and submit your virtual interview
• Attend an assessment centre with
members of the People Team, managers
and current Emerging Talent
Number of employees
1,000+
Number of graduate vacancies in 2020
30+
Core skills required
Ability to work under pressure
Commercial awareness
Creativity
Problem solving skills
Teamwork skills
UK
300
Sellafield Ltd
R A N K I N G S
188th In the top 300
careers.sellafieldsite.co.uk
More about us
At Sellafield Ltd, we’re true pioneers. We led
the world in nuclear power production, now
we’re the world’s first movers into
environmental remediation. Building on our
rich history, we’re striding into an era where
we’ll transform the environment, local
society, the regional economy and the
global nuclear industry.
“There are so many
opportunities at Sellafield
Ltd and within the nuclear
industry to help you
transition from a student
to a nuclear professional.
It’s important to embrace
them and be open to new
experiences.”
Stacy Snook – Nuclear
Safety Graduate
Contact
Twitter.com/SelLtdCareers
linkedin.com/company/sellafield-ltd
NSBS.Resourcing@sellafieldsites.com
Type of employer
Decommissioning, reprocessing, spent fuel
management, nuclear waste and material
management.
Locations
Sellafield, Cumbria
Risley, Warrington
Covering six square kilometres, the site in
West Cumbria is home to more than 200
nuclear facilities. A team of 11,000 people
work, to tackle a diverse portfolio of
decommissioning, reprocessing, spent fuel
management, nuclear waste management
and nuclear material management.
What are our graduate opportunities?
We have opportunities for ambitious,
curious, open-minded graduates and undergraduates from the most diverse range of
degree disciplines and backgrounds.
Number of employees
Our work demands a mix of direct
employment and supply chain capability.
Together they are a team of over 11,000
nuclear experts.
Whichever profession you join us in, you’ve
got so much to look forward to. Complex
challenges, global-first achievements,
technological leaps, high-performance
thinking and the opportunity to learn from
industry - sometimes world - experts.
Number of graduate vacancies in 2020
55
How do we select?
Applications, from candidates on track for at
least a 2:1, that pass our initial selection
criteria are required to complete an online
aptitude/ability test, telephone interview
and assessment centre to ensure we get
the highest calibre candidates. More
information can be found on our website.
348 | UK 300 2019/20
Core skills required
Attention to detail
Communication skills
Creativity
Problem solving skills
Teamwork skills
The opportunity
of an era
Graduate and Placement Opportunities
Opportunities like ours don’t come around every day. Join Sellafield Ltd and you’ll be in a world where global-first
achievements, pioneering tech and high-performance thinking all combine in one ambitious mission: to transform
the environment, local society, the regional economy and the global nuclear industry. Do something era-defining.
Visit careers.sellafieldsite.co.uk
Graduate and Placement Careers
UK
300
Shell
R A N K I N G S
2nd Energy and utilities
45th In the top 300
shell.co.uk/careers
More about us
Shell is an international energy company
that aims to meet the world’s growing need
for more and cleaner energy solutions in
ways that are economically,
environmentally and socially responsible.
We are one of the world’s largest
independent energy companies, operating
in more than 70 countries and employing
around 89,000 people.
Be part of a better
future. Be part of Shell.
Contact
Facebook: www.facebook.com/shell
YouTube: www.youtube.com/shell
Twitter: www.twitter.com/shell
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/shell
Type of employer
International energy company
Locations
UK: London and Aberdeen
What are our graduate opportunities?
We’ve designed the Shell Graduate
Programme to give students and graduates
like you a real role in our business. Our
Graduate Programme will help you make the
most of your potential, personally and
professionally. Key features include:
• 2–5 year development programme.
• Challenging and substantial
responsibilities from day one.
• Excellent flexibility and work-life balance.
350 | UK 300 2019/20
The challenge for the future is to continue to
meet growing global demand for energy at
the same time as reducing carbon
emissions. Shell is an active participant in
meeting this challenge. Through collective
thinking, idea sharing and learning we can
build the collaborations necessary to deliver
a world with more, and cleaner, energy.
How do we select?
1. Online application: a few questions and a
CV upload.
2. Online assessments: a timed cognitive
test and working style assessment.
3. On demand video interview: a selfrecorded video interview where you can
tell us about yourself.
4. Final Assessment: a virtual interview, live
session, about a case study and an
interview.
5. Shell Connect: we’d love for you to come
and visit us and get a taste of what it’s
like to work at Shell.
Number of employees
89,000 globally
Number of graduate vacancies in 2020
UK: 40+
Core skills required
Communication skills
Initiative
Leadership potential
Organisational skills
Problem solving skills
UK
300
Shoosmiths
R A N K I N G S
166th In the top 300
www.shoosmiths.co.uk
More about us
Shoosmiths’ focus on people, relationships
and results has defined its achievements
for more than 160 years.
Develop your career
Our goal remains to be the leading law firm
in the UK famous for its client experience.
We’ll achieve this by staying close to our
clients, anticipating their needs and
delivering collaborative solutions to all of
their legal requirements.
at a firm focussed
on putting people,
relationships and
Our fresh and revised strategy for 2019–22
requires us to build on our excellent
success over the past years, in particular
continuing to attract and retain our
incredible talent.
results at the heart
of your training.
Contact
joinus@shoosmiths.co.uk
www.facebook.com/shoosmithsgraduates
www.twitter.com/shoosmithsgrads
www.instagram.com/shoosmithsgrads
www.youtube.com/user/shoosmithsvideo
Type of employer
A modern, forward-looking national
commercial firm with a dedicated team of
lawyers and strong support team, in 13
locations throughout the UK.
Locations
An established top 40 national law firm with
13 locations: Belfast, Birmingham,
Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, London,
Manchester, Milton Keynes, Northampton,
Nottingham, Reading, Sheffield and Solent.
(Please note we do not offer training
contracts or placements in Belfast, Glasgow,
Northampton or Sheffield).
352 | UK 300 2019/20
We are a full service national firm offering a
variety of specialisms in commercial, real
estate, corporate and finance.
What are our graduate opportunities?
We recruit bright graduates, training them to
become innovative solicitors who can
provide a quality service to our clients.
Over two years, a trainee will complete four
six-month placements, in an open-plan or
agile office, one of which could be a
secondment to a client’s in-house legal
team, providing an invaluable insight from
the client’s perspective.
How do we select?
If you are successful at application stage,
you will be invited to complete an oline
video interview, and attend an assessment
day in the summer, which involves a
written, group and presentation exercise, as
well as an interview. You’ll need to
demonstrate your ability to work
consistently and collaboratively, for the
benefit of you, the firm and your clients.
Number of employees
1,672
Number of graduate vacancies in 2022
30
Core skills required
Attention to detail
Commercial awareness
Initiative
Motivation
Problem solving skills
APPLY
NOW.
Develop your career at a firm with a consistent,
open and collaborative approach to business
where the past few years have seen
transformative growth and development.
INSIGHT EVENING
31st November 2019
Come and meet Shoosmiths’
partners, solicitors and current
trainees. It’s a chance to learn
about us and get a feel for our
culture as well as the opportunity
to build your own network and
ask questions.
PLACEMENT SCHEME
28th February 2020
Come for a week in June and
experience what working in our
firm is all about. This is a perfect
opportunity to gain quality
work experience, see how we
live our values and find out if
we are right for you!
TRAINING CONTRACT
31st May 2020
We think the best way to learn
is practice. That’s why you’ll be
given responsibility and your
own case files to manage.
Engaging and interesting tasks
covering familiar and relevant
topics, brands and products.
#ShoosmithsLIVE
Watch our careers advice sessions live on Facebook. Upcoming events are listed on our website.
Locations: Belfast Birmingham Edinburgh Glasgow Leeds London Manchester
Milton KeynesNorthampton Nottingham Sheffield Southampton Thames Valley
www.shoosmiths.co.uk/graduates
joinus@shoosmiths.co.uk
@shoosmithsgrads
@shoosmithsgraduates
@shoosmithsgrads
UK
300
Sky
R A N K I N G S
4th Media and advertising
8th
IT and technology
46th In the top 300
www.skyearlycareers.com
More about us
Sky is Europe’s biggest entertainment brand,
connecting 23.7 million customers across
seven countries with products and services
they love. What’s behind the top-quality
shows, innovative tech and must-have
packages? Talented, dedicated and
supportive people. From software developers
to finance professionals. From technical
geniuses to marketing gurus. Sky is a place
where people from all walks of life get
freedom and support to do their best work.
Joining Sky as a
graduate gives you a
job you love to talk
about. So what are you
At Sky, you’ll do much more than contribute
to delivering world-class content. You’ll have
freedom to think of new ideas. Get support
and training to make them happen.
waiting for?
Contact
earlycareers@sky.uk
Type of employer
Entertainment and Technology.
Locations
Sky graduates will be based at one of their
state of the art offices in London, Leeds or
Edinburgh.
What are our graduate opportunities?
There are so many ways for graduates to
make an impact at Sky. Want to learn how to
be a business leader? Develop cutting-edge
products? Gain skills across the business or
become an expert in the specialist area of
your choice? The range of graduate
programmes here means you have the
chance to do all this and more.
Sky also offer lots of insight days and
summer internships to help you decide what
kind of career would suit you best.
354 | UK 300 2019/20
Whatever you do, you’ll be working in a fun,
fast-moving environment. Surrounded by
some of the best people in the industry.
Benefiting from on-the-job learning. Enjoying
the opportunity to try out new ideas and
shape where the business goes next. You’ll
also get to see and do things here that you
simply wouldn’t experience anywhere else.
Who knows? You might bump into Anthony
Joshua in reception or work on a product that
changes how millions of people watch their
favourite shows.
Joining Sky as a graduate gives you a job you
love to talk about. So what are you waiting for?
How do we select?
Our application process usually involves the
following:
•
•
•
•
Register your details online
Online assessment and Job Simulation
Assessment centre
Offer
Number of employees
30,000 +
Number of graduate vacancies in 2020
175
Core skills required
Ability to work under pressure
Communication skills
Creativity
Motivation
Teamwork skills
UK
300
Skyscanner
R A N K I N G S
238th In the top 300
skyscanner.net/jobs/earlycareers
More about us
From flights to hotels and car hire, we work
side-by-side with the biggest names in
travel to bring together all the options for
planning and booking the perfect trip.
We are leading
Skyscanner is the world’s travel search
engine, saving you time and money by
finding the best travel options wherever you
want to go. We are free and unbiased – over
90 million travellers around the world trust
us each month to help them find the best
flights, hotels and car hire. Our secret is in
our self-built technology and global reach,
connecting you directly to everything the
travel industry has to offer. Available online
and through our popular app, we can help
you find inspiration for your next trip as well
as the best travel deals.
the global
transformation
of travel.
Contact
earlycareers@skyscanner.net
Apply at:
skyscanner.net/jobs/earlycareers/
Type of employer
The travel company that puts travellers first.
Locations
Global: Barcelona, Budapest Edinburgh,
Glasgow, London, Miami, Sofia, Singapore,
Shenzhen
What are our graduate opportunities?
The majority of our roles are in Engineering
with some occasional requirements in
Finance, Product, Commercial and People.
356 | UK 300 2019/20
How do we select?
We welcome applications from all
universities and are proud to be an
inclusive employer. For all global positions,
applications are received online via CV and
covering letter, then reviewed and
responded to by a member of the Early
Careers team.
For Engineering the process for selection is
via a coding test, a video interview and a
Discovery Day, featuring a group exercise,
and culture and technical interviews.
For all other areas the process is identical
apart from the coding test.
The Discovery Day is your chance to meet
us, ask any questions and help us explore
your interests and experiences.
Number of employees
1,400+
Number of graduate vacancies in 2020
80+
Core skills required
Ability to work under pressure
Attention to detail
Creativity
Initiative
Problem solving skills
Teamwork skills
UK
300
Slaughter and May
R A N K I N G S
3rd Law – solicitors
82nd In the top 300
www.slaughterandmay.com
More about us
Slaughter and May is one of the most
prestigious law firms in the world. We advise
on high-profile and often landmark
international transactions. Our excellent and
varied client list ranges from governments
to entrepreneurs, from retailers to
entertainment companies and from
conglomerates to Premier League football
clubs.
“At Slaughter and May we
train each of our lawyers
to be a multi-specialist
equipped to advise on a
broad range of legal
matters, which at other
firms would be handled
by a number of different
lawyers.”
Contact
The Trainee Recruitment team
trainee.recruit@slaughterandmay.com
020 7090 4454
Type of employer
International law firm
Locations
London, Beijing, Brussels and Hong Kong
plus relationship firms in all the major
jurisdictions.
What are our graduate opportunities?
During the two-year training contract,
trainees turn their hand to a broad range of
work, taking an active role in four, five or six
legal groups while sharing an office with a
partner or experienced associate. All
trainees spend at least two six-month seats
in our market leading corporate, commercial
and financing groups. Subject to gaining
358 | UK 300 2019/20
Much of our work has an international
element and in 2018 we worked with more
than 250 law firms in over 100 jurisdictions.
We have offices in London, Brussels, Hong
Kong and Beijing. In other jurisdictions we
prefer to remain agile by leading unified,
hand-picked teams of lawyers from marketleading law firms. All the firms we work with
across the world have a reputation for
excellence and independence that mirrors
our own.
some contentious experience, they choose
how to spend the remaining time.
Number of employees
Approximately 1,200 globally
We have approximately 80 vacancies for
trainee solicitors each year. We offer open
days, workshops and work experience
schemes to enable you to gain an insight
into life as a commercial lawyer. Full details
of these opportunities can be found on our
website.
Number of graduate vacancies in 2022
80 vacancies for trainee solicitors per year
We look for candidates from a diverse range
of backgrounds with a good 2:1 at
undergraduate level from any university,
and take an equal mix of law and non-law
graduates.
Method of application
Online application form which can be
accessed via our website. CV and cover
letter must be attached to the form.
Core skills required
A sharp intellect
Independent thought and curiosity
Commercial awareness
Energy, spark and commitment
The ability to relate to others and a
good sense of humour
Common sense, judgement and
integrity
A range of interests outside of the law
An interesting take on things
Resolve and resilience
A willingness to take on responsibility
UK
300
Tata Steel
R A N K I N G S
196th In the top 300
www.tatasteelcareers.com
More about us
Tata Steel is one of Europe’s leading steel
producers, with steelmaking in the UK and
Netherlands, and manufacturing plants
across Europe. The company supplies highquality steel products to the most
demanding markets, including construction,
automotive, packaging, lifting & excavating
and energy. Tata Steel works with customers
to develop new steel products that give
them a competitive edge.
‘Our mission is to build
the leading European
steel company that is
sustainable in every
sense’.
Contact
graduate.recruitment@tatasteeleurope.com
tatasteelcareers.com/graduates
linkedin.com/company/tata-steel-europe
facebook.com/tatasteelcareersuk
instagram.com/tatasteelcareersuk
twitter.com/tatasteelcareer
Type of employer
Tata Steel is one of Europe’s leading steel
producers
Locations
Port Talbot, Llanwern, Swansea, Trostre, Orb,
Shotton, Warwick, Wednesfield, Rotherham,
Hartlepool, Corby
What are our graduate opportunities?
• Electrical Engineering
• Mechanical Engineering
• Commercial
• Group Environment
• Manufacturing
• Technical
360 | UK 300 2019/20
•
•
•
•
•
•
Research & Development
Supply Chain
Finance
Procurement
Human Resources
I.T.
How do we select?
The first step we take is an online selection
process, this includes us checking that the
essential criteria is met. Next we shortlist,
we look at your educational qualifications as
well as your skills and experience. If
successful at the application stage, you’ll be
invited for an interview. The type of
interview all depends on the discipline you
have applied for;
• An interview and presentation
• An assessment centre day, which
includes; an interview, a group exercise
and a presentation
• A telephone interview followed by a face
to face interview
Number of employees
Approximately 8,500 in the UK
Number of graduate vacancies in 2020
Approximately 60 graduate and 60
placement student positions
Core skills required
Ability to work under pressure
Commercial awareness
Leadership potential
Problem solving skills
Teamwork skills
Shape your career at Tata Steel
Graduate and Placement
opportunities in…
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Engineering
Research and Development
Group Environment
Manufacturing
Technical
Commercial
Human Resources
IT
Procurement
Supply Chain
Finance
To find out more and apply visit
www.tatasteelcareers.com
UK
300
Taylor Wessing
R A N K I N G S
247th In the top 300
www.taylorwessing.com
More about us
Taylor Wessing is a leading international law
firm. We work with clients in the world’s most
dynamic industries and help them succeed
by advising on their businesses throughout
their life cycle. Specialising in technology,
media and communications, life sciences and
private wealth, we act for 32 of the world’s top
50 brands; some of the world’s most exciting
start-ups and unicorns; and some of the
world’s wealthiest families.
Our specialists attract the
most dynamic clients in the
industry. We do more than just
advise on the law. Companies
with innovative business
models, emerging technologies
and exclusive products, and
high stake investments need
to remain competitive and
distinctive. This is how we
work.
Contact
5 New Street Square,
London,
EC4A 3TW
Telephone: +44 20 7300 7000
Type of employer
Law Firm
Locations
London
What are our graduate opportunities?
We have been recognised by
LawCareers.Net for being the ‘Best Trainer’
among large City firms. Our award winning
training combines our in-house Professional
Skills Course with six-month seats in four
different practice groups, including one
contentious seat and one in our corporate or
362 | UK 300 2019/20
A diverse client base allows us to advise on
more than just the law. We’re a firm that
encourages new ideas and different ways of
doing things. Our experts play an essential
role in advising clients on business growth
and protection, while introducing them to new
people, new markets and fresh perspectives
that will help their businesses stand out and
flourish. Collaboration is key to our success.
We recruit a wide range of students including
those who haven’t studied Law.
finance areas. Our programme is
recognised for the extent of partner contact
available to trainees. You’ll work closely with
associates on high-quality work from the
outset with client contact and secondment
opportunities in their offices offered. Most
importantly, regular support and feedback
every step of the way ensures that your
career goes in the direction you want it to.
How do we select?
All candidates need to apply via our online
application form at
www.taylorwessing.com/graduate. The
deadline for our vacation scheme is 13
January 2020. We recruit only through our
vacation scheme for our 2022 training
contract. Apply online at
www.taylorwessing.com/graduate.
Number of employees
1,500 +
Number of graduate vacancies in 2022
Vacation scheme 2020: 40 places
Core skills required
Ability to work under pressure
Attention to detail
Commercial awareness
Communication skills
Creativity
Initiative
Leadership potential
Meeting deadlines
Motivation
Organisational skills
Problem solving skills
Teamwork skills
JOIN US AT
THE FOREFRONT
Defining the future of law
with Taylor Wessing
Tomorrow is changing and law firms need to catch up.
Luckily, there’s one firm that’s already on the move.
Ground breaking. Game changing. Smart thinking.
Trail blazing. Taylor Wessing. Are you a soon-to-be
lawyer who thrives on the active, the trending?
A graduate who loves being ahead of the curve?
Looks like you’ve found the law firm for you.
Search Taylor Wessing Graduates to find out more
UK
300
Teach First
R A N K I N G S
6th Public sector
27th In the top 300
teachfirst.org.uk
More about us
Teach First is a charity working to end
educational inequality. Since 2002, we’ve
found and developed thousands of talented
people to teach and lead in schools facing
the greatest challenges, helping to change
the lives of more than a million
disadvantaged children.
“Building a fair
education for all.”
Contact
6 Mitre Passage, London, SE10 0ER
recruitment@teachfirst.org.uk
teachfirst.org.uk
Type of employer
Education/All disciplines
Locations
Various locations across England and Wales
What are our graduate opportunities?
You choose
A. Sell people stuff they don’t need
B. Give children chances they don’t have
Too often, a child’s path through life is set by
their background, not their potential to
succeed. That can’t be fair. We’re determined
to break this cycle of injustice, and we need
your help.
364 | UK 300 2019/20
On our two-year Training Programme, we’ll
pay you a salary as you qualify to teach
through a fully-funded Postgraduate Diploma
in Education and Leadership (PGDE). Teach
First is ranked highly in the UK 300 list
because we trust you with real responsibility,
from day one, and help you to pick up
invaluable transferable skills for the future.
With your talents and ambition, you have
many career options ahead of you. But few
are more meaningful than teaching. By
training on the job, you’ll have an immediate
impact on the lives of the young people who
need you most. And you’ll discover a lot
about your own potential at the same time.
How do we select?
2.1 degree or above (although all
applications are looked at on a case-by-case
basis), and a degree or A-levels that satisfy
our teaching subject requirements.
Number of employees
Over 12,500 people have joined the Teach
First Training Programme.
Number of graduate vacancies in 2020
1,750
Core skills required
Humility, respect and empathy
Interaction
Leadership
Planning and organising
Problem solving
Resilience
Self-evaluation
Understanding and motivation
You
choose
A.
B.
Sell people
stuff they
don’t need
Give children
chances they
don’t have
ALTER THE OUTCOME
Registered charity, no. 1098294
UK
300
TJX Europe
R A N K I N G S
155th In the top 300
www.earlycareers.tjxeurope.com
“No day at TJX Europe is ever the
same; there is always a new
opportunity. The culture is so
friendly and open and we like to
have fun while we work – you only
ever have to come into the office
around Comic Relief to see what
it’s like! TJX Europe wants its
people and business to succeed,
and this makes for a great
supportive atmosphere whichever
function you work in.”
Emma James, Merchandise
Director – Accessories
Contact
early_careers@tjxeurope.com
www.facebook.com/TJXEuropeEarlyCareers
Type of employer
Fashion & Home Retailer
Locations
Watford, UK
More about us
Hello, we’re TJX Europe.
Who? You might ask. But that’s OK, because
while you might not have heard of us,
you’ve probably heard of our brands – TK
Maxx and Homesense.
What you probably don’t know is that we’re
part of the world’s leading off-price apparel
and home fashions retailer – TJX
Companies, Inc.
In 2017 it all added up to an annual turnover
of over £35 billion.
But we don’t want to stop there.
What are our graduate opportunities?
Our unconventional business model means
no two days are alike. With different
challenges every day, you’ll need to think
fast and thrive on change. Our unique
culture of teamwork and collaboration
means every day is exciting and
unexpected for our programmes in:
• Merchandising & Buying
• Finance
• Information Technology
• Loss Prevention
How do we select?
Please apply online at our website
http://www.earlycareers.tjxeurope.com/ –
you will need to submit your CV and answer
some application questions. The second
stage will be to complete an online
assessment and online video interview. The
final stage will be an assessment centre.
366 | UK 300 2019/20
Number of employees
249,000 associates
Number of graduate vacancies in 2020
90+
Core skills required
Ability to work under pressure
Communication skills
Leadership potential
Motivation
Teamwork skills
OPEN TO EVERY DAY NOT BEING EVERYDAY?
Looking for something out of the
ordinary? Discover more about our
Graduate and Placement Programmes
in Merchandising & Buying, Finance,
Information Technology, Product
Development, Loss Prevention,
Brand & Marketing and Logistics.
earlycareers.tjxeurope.com
UK
300
TPP
R A N K I N G S
262ndIn the top 300
tpp-careers.com
More about us
TPP is a market leading UK based IT
company, dedicated to delivering innovative
software solutions to the UK healthcare
industry. After 22 years of success, we now
operate on an international scale with
projects ongoing across the Middle East and
China.
“Since joining TPP, I have
worked on a number of
projects. Every couple of
months, we change teams, and
that certainly keeps things
exciting! My first project
involved developing machine
learning tools to help with the
early detection of cancer. I’m
now working to improve
healthcare in prisons.”
TPP has been consistently recognised as an
outstanding graduate employer. In 2014 and
2015 we placed first in The Sunday Times
100 Best Small Companies To Work For and
we were named Top Company For Graduates
To Work For in 2017/18 by The JobCrowd.
Most recently, we were in the top 100
Graduate Employers in 2018 by The Times.
Moji, Software Developer.
Contact
Tel: 0113 205 0082
TPP, 129 Low Lane, Horsforth,
Leeds, LS18 5PX
twitter.com/tppcareers
facebook.com/tppcareers
youtube.com/channel/UCJyeHluMexXjlzUGV
6X4daA
instagram.com/tpp_careers
Type of employer
Software Company
Locations
Leeds
What are our graduate opportunities?
• Software Developer
• Product Support Specialist
• Business Analyst
• Marketing & Communications
• Technical Operations
• Account Manager
• Deployment Specialist
How do we select?
You can apply through our website on our
jobs page. Some roles will require you to
complete a logic and reasoning test as the
first stage and others will simply require
you to fill in a form with your basic details.
You may be required to attach your CV to the
form, so have this ready.
368 | UK 300 2019/20
Number of employees
150
Number of graduate vacancies in 2020
Up to 100
Core skills required
Attention to detail
Communication skills
Initiative
Organisational skills
Problem solving skills
UK
300
Travers Smith
R A N K I N G S
254th In the top 300
www.traverssmith.com
More about us
Travers Smith is an award-winning
independent City law firm with a reputation
for enterprising thinking and
uncompromising quality in all of its chosen
fields, and a focus on advising clients on
international matters. Competing directly
with the largest City firms, we attract topquality work but still offer a professional yet
relaxed working environment providing the
best of both worlds. It is this environment
that has led to one of the highest staff
retention rates in the City. Travers Smith is
defined by its independence, unique
culture, deep commercial insight,
progressive thinking and incomparable
client experience.
A very high proportion of
our work has an international
dimension and we accompany
our clients to every corner of
the globe. To do that, we have
developed close ties with
carefully chosen quality
overseas independent law
firms who share our specialist
strengths and very demanding
standards.
Contact
Germaine VanGeyzel
graduate.recruitment@traverssmith.com
Twitter: Traverssmith
Facebook: TraversSmithGraduates
Instagram: @TraversSmithGraduates
Type of employer
Travers Smith is an award-winning
independent City law firm
Locations
London, Paris and close ties with carefully
chosen quality overseas independent law
firms
What are our graduate opportunities?
During the two-year training contract,
trainees spend six months in our corporate
department and another six months in
either the dispute resolution or the
employment departments. The firm offers
you a choice for your other two seats in two
of our other specialist departments. We’ll
370 | UK 300 2019/20
give you responsibility from day one – you
will quickly find yourself on the phone to
clients, in meetings and handling your own
work with all the guidance you need. As
such the firm looks for people who can
combine academic excellence with plain
common sense; who are determined,
articulate and able to think on their feet,
and who take their work but not themselves
seriously. A law degree is not a necessity –
just over half the trainees who joined last
year came from a non-law background.
How do we select?
Online application form. Two interviews. The
first interview will be with a partner who will
want to find out what sort of person you
are. Your second interview will be with two
partners at our London office. A trainee will
also show you around the office and give
you the chance to meet a few other
partners, associates and trainees.
Number of employees
84 partners
242 associates
52 trainees
Number of graduate vacancies in 2022
25
Core skills required
Ability to work under pressure
Attention to detail
Commercial awareness
Communication skills
Leadership potential
Motivation for law
Organisational skills
Research and analytical skills
Resilience
Teamwork skills
UK
300
Visa
R A N K I N G S
123rd In the top 300
www.visa.co.uk
More about us
Visa are the leading global payments
provider and the original payments pioneer.
We are a technology company working to
help consumers, businesses, banks and
governments to use digital currency by
enabling the movement of money between
these stakeholders. We also work in
innovation helping to being new ways to pay
to cardholders, we delve into cyber security,
we combat fraud, we keep money moving
and we do more on top of all this.
Are you ready to Blaze
Your Own Trail?
We’re looking for unique
disruptors, trailblazers,
and risk-takers who
are excited by new
technology and want
to impact the way
business is done
around the world,
invest in their career
growth, and join an
inclusive and diverse
workplace.
Contact
1 Sheldon Square, Paddington,
London W2 6TT
Twitter: @VisaNextGenEU
Instagram: #lifeatvisa
Type of employer
Visa are the largest global payments
provider in the world
Locations
London, Reading & Basingstoke in the UK,
and a range of European cities (Frankfurt,
Madrid, Milan etc)
372 | UK 300 2019/20
What are our graduate opportunities?
We have graduate and intern opportunities
across all parts of Visa, in a mix of technical
and non-technical areas including software
development, consulting, client
engagement, cyber security, marketing and
more. Our roles are mainly based in London
and Reading, but we hire into other
European cities too.
How do we select?
Our process is designed to give you
opportunities to show us who you are
beyond your academics. You can apply with
a CV or LinkedIn profile; after which we’ll
then send out our behavioural assessment
to understand team fit. If we think you’ve
got what we’re looking for, you’ll be invited
to chat to a member of the team over the
phone, after which you’ll come to the office
for an interview or assessment centre.
Number of employees
1,700 in Europe, 17,000 Globally
Number of graduate vacancies
Around 40 Graduate vacancies in 2019
Core skills required
Communication skills
Initiative
Motivation
Problem solving skills
Teamwork skills
Are you ready to
blaze your own trail?
We’re looking for unique trailblazers, disruptors, and risk-takers who are excited by
new technology and want to impact the way business is done around the world,
invest in their career growth, and join an inclusive and diverse workplace.
Whether you aspire to be a Software Engineer, Account Executive, Consultant,
or anything in between, you’ll make your mark at Visa dreaming up new ideas
and gaining exposure to some of the most advanced technology in the industry.
You’re an Individual. We’re a team where you’ll fit right in.
Together, let’s transform the way the world pays.
Take the first step towards an Internship or Graduate role now on:
www.visa.co.uk/careers.html
UK
300
White & Case
R A N K I N G S
9th Law – solicitors
116th In the top 300
www.whitecasetrainee.com
More about us
White & Case is a global law firm of more
than 2,000 lawyers worldwide. We’ve built
an unrivalled network of 44 offices in 30
countries. That investment is the foundation
for our client work in 180 countries today.
Complex client projects, nuanced local
market knowledge and global capabilities
define who we are. Many White & Case
clients are multinational organisations with
complex needs that require the involvement
of multiple offices. As part of our training
contract, we offer every trainee a
guaranteed six-month overseas seat.
‘We are looking to recruit
ambitious trainees who have
a desire to gain hands-on
practical experience from
day one and a willingness
to take charge of their own
career. We value globallyminded citizens of the
world who are eager to
work across borders and
cultures, and who are
intrigued by solving problems
within multiple legal systems.’
Contact
5 Old Broad Street, London, EC2N 1DW
Tel: 020 7532 2899
londontrainee@whitecase.com
Type of employer
Global law firm
Locations
44 offices globally
What are our graduate opportunities?
Training contracts: The training contract
consists of four six-month seats, one of
which is guaranteed to be spent in one of
our overseas offices, including Abu Dhabi,
Beijing, Brussels, Dubai, Frankfurt, Geneva,
Hong Kong, Johannesburg, Moscow, New
York, Paris, Prague, Singapore, Stockholm,
Tokyo. Receiving a high level of partner and
associate contact from day one, our
trainees can be confident that they will
receive high-quality, stimulating and
rewarding work.
374 | UK 300 2019/20
Vacation schemes: We offer two-week
vacation placements over winter, spring and
summer. A vacation scheme provides a
great way to experience first-hand what life
is like as a White & Case trainee. Playing an
active part in the life of the London office
you will receive real work from a dedicated
supervisor, attend interactive, informative
sessions and be given plenty of
opportunities to network at social events.
Remuneration is £500 per week.
Open days: You can apply to attend one of
our London office open days for a useful
insight into the Firm and the training we
offer. We are holding open days for secondyear students, penultimate-year students,
finalists and graduates.
First-year two-day insight scheme: As a
first-year student, you can apply for one
of our two-day insight schemes. Over the
course of the two-days you will attend
presentations, workshops and workshadow a trainee.
Number of employees
2,000 globally
Number of graduate vacancies in 2022/23
50
Core skills required
Ability to work under pressure
Attention to detail
Commercial awareness
Communication skills
Creativity
Initiative
Leadership potential
Meeting deadlines
Motivation
Organisational skills
Problem solving skills
Teamwork skills
Together we
make a mark
Graduate
careers in law
Working at
White & Case
opens doors to
experiences and
relationships around
the world that will
help you build your
career, wherever
it takes you.
whitecase.com
1
75
£48k
of the only law firms
to offer a guaranteed
overseas seat
vacation scheme
places per year
year-one trainee
starting salary
44
50
£105k
offices across
30 countries
trainees recruited
per year
salary on
qualification
UK
300
Womble Bond Dickinson
R A N K I N G S
157th In the top 300
www.womblebonddickinson.com
More about us
Womble Bond Dickinson is a transatlantic
law firm, providing high-quality legal
capability and outstanding personal service,
to a wide range of regional, national and
international clients from 27 key locations
across the United States and the United
Kingdom. Our clients range from FTSE 100
businesses and governmental
organisations to privately managed
business and wealthy individuals. Our
clients’ interests always come first. Strong
personal relationships, dedicated client
teams and a deep understanding of our
clients’ businesses mean they have
confidence that we can respond to their
needs effectively and efficiently. Our
regional heritage, flexibility and
commitment to innovation enable us to
offer focused, relevant services as a
compelling alternative to other firms.
“There is no typical
Womble Bond
Dickinson trainee –
our trainees come from
varied backgrounds
and bring a range of
different experience,
and that’s very
important to us.”
Contact
Joanne Smallwood
joanne.smallwood@wbd-uk.com
T: @WBD_Careers
F: Womble Bond Dickinson (UK) LLP Careers
I: @WBD_Careers
Type of employer Law firm
Locations
Aberdeen, Bristol, Edinburgh, Leeds, London,
Newcastle, Plymouth, Southampton, plus 19
overseas offices.
What are our graduate opportunities?
Training contract: We look at our trainee
recruitment as a long-term investment.
Trainees at Womble Bond Dickinson will have
an opportunity to spend six months in four
Business Groups, gaining a real breadth of
experience along the way.
You’ll have access to high quality work and
senior client contacts. We regularly second
trainees to our most high profile clients. We
keep our trainee intake relatively small, which
376 | UK 300 2019/20
means that more often than not, you’ll be the
only trainee in a team, giving you a large
amount of access to the experience and
advice from people who are happy to teach.
We’re looking for people across seven of our
UK offices. What all of our people do share is
an enthusiasm for law and a passion for our
business. Beyond that we look for our trainees
to have a strong academic background,
although this is not the only criteria we use
when shortlisting applications. It’s as
important to us that candidates can
demonstrate commercial awareness and a
natural ability when dealing with people.
Vacation scheme placements: The firm’s work
placement weeks are part of the recruitment
process and all applicants should apply
online at www.womblebonddickinson.com.
The first stage is an online application form
which assesses the core behaviours we look
for: thinking, communication, motivation and
drive, teamwork and a commitment to our
business and our clients.
Number of employees
2,400 globally
Number of graduate vacancies in 2022
Training contracts: Up to 25
Vacation schemes: 90 plus
Core skills required
Ability to work under pressure
Attention to detail
Commercial sense
Communication skills
Creativity
Initiative
Leadership potential
Meeting deadlines
Motivation
Organisational skills
Problem solving skills
Teamwork skills
The transatlantic
law firm close
to home
Our regional
al heritage and
nections to our
strong connections
communitiess ensure we
remain closer
er to our clients’
needs while
e bringing a
transatlanticc perspective.
Womble Bond Dickinson
brings togetherr your
potential and our
ur
knowledge to offer an
exceptional Solicitor
icitor
Trainee programme,
mme,
ies
with opportunities
across the UK.
To find out more visit
womblebonddickinson.com/careers
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The 300 in brief
UK
300
S E C T I O N
1 0
The 300 in brief
This section contains information about
graduate opportunities with the top 300
employers. You can find out more information
about those employers with magnifying
glasses in section nine.
Please note that the UCAS points mentioned in
the following pages may refer to the old or new
tariffs, according to the information provided
on individual employer websites.
We have taken all reasonable care to ensure
that the listings in this section are correct but
always check employer websites for the latest
picture.
UK 300 2019/20 | 381
UK
300
1
The 300 in brief
Google
See page 240 for more information
2
Cancer Research UK
3
Amazon
See page 148 for more information
4
MI6 – Secret Intelligence
Service
See page 306 for more information
5
GSK
See page 244 for more information
6
Channel 4 Television
7
J.P. Morgan
Google is a technology company that provides a variety of services for individuals and
businesses, including Chrome, Gmail, Search, Google Maps and Google Earth. It has UK
offices in London and Manchester and its EU headquarters are in Dublin. Graduate positions
are available in the business or the engineering and technology areas of the company and
may require a relevant degree subject. Google also offers internships to both undergraduate
and postgraduate students.
Cancer Research UK is a charity that raises money, develops policy and funds scientists to
beat cancer. In addition to having graduate-level vacancies across its organisation, it runs
graduate schemes in: finance; HR; technology; fundraising and marketing; scientific
strategy and funding; and policy information and communications. A 2.1 is required; a life,
natural or physical science degree is required for the scientific strategy and funding
programme but otherwise all subjects are accepted.
Amazon is a global ecommerce and cloud computing company. It advertises graduate-level,
postgraduate-level and internship roles and programmes on an ad hoc basis. Opportunities
in the UK include roles in operations/shift management (supply chain and logistics),
software development, and data science, as well as in business functions. Entry
requirements vary from role to role.
The Secret Intelligence Service works overseas to collect foreign UK intelligence and
promotes and defends UK national security and economic well-being. It offers careers in the
following areas to individuals with the required knowledge or skills, including graduates:
operations (intelligence); science and technology; business support; trades and services;
languages; and corporate services. Specific entry requirements vary according to the role.
GSK is a research-based pharmaceutical, vaccine and healthcare company that develops
and supplies medicines. It employs over 95,000 people worldwide. It offers graduate
programmes in various areas within its sales and marketing, manufacturing and supply,
business operations, and research and development functions. There is also a variety of
opportunities for postgraduates, as well as a number of 12-month and summer placements
for undergraduates. Entry requirements vary.
Channel 4 Television is a British public service television and online broadcaster whose
channels include E4, Channel 4, More4, Film4 and 4Music. Its two-year data science
graduate scheme is open to graduates with a 2.1 minimum degree in a quantitative
discipline. It may also offer entry-level trainee schemes, which previously have included
a production training scheme for disabled people and an investigative journalism scheme.
Work experience weeks are available.
J.P. Morgan is an international financial services firm that serves clients in more than 100
countries. It offers internships and graduate schemes in areas such as investment banking,
asset and wealth management, commercial banking, technology, HR, and consumer and
community banking. Required degree subjects vary, but a 2.1 is usually preferred.
See page 268 for more information
8
Microsoft
9
Rolls-Royce
See page 340 for more information
10
PwC
382 | UK 300 2019/20
Microsoft is a technology company that specialises in computer software, consumer
electronics, personal computers and services. Its software and hardware products include
Xbox, Microsoft Windows, Microsoft Office and Microsoft Surface. The Microsoft Aspire
Experience graduate programmes are in business disciplines such as: evangelism (nextgeneration software development); IT; marketing; operations; sales; and consulting, support
and customer services. Undergraduate and PhD internships are also available.
Rolls-Royce is an engineering company that focuses on civil aerospace, defence aerospace,
power systems, marine and nuclear engineering. It employs c. 50,000 people worldwide.
It offers summer internships, 12-month placements and graduate programmes in business
areas such as engineering, customer services and management, procurement and HR.
A predicted or achieved 2.1 at bachelors degree level is generally required. PhD scholarships
are also available.
PwC is a Big 4 professional services firm that advises organisations, private businesses and
entrepreneurs. It has over 250,000 employees in 158 countries. It has a new ‘flexible’
associate/business programme aimed at graduates, as well as opportunities in audit,
actuarial work, risk assurance, consulting, deals, legal, tax and technology. A 2.1 is typically
requested and the degree discipline required varies. It also offers work experience
opportunities to both undergraduates and graduates.
The 300 in brief
11
MI5 – The Security
Service
See page 304 for more information
12
Unilever
13
British Airways
See page 190 for more information
14
Deloitte
See page 216 for more information
15
Goldman Sachs
See page 238 for more information
16
The Civil Service Fast
Stream
17
Penguin Random House
18
Jaguar Land Rover
19
Airbus
20
GCHQ
See page 236 for more information
UK
300
The Security Service is the UK’s national security intelligence agency. Around 4,000
employees help to protect the UK against threats to national security from espionage,
cyber attacks, terrorism and sabotage. It runs an intelligence officer development
programme, a technology development programme and an intelligence and data analyst
programme. It also offers a business enablers entry scheme. These are all open to graduates
with a 2.2 or above in any discipline.
Unilever is a supplier of consumer goods that produces food, home and personal care brands
including Ben & Jerry’s, Comfort, Persil and Dove. It runs work experience and graduate
programmes in HR, marketing, financial management, technology management, research
and development, supply chain, and customer development. The graduate schemes require
a minimum of a 2.1 in any degree discipline – except the supply chain and the research and
development schemes, which want specific subjects.
British Airways is a UK-based international airline. It offers graduate programmes in the
following specialisms: commercial performance and analytics; commercial; finance; future
leaders; logistics; and data science and analytics. It also offers undergraduate business
placements. Programmes are open to those with a predicted or achieved 2.1 minimum in
any degree subject, although one or two may have preferred disciplines, and the placements
may require a minimum number of UCAS points.
Deloitte is a Big 4 professional services firm, employing over 200,000 people. It offers
graduate schemes in nine business areas, including: audit and assurance; business and
financial advisory; cyber; strategy and operations; and technology. Open days, summer
internships and industrial placements are available. Entry requirements vary but most
schemes ask for 2.1 degree classification, 260/104 UCAS points, GCSE English language
at grade C/4 and GCSE maths at grade B/6.
Goldman Sachs is an investment banking, investment management and securities firm,
providing a range of financial services to corporations, financial institutions, governments
and individuals. It offers a range of insight and internship opportunities (aimed at current
students), analyst programmes (aimed at new graduates) and associate programmes
(aimed at those with an advanced degree such as an MBA). Opportunities are offered in
multiple divisions.
The Civil Service is responsible for formulating and implementing central government policy.
It employs over 420,000 people across the UK. There are 15 different graduate programmes
available; these include HR, commercial, finance, science and engineering, government
communication and a generalist scheme. Degree classification and subject requirements
vary between programmes. It also runs internship programmes.
Penguin Random House is an international publishing house made up of around 250
imprints, including Viking, Puffin and Penguin Classics. It employs over 10,000 people
worldwide and offers a six-month entry-level scheme for those from a BAME or socially
disadvantaged background. A range of vacancies in areas such as design, editorial, sales
and finance are also advertised on an ad hoc basis.
Jaguar Land Rover is an automotive manufacturing business based around the car brands
Jaguar and Land Rover. It offers graduate and undergraduate programmes in: manufacturing
operations and engineering; design; corporate; and engineering and technology. Applicants
require 112 UCAS points across three A levels and be predicted – or have – a 2.2 degree
classification. It also offers postgraduate placements to those with a minimum of an MSc
in an engineering or science subject.
Airbus is an international commercial aircraft manufacturer that is also involved in defence
and space exploration. Its UK graduate programmes last two years (except for finance,
which is a three-year scheme) and cover areas such as engineering, HR, cyber/digital and
project management. Airbus also offers internships and opportunities for those wanting to
pursue a PhD.
GCHQ is one of the UK government’s intelligence, cyber and security agencies, along with MI5
and MI6. It offers a graduate leadership development programme to graduates with at least a
2.2 in any degree discipline (or a postgraduate degree in a business area). Individual
graduate-level roles are also advertised on an ad hoc basis. GCHQ runs undergraduate
summer programmes focusing on maths and cryptography, cyber, and languages, too.
UK 300 2019/20 | 383
UK
300
21
The 300 in brief
AstraZeneca
See page 162 for more information
22
adidas Group
23
L’Oréal
See page 280 for more information
24
KPMG
See page 278 for more information
25
British Council
26
EY
27
Teach First
See page 364 for more information
28
Arup
See page 156 for more information
29
Samsung
See page 346 for more information
30
European Commission
384 | UK 300 2019/20
AstraZeneca is a pharmaceutical company. It employs 6,500 people in the UK. Traditionally,
the following graduate programmes are offered, with varying entry requirements: biometrics
and information sciences; data sciences and AI; early clinical biometrics; HR; IT leadership;
operations; pharmaceutical technology and development; research and development; and a
flexible associate programme in biopharmaceutical development. Industrial placements and
summer internships are also available.
adidas Group designs and produces sports footwear, apparel and accessories. It offers a
digital talent programme, which prefers a masters in business administration, engineering or
computer science. There are also functional trainee programmes in areas relating to finance,
HR, marketing, sales, product creation, sustainability and supply chain management. These
accept all degree disciplines, as long as you have relevant experience. Its graduate
programmes are based in Germany, with international placements.
L’Oréal is a beauty and cosmetics company operating in 130 countries with brands such as
L’Oréal Paris, Maybelline New York and Garnier. It has 28 places on its UK and Ireland
management trainee programme, which includes commercial, operations/supply chain,
finance and marketing streams. Internships are available in operations, finance, marketing,
sales, communications, digital and HR.
KPMG is a Big 4 firm offering a range of professional services to clients. It offers graduate
programmes in the audit, consulting, deal advisory, business services, tax and pensions,
and technology and engineering areas of the business. Graduate programmes typically
require a 2.1 in any degree discipline, a grade B in GCSE maths and English language, and
either 300 or 320 UCAS points. Undergraduate opportunities are also available.
The British Council is the UK’s international organisation for cultural relations, which builds
relationships between the UK and other countries, and promotes British values. As part of
this, it arranges entry-level work in various business sectors (and study opportunities)
across the world. If you want to work for the British Council itself, please note that it is
currently reviewing its own graduate schemes and internships.
EY is a Big 4 professional services firm that has four service lines: assurance, advisory, tax
and transaction advisory. It has over 261,000 employees across 700 offices globally.
Graduate programmes are available in its actuarial, assurance, consulting, tax, transactions
and technology business areas. Entry requirements for these programmes vary, although
EY typically doesn’t set a minimum class of degree. Internships and work experience
opportunities are also available.
Teach First is an educational charity that trains graduates to become classroom leaders in
schools in low-income communities. Graduates on the two-year leadership development
programme receive five weeks of intensive training before being placed in schools. A 2.1 or
above is listed as a requirement, although applicants with a 2.2 will be considered. A grade
C in GCSE maths and English are also required. For primary teaching, grade C in a science
subject is needed.
Arup employs 14,000 designers, engineers, planners, technical specialists and consultants
with offices in more than 34 countries. It has worked on projects including the 2012 Olympic
and Paralympic Games and HS2. It offers graduate roles across a range of its business areas
including engineering, consulting, architecture and IT. A 2.1 or higher in a relevant subject is
required. For the engineering roles, a masters degree is preferred.
Samsung is an international corporation with businesses in areas including advanced
technology, semiconductors, skyscraper and plant construction, petrochemicals, medicines
and hotels. In the UK, Samsung Electronics focuses on consumer electronics, IT and mobile
communications, and devices. It offers graduate programmes in sales, marketing, finance,
product management, customer experience, sustainability and corporate social
responsibility, people (HR), technical, and paralegal. Placements are also available.
The European Commission proposes legislation, implements EU policies and enforces EU law.
Entry-level graduate roles (known as administrator roles) are announced by a notice of
competition. Traineeships lasting three to five months in areas such as competition law, HR,
environmental policy and communication are also available. You must be an EU citizen and
have knowledge of two EU languages to be eligible to apply for both types of opportunities.
The 300 in brief
UK
300
31
Apple
Apple is the technology company responsible for the Mac and the iPhone. It offers a store
leader programme for graduates. Job opportunities are also available in areas including
machine learning and artificial intelligence, retail, hardware, design, and marketing.
32
Local Government - National
Graduate Development
Programme (NGDP)
The Local Government Association is a politically led, cross-party organisation that works on
behalf of councils to ensure local governments have a strong voice within national
government. It offers a two-year graduate management development programme in which
graduates are placed in a local council. These require a 2.2 degree classification.
33
Barclays
See page 178 for more information
34
IBM
35
BAE Systems
See page 172 for more information
36
NHS Leadership Academy
See page 322 for more information
37
Pfizer
38
Procter & Gamble
39
HSBC
See page 252 for more information
40
Morgan Stanley
Barclays is a financial services provider that lends, moves, invests and protects money for
customers and clients worldwide. It runs graduate programmes in several areas including in
various types of banking, compliance and HR. Degree requirements vary for each area. There
are also specific opportunities for postgraduates, such as those with MBAs and PhDs. For
undergraduates, there are a range of internships.
IBM is an international IT and consulting company working in areas including analytics,
cloud, and security among others. It offers a variety of graduate schemes within its
consulting, technology and design business areas. It also typically offers 12-month
undergraduate placements in design, business, technology, marketing, HR, software
development and finance.
BAE Systems is a global defence, aerospace and security company that employs around
85,000 people in more than 40 countries. It offers a variety of graduate programmes in
areas related to engineering, business, IT, finance and consulting, as well as advertising
ad hoc positions. Entry requirements vary. Three-month summer internships and one-year
industrial placements are also available.
The National Health Service is the largest public sector employer in the UK. The NHS
Leadership Academy offers graduate managing training schemes in finance, health analysis,
health informatics, HR, general management, and policy and strategy. These schemes
require a 2.2 degree in any subject. Also on offer is a three-year health policy fast-track
scheme with the Department of Health and Social Care, which requires a 2.1 in any subject.
Pfizer is a biopharmaceutical company that develops and manufactures medicines, vaccines
and healthcare products, conducts research and supplies medicines to the NHS. Its UK
strand has around 2,500 employees. It offers 12-month industrial placement opportunities
across all its business areas, including synthetic chemistry, pharmaceutical sciences,
marketing and business technology. Graduate-level vacancies in the UK may be advertised
on an ad hoc basis.
Procter & Gamble is a consumer goods company with products in the beauty, baby, home
and grooming markets. Brands include Fairy, Gillette, Pantene, Aussie and Vicks. Entry-level
roles are available for graduates in areas such as sales, brand (marketing), finance,
manufacturing and logistics. Entry requirements vary across the positions. Proctor &
Gamble also offers internships and 12-month placements.
HSBC is a banking and financial services organisation with a network across 66 countries. It
offers a variety of graduate programmes in the areas of: global banking and markets;
commercial banking; retail banking and wealth management; global private banking; and
operations and technology. Schemes typically require a minimum of a 2.1 and 300 UCAS
points. HSBC also offers a variety of internship opportunities and four-day global banking
and markets insight programmes.
Morgan Stanley is an international financial adviser to governments, institutions and
individuals. It has around 60,000 employees worldwide. It offers internships and full-time
analyst and associate roles in areas such as technology, global capital markets, and
merchant banking and real estate investing. Entry requirements depend on the role.
See page 312 for more information
UK 300 2019/20 | 385
UK
300
The 300 in brief
41
McKinsey & Company
42
BP
43
Bloomberg
See page 186 for more information
44
Johnson & Johnson
McKinsey & Company is an international management consulting company that advises
businesses, governments and non-governmental organisations. It employs 30,000 people
across 65 countries. Those with an undergraduate or masters degree in any discipline
typically join the firm as business analysts or fellows. Internship opportunities, usually
lasting for eight to twelve weeks, are also available.
BP is an oil and gas company that provides fuel, energy, engine lubricants and petrochemical
products. It employs over 73,000 people and operates in 78 countries. There are various
graduate opportunities available within its business, engineering, science, and supply and
trading disciplines. Entry requirements for these vary. Internships are also available.
Bloomberg is a financial services news group that provides real-time financial information,
data and analysis. It has around 20,000 employees in 167 countries. Bloomberg offers
entry-level posts in corporate functions, sales and analytics, global data analysis, and
software engineering and data science. Individual degree requirements for these roles vary.
Summer internships are also available.
Johnson & Johnson specialises in consumer healthcare, pharmaceuticals and medical
devices. It has more than 130,000 employees. It runs graduate programmes in a range of
business-, science- and engineering-related areas. It also offers 12-month placements in
similar areas. Entry requirements vary according to the programme.
See page 262 for more information
45
Shell
See page 350 for more information
46
Sky
Shell is a group of energy and petrochemicals companies with around 89,000 employees in
over 70 countries. It runs graduate schemes in technical, corporate and commercial
disciplines. Entry requirements and/or preferred degree subjects vary depending on the
scheme. Assessed internships lasting ten to twelve weeks and other work experience
opportunities are also available.
Sky is an entertainment brand, connecting 23.7 million customers across seven countries
with products and services. It offers graduate schemes, summer internships, insight days
and insight weeks in: software engineering; business; data and analytics; finance; and
technology.
See page 354 for more information
47
Accenture
48
Aston Martin
49
AECOM
See page 140 for more information
50
John Lewis Partnership
386 | UK 300 2019/20
Accenture is an international management consulting, outsourcing and technology services
company that operates across 200 cities in 52 countries. It offers graduate programmes in
11 areas, including consulting, strategy, client delivery, software engineering, technology
architecture and analytics. Entry requirements vary depending on the scheme. Summer
internships and 12-month industrial placements are also available.
Aston Martin is a luxury automotive brand. Its dealer network spans more than 160 locations
in 53 countries. It offers technical and professional graduate schemes in engineering and
business disciplines. Its technical graduate scheme requires graduates to have one year’s
work experience and an MEng degree. For the professional programme, applicants need a
2.1 in a relevant degree subject. Both require 128 UCAS points. Internships are also available.
AECOM is a construction engineering design firm providing professional design, technical
and operation support to a range of markets. It operates in over 150 countries and offers
opportunities in areas including town planning, civil engineering and mechanical
engineering. All graduate positions require a minimum of a 2.2 in a relevant degree subject.
Summer placements typically last six to eight weeks and industrial placements six to twelve
months.
John Lewis Partnership owns the UK retail businesses Waitrose and John Lewis. It is
employee owned and has around 83,900 staff. It typically runs a range of graduate
schemes, which at the time of writing are under review; graduates can also apply for
individual vacancies advertised on an ad hoc basis. Industrial placements are available, too.
The 300 in brief
51
Boston Consulting Group
52
Rockstar Games
53
Oxfam
54
McLaren
55
Boeing
56
BMW Group
See page 188 for more information
57
Clifford Chance
See page 204 for more information
58
Dyson
UK
300
Boston Consulting Group is a consulting firm and business strategy adviser, employing over
18,500 people in more than 50 countries. In its London office, it advertises positions in 13
areas, including consulting, research, design, technology, finance, marketing, legal, risk and
IT. The group also offers internships.
Rockstar Games is an interactive entertainment development company with studios in India,
Canada and various locations across the UK and US. It is a subsidiary of Take-Two Integrative
Software and has created games such as Red Dead Redemption and Max Payne. There are
entry-level roles available at its UK studios in areas such as animation and IT support.
Requirements vary but will usually include a degree in a related subject.
Oxfam is a global aid and development charity that employs more than 10,000 people
worldwide. It advertises job vacancies in areas such as communications, finance,
fundraising, HR and IT. It doesn’t run graduate schemes, but there is a trainee scheme, for
which a degree is not required. It also encourages graduates to apply for jobs that suit their
skills. Oxfam offers voluntary internships.
McLaren is a British manufacturer of sports cars and applied technologies. It is based in
Woking and operates in a range of industries including healthcare, energy, transportation
and consumer brands. The company advertises specific graduate vacancies throughout the
year in areas including racing, automotive, marketing, and applied technologies. Internships
and placements are usually available.
Boeing is an American aerospace company that manufactures commercial jetliners, defence,
and space and security systems. It offers two-year graduate programmes in finance, supply
chain, project management and engineering. Year-long internships are also available in
finance, project management, engineering, IT, government affairs, communications, supply
chain, advanced technologies, and planning and real estate.
BMW Group designs and manufactures automobiles and motorcycles, employing over
130,000 people in multiple countries. In the UK, it offers 24-month graduate programmes in
areas such as production, marketing and finance. BMW Group also has an 18-month global
leadership development programme. Entry requirements vary depending on the role.
Placements lasting for 6 to 12 months are available for students expecting to gain a 2.1.
Clifford Chance LLP is an international commercial law firm that practises in areas including
real estate, insurance, transport and logistics, energy and resources, and infrastructure. It
offers training contracts with rotations across four areas, including finance, corporate and
capital markets. Any degree subject is accepted. It also provides summer vacation schemes
and other forms of work experience.
Dyson is a UK-originated company that designs and manufactures products such as vacuum
cleaners, hand dryers, lighting, hairdryers, heaters, fans and motors. It offers graduate
schemes in areas such as sales, IT, marketing, procurement and research engineering.
Requirements vary across the programmes. Internships are also available.
See page 224 for more information
59
HM Revenue & Customs
HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) collects taxes to ensure the money is available to fund
public services, as the tax authority for the UK. It has around 60,000 employees. Its tax
specialist programme lasts for approximately three years and is open to graduates with a
2.2 or higher.
See page 250 for more information
60
Siemens
Siemens is a production and supply company working in electrification, automation and
digitalisation. It employs around 372,000 people worldwide. It offers a range of two-year
graduate programmes in areas such as finance, IT and manufacturing. Applicants are
required to have a 2.2 or higher, usually in a relevant subject. Summer and year-long
industrial placements are also available.
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61
The Royal Air Force
62
The Bank of England
See page 176 for more information
63
Mercedes AMG High
Performance Powertrains
64
Allen & Overy LLP
See page 144 for more information
65
British Army
See page 192 for more information
66
Arcadia Group
The Royal Air Force (RAF), as a branch of the UK’s armed forces, works to defend the UK and
strengthen international peace and stability. It recruits graduates into various roles including
chefs, engineers, officers, airmen and airwomen.
The Bank of England is the UK’s central bank. It employs over 4,000 people and offers
27-month graduate programmes across streams including operations, economics, risk,
data, supervision and technology. The programmes are available to students with a 2.1 or
higher and 120 UCAS points over three A levels (or equivalent). The bank also offers summer
internships and industrial placements.
Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains designs, manufactures and tests MercedesBenz Formula 1 racing engines and hybrid power systems for the Mercedes AMG Petronas
team. It is currently based in Brixworth, Northamptonshire. Its business areas include
engineering, logistics, IT and HR. It offers graduate schemes and industrial placements, such
as in engineering. The engineering graduate programme requires a 2.1 and a mechanical,
automotive, mechatronics, motorsport, aeronautical, science or maths degree among others.
Allen & Overy LLP is an international law firm that provides legal services to businesses and
industries. It has around 5,500 employees and 44 offices worldwide. Its UK offices are
located in London and Belfast. Allen and Overy LLP offers training contracts consisting of
four six-month seats. Both law and non-law disciplines are accepted. Vacation schemes and
other work experience opportunities are also available.
The British Army engages in peacekeeping duties, provides humanitarian aid, enforces
antiterrorism measures and helps to combat the international drugs trade. There are
opportunities available in areas including: combat; engineering; HR and finance; intelligence,
communications and IT; medicine; logistics and support; and music and ceremonial. Entry
requirements vary.
Arcadia Group is the fashion retailer behind brands such as Topshop, Miss Selfridge, Dorothy
Perkins, Burton and Evans. It has graduate programmes in buying, merchandising, digital,
creative and finance. Degree requirements vary across the schemes but a minimum of a 2.2
degree is typical. The buying programme requires a fashion-related degree.
See page 152 for more information
67
Virgin Media
68
Deutsche Bank
Virgin Media provides broadband, TV, mobile phone and home phone services across the UK
and Ireland. It offers two- and three-year graduate schemes in areas including data analysis,
sales, business, engineering, finance and people (HR). All schemes require a 2.1 and some
of them need a related degree. Year-long internships in people (HR), finance, business and
engineering are also available.
Deutsche Bank is a global investment bank and provider of financial services that has over
78,000 employees worldwide. It offers analyst graduate programmes in areas including
investment banking, asset management, transaction banking, technology, HR and risk
management. It also offers a range of internships.
See page 218 for more information
69
Mondelez International
70
Hilton
See page 248 for more information
388 | UK 300 2019/20
Mondelez International is a food company that owns brands such as Cadbury and Oreo. It
has approximately 90,000 employees and operates in over 80 countries. It offers three-year
junior management programmes, in which graduates can choose to work in supply chain, in
commercial or to take the ‘free-style’ path and tailor a programme to their skills and desires.
It also offers internships.
Hilton is a hospitality company with more than 570 hotels across 78 countries. In Europe and
the UK it offers ad hoc graduate positions and graduate schemes; these include an ELEVATOR
graduate development programme (for aspiring general managers), a general management
programme (for aspiring operational/functional heads in the front office or food and beverage
departments), a finance scheme and a revenue management scheme. Its finance graduate
programme requires a finance or economics degree. Internships are available.
The 300 in brief
71
BlackRock
See page 184 for more information
72
Network Rail
73
Bank of America
74
Marks & Spencer
See page 294 for more information
75
STFC (the Science and
Technology Facilities
Council)
76
The Royal Navy
See page 342 for more information
77
Mars
See page 296 for more information
78
Ubisoft
79
Facebook
80
Bayer
UK
300
BlackRock is an asset management company that invests on behalf of individuals and
organisations. The company has over 70 offices in more than 30 countries across the world.
It offers career paths in advisory and client services, analytics and risk, corporate functions
and business operations, relationship management and sales, investments, and technology.
Summer internships and week-long insight programmes are also available.
Network Rail runs, maintains and develops the UK’s rail tracks, bridges, tunnels, level
crossings and many key stations. It offers a variety of graduate schemes in areas including
civil engineering, mechanical engineering, finance, project management, IT and business
services, and quantity surveying. The required degree disciplines vary depending on the
scheme, but all applicants need a minimum of a 2.2. Summer and year-long industrial
placements are also available.
Bank of America is the marketing name for the global banking and markets businesses of
Bank of America Corporation. It offers graduate analyst and associate positions in areas such
as corporate banking, investment banking, technology and global capital markets. It also
offers a range of internship opportunities. Entry requirements vary across individual roles
and programmes.
Marks & Spencer is an international retailer of clothing, home products and food. It has more
than 80,000 employees in 57 countries. It runs graduate programmes in areas including:
Simply Food store management; supply chain and logistics; clothes and home buying and
merchandising; marketing; enterprise; and digital. The schemes vary in length between nine
and 24 months. Placements and internships are also available.
The Science and Technology Facilities Council is a multidisciplinary research organisation,
headquartered in Swindon. It employs 2,000 people across six UK locations – in Oxfordshire,
Swindon, North Yorkshire, Hampshire, Cheshire and Edinburgh. It recruits approximately 30
graduates per year into a number of science, engineering and computing roles. It requires
applicants to have a minimum of a 2.1 degree. The STFC also offers placements and summer
internships.
The Royal Navy protects UK ports and merchant ships. It also works abroad, helping the UK’s
allies in areas of conflict throughout the world and delivering humanitarian relief. There are
over 20 types of graduate officer opportunities including organisational, tactical, technical
and medical roles. All officer candidates require 180 UCAS points (which must include two
non-overlapping subjects) and five A*–C grade GCSEs, including English language and
maths. Engineering and medical roles require relevant degrees.
Mars produces confectionery, food, drinks and pet care products and has more than
115,000 employees in 80 countries. Its brands include Dolmio, Uncle Ben’s and Pedigree.
It runs three-year leadership graduate schemes, comprising of three 12-month placements.
As well as a general scheme in business leadership, there are specific programmes in areas
such as finance, procurement, and research and development. It sometimes offers
internships at some of its locations.
Ubisoft develops and publishes video games including the Assassin’s Creed franchise. It
employs 14,000 people. Its UK business offices and development studios are in Newcastle,
Leamington, London and Guildford. It offers two-year graduate programmes in programming,
project management and UX design to graduates of a related degree subject. Internships are
sometimes offered in a number of its international offices.
Facebook is an online social networking service with an average of 1.56 billion daily users.
It employs around 37,700 people across 67 offices worldwide, in areas such as software
engineering, product management, data and analysis, and design and user experience.
Facebook does not run a specific graduate scheme; it advertises positions open to graduates
on an ad hoc basis. Internships are advertised in a similar way.
Bayer produces pharmaceutical, technology, agricultural and high-tech polymer products
and has approximately 117,000 employees. In the UK it offers an 18-month learning and
development graduate programme. It also runs international graduate programmes in HR,
supply chain management, financial management and procurement. Entry requirements
vary, but generally a relevant degree is specified. Internships may also be available.
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Nestlé
82
Slaughter and May
See page 358 for more information
83
Mott MacDonald
See page 314 for more information
84
Bain & Company
85
Lloyds Banking Group
Nestlé is a food group that produces consumer confection and beverage brands and is
present in 190 countries around the world. It offers graduate programmes in customer
development, engineering, manufacturing, marketing, science and supply chain. Degree
requirements vary, but a degree in any discipline is typical. Ten-week internships and
twelve-month placements are also available.
Slaughter and May is a law firm that has over 1,100 employees and 115 partners around the
world. It has offices in London, Brussels, Hong Kong and Beijing. It offers training contracts
for both law and non-law students and graduates, who must complete their LPC at BPP
University in London. A high 2.1 or above and three strong A levels are required. Work
experience schemes, workshops and open days are also available.
Mott MacDonald is a management, engineering and development consultancy with over
16,000 employees worldwide. The organisation has worked on projects such as Crossrail. It
offers graduate programmes in areas including mechanical engineering, management
consultancy and quantity surveying. Applicants are typically required to have a 2.1 degree
but some schemes will consider applicants with a 2.2 and relevant work experience.
Summer internships and industrial placements are also available.
Bain & Company is a management consulting firm that provides advice in areas such as
strategy, marketing, mergers and acquisitions, digital transformation and corporate finance.
It has 57 offices in 36 countries around the world. Its associate consultant roles are open to
undergraduates, graduates and postgraduates of all subjects with fewer than two years’
experience. Internships are not offered in its London office.
Lloyds Banking Group is the financial services group behind brands such as Lloyds Bank,
Halifax and Bank of Scotland. It offers internships and graduates in various areas of banking,
technology and management. It will be hiring over 200 graduates this year from a range of
degree backgrounds.
See page 290 for more information
86
EDF Energy
87
Linklaters
See page 286 for more information
88
ExxonMobil
EDF Energy is a UK-based company that supplies electricity and gas to residential and
business customers. It offers graduate programmes in areas including nuclear engineering,
finance, supply chain and commercial. Requirements vary, but many schemes look for
applicants with a 2.1 in any degree discipline. EDF Energy also has internships and year-long
industrial placements.
Linklaters is a law firm that provides legal advice in areas such as banking, human rights,
construction, tax, real estate and intellectual property. It employs c. 5,000 people in 30
offices in 20 countries. Linklaters offers a two-year training contract for candidates who
are on track for a 2.1 degree in any subject. Two-to-four-week vacation schemes are also
available.
ExxonMobil is an oil and gas company and operates in the UK under the brand names Esso,
Exxon and Mobil. It offers ad hoc graduate vacancies in areas such as research and
technology, engineering, business, IT, finance, project management and operations.
Eight-week summer placements are also available.
See page 228 for more information
89
Aldi
Aldi is an international supermarket chain. It has an area manager training programme for
graduates. Applicants must achieve at least a 2.1 degree in any discipline to be considered.
It also requires applicants to have a UK driving licence and have obtained a minimum of 96
UCAS points at A level or equivalent. Industrial placements are also offered.
See page 142 for more information
90
Citi
390 | UK 300 2019/20
Citi is a financial services and banking company. Its clients include consumers, corporations
and governments. It employs 203,000 people across 98 countries. Citi runs a number of
graduate- and intern-level programmes in areas such as investment banking, technology,
finance and risk management. Entry requirements vary depending on the scheme.
The 300 in brief
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Transport for London
92
Boots
93
Roche
UK
300
Transport for London (TfL) is responsible for London’s transport network. It offers two- to
three-year graduate schemes in different roles under five areas: engineering; technology
and data; management and planning; professional services; and commercial services.
Degree subject and grade requirements vary across the schemes. TfL also offers placements
to undergraduates and recent graduates.
Boots is a pharmaceuticals and beauty product retailer with around 2,500 stores across the
UK. It offers graduate opportunities in global brands, supply chain, finance, digital,
commercial, software engineering and HR. Graduates require at least a 2.1 and most accept
any degree discipline. For the digital and HR schemes, applicants will need a relevant
degree. Internships are also available.
Roche is a pharmaceutical and healthcare company, which focuses on research. It develops
medicines and diagnostics to deal with a variety of conditions and illnesses. It employs over
90,000 people in around 100 countries. Its headquarters are located in Basel, Switzerland.
Roche offers ad hoc graduate positions. Entry requirements vary.
See page 338 for more information
94
Baker McKenzie
See page 174 for more information
95
Intel
96
Cisco
Baker McKenzie is a law firm that provides legal advice to industries such as consumer
goods, healthcare and technology. It runs vacation schemes and training contracts for
applicants with at least 340/160 UCAS points and a 2.1 in any subject. Training contract
applicants are also required to have completed the fast-track LPC at BPP University in
London. The firm also offers a first-year insight scheme and open days.
Intel is a technology company, specialising in the design and manufacture of semiconductor
chips. It does not have a graduate programme in the UK, but job opportunities are available
on an ad hoc basis. It has previously offered opportunities to graduates in areas including
sales, marketing, HR, IT and finance. The company offers internships in the UK, in areas such
as finance, logistics, sales, operations and engineering.
Cisco designs, manufactures and sells IT networking equipment. It has 274 offices in 96
countries. It offers technical graduate programmes in areas including engineering, IT,
operations, sales, security and supply chain. It also has non-technical graduate programmes
in areas such as HR, finance and marketing. These are not necessarily in the UK.
See page 202 for more information
97
BT
See page 196 for more information
98
Abercrombie & Fitch
99
GE (General Electric)
100
Credit Suisse
See page 210 for more information
BT provides telecommunications, internet, IT, communications and network services in more
than 180 countries. It offers graduate schemes in areas including commercial management,
HR, project management, security, networks and technology. The entry requirement is
normally a 2.1 degree but a 2.2 is acceptable if you also have a postgraduate degree. Some
schemes require a relevant degree subject. BT also offers summer internships for
penultimate-year students and industrial placements.
Abercrombie & Fitch sells clothing, accessories and body care products. It combines three
separate brands – Abercrombie & Fitch, Abercrombie Kids and Hollister – and has more than
865 stores across North America, Asia and Europe. It offers leadership training schemes in
business analysis, finance, HR, IT, merchandising, supply chain, sourcing and visual
merchandising, located in its world headquarters at Ohio. There may be UK-based retail
management graduate jobs sometimes.
GE is a technology and energy services provider that operates in more than 180 countries
and in 45 locations across the UK. In the UK it runs two- to three-year graduate programmes
in departments including engineering, financial management, risk management, IT and
operations. It also offers internships, which usually last for 12 months.
Credit Suisse is a global private bank and wealth manager that employs more than 45,000
people in about 50 countries. Credit Suisse offers analyst and associate programmes in
areas such as asset management, global markets, investment banking, wealth management
and technology. Requirements vary across the schemes, but many accept graduates from a
wide range of degree backgrounds. Internships are also available.
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The 300 in brief
101
Toyota
102
Irwin Mitchell
See page 258 for more information
103
Merlin Entertainments
104
American Express
105
National Grid
10 6
Police Now
See page 334 for more information
107
Arm
See page 154 for more information
108
Capital One
See page 200 for more information
109
DLA Piper
See page 220 for more information
110
Diageo
392 | UK 300 2019/20
Toyota is a motor vehicle manufacturer employing 340,000 people in 27 countries. Its
graduate schemes cover logistics, engineering, HR and finance. Graduates must have a
2.1 or higher and a relevant degree is required for the engineering and finance schemes.
The company also offers 11-month industrial placements and 12-week internships.
Irwin Mitchell is a UK law firm that provides legal services for individuals and organisations.
It employs over 2,500 people in 14 offices. It offers training contracts to law and non-law
students and graduates at 11 different locations in the UK. Applicants for the training
contract require a minimum of a 2.1 and 300 UCAS points (or equivalent). The firm also
offers legal work placements.
Merlin Entertainments is an entertainment company whose attractions include LEGOLAND,
Alton Towers, SEA LIFE and Madame Tussauds. It has over 120 attractions in more than 25
countries. The company runs two-year graduate programmes in business management and
marketing, which require at least a 2.1 degree. Some of its attractions may also offer work
experience.
American Express provides payment, travel and expense management solutions for
individuals and businesses. It has UK offices in central London, Brighton and Burgess Hill.
It offers graduate programmes in a number of areas, such as finance, consulting, operations,
technology and marketing. Ten-week summer internships are also available.
National Grid is an electricity and gas company that acts as the system operator in the UK,
enabling the transportation of electricity and gas. It also supplies energy to customers in the
north-east of the US. It runs engineering and technical, non-technical and commercial, and
business support graduate programmes. These typically require a 2.2 in a related subject.
It also offers internships and industrial placements.
Police Now trains graduates to become police officers through its two-year national
leadership programme. Its mission is to reduce crime and increase the public’s confidence
in policing. Participants are allocated to a partner police force throughout England.
Applicants require a 2.2 or above in any degree subject and grade C in GCSE English
language.
Arm is a semiconductor IP supplier and software design company. Its products include chips,
device architectures and software. It has job opportunities in areas including: hardware and
software engineering, application engineering, research, technical writing and enterprise. It
recruits graduates into a number of engineering, technology and corporate roles. Entry
requirements vary. Internship opportunities are also available.
Capital One is a banking company that offers financial products and services, including
credit cards, to consumers, small businesses and commercial clients. It is headquartered in
Virginia in the US and has UK offices in London and Nottingham. Capital One runs graduate
programmes in a range of areas including strategy analysis, software, data analysis and
science, and operations. Entry requirements vary. Internships are available, too.
DLA Piper is a law firm operating in over 40 countries. Its sectors include energy, financial
services, hospitality and leisure, mining, real estate and technology. The firm offers training
contracts each year across its seven UK offices, which are open to applicants with ABB at
A level (or equivalent) and a 2.1 in any degree discipline. DLA Piper also offers three-week
internships and open days.
Diageo is an alcoholic drinks business that produces spirits and beer. Its brands include
Smirnoff, Captain Morgan, Baileys and Guinness. Diageo has 30,000 employees. It runs
three-year global graduate programmes in marketing, sales, HR, finance and supply chain.
Most are open to graduates with a 2.1 in any subject, but supply chain applicants need to
have studied engineering, a science, business management, supply chain, logistics, brewing
or distilling.
The 300 in brief
111
Santander
112
Merck
113
Sony
114
Freshfields Bruckhaus
Deringer LLP
115
Balfour Beatty
116
White & Case LLP
See page 374 for more information
117
nucleargraduates
See page 328 for more information
118
Jacobs
See page 260 for more information
119
Thales
120
Frontline
See page 234 for more information
UK
300
Santander is retail and commercial bank with 806 branches in the UK. It offers two-year
graduate programmes in six areas, including audit, software engineering, and corporate and
commercial banking. Applicants need a minimum 2.1 degree in any discipline and to have
achieved 112 UCAS points (or 128 UCAS points for corporate investment banking) or
equivalent. It also has ten-week summer internships.
MSD (known as Merck in North America and referred to in the survey questionnaire as such)
is a pharmaceutical and chemical company that produces medicines, vaccines and animal
health products. It employs around 69,000 people across 140 countries and has its
headquarters in New Jersey, USA. It offers 24-month graduate programmes, including ones
in global human health, animal health and MSD research laboratories. It also offers 12-month
internships.
Sony is a global electronics, entertainment and professional services company. Its
headquarters are in Tokyo, Japan and it employs 114,400 people worldwide. Business areas
include: electronics; mobile communications; game and network services; pictures; and
music. Graduate-level job vacancies are advertised on an ad hoc basis. Internships are also
available.
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP is a law firm with 28 offices and over 2,800 lawyers
worldwide. It has UK offices in London and Manchester. Freshfields offers a flexible two-year
training contract, which includes up to eight three-month seats. Each year, around 80
positions are available for the training contract in its London office. Candidates from law and
non-law backgrounds are accepted. It also runs workshops and a three-week vacation
scheme.
Balfour Beatty is an infrastructure group. It finances, develops, builds and maintains
infrastructure projects. Balfour Beatty employs 26,000 people worldwide. It offers various
two-year graduate programmes within the technical and business fields. Applicants will need
a degree in a relevant subject and many opportunities accept applicants with a 2.2. It also
offers summer placements in construction management, quantity surveying, business
management and civil engineering.
White & Case LLP is an international law firm with 44 offices in 30 countries. It offers a
training contract in its London office with around 50 vacancies. The firm also offers a twoyear vacation schemes in the winter, spring and summer, and a two-day insight scheme for
first-year students. Graduates and students of any degree discipline can apply for these
opportunities.
nucleargraduates is a two-year graduate training programme designed by the Nuclear
Decommissioning Authority (NDA). They have opportunities in three areas: engineering,
science and commercial. The schemes include several secondments with sponsor
organisations involved in the nuclear industry. Entry requirements change each year,
according to the needs of the sponsors.
Jacobs is a technical services firm that provides design, engineering, construction and
technical services. It serves markets such as aerospace and defence, transport,
telecommunications, petrochemicals, pharmaceuticals, and power and utilities. Its
headquarters are in the US and it employs more than 50,000 people around the world.
Jacobs’ graduate vacancies typically require a 2.1 in a relevant degree discipline.
Thales is a technology and communications company working in the defence, security,
aerospace, space and ground transportation markets. It has operations in 68 countries and
employs 80,000 people worldwide. Thales runs graduate schemes in engineering and
business. It occasionally offers internships.
Frontline is a charity that provides social care for children and young adults. It has a twoyear leadership programme, which trains graduates for a career in social work. Applicants
need a 2.1 or higher in any degree discipline, a grade C in GCSE English language and maths
(or equivalent) and competence in IT. Frontline also offers four-week summer internships
and one-day insight events.
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The 300 in brief
Lloyd’s
See page 288 for more information
122
National Audit Office
See page 316 for more information
123
Visa
See page 372 for more information
124
DESG
125
PA Consulting Group
126
Bird & Bird
See page 182 for more information
127
Financial Conduct
Authority
Lloyd’s is a specialist insurance and reinsurance London-based market, which does
business in more than 200 countries and territories and has over 900 employees around the
world. It offers graduate programmes in areas including insurance and actuarial work.
Lloyd’s typically accepts 2.2s; whether a numerate subject is required depends upon the
scheme. Summer internships are also available for students on track for a 2.2.
The National Audit Office (NAO) is an independent body set up to evaluate government
spending. Its work involves auditing the financial statements of all central government
departments, agencies and other public bodies. It reports its results to Parliament. The
NAO runs a three-year graduate accountancy scheme open to candidates with a 2.1 in any
degree discipline.
Visa is a global technology payments company, which operates in over 200 countries and
employs 17,000 people. It offers graduate schemes for a range of sectors, including software
engineering, and sales and solutions. Degree requirements vary across the schemes; for
software engineering, graduates need a degree in computer science or a STEM/technical
field.
The Defence Engineering and Science Group (DESG) comprises the scientists and engineers
who work for the Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S) part of the Ministry of Defence.
The DESG graduate scheme lasts two to three years and recruits graduates with a 2.2 in an
approved engineering or science degree.
PA Consulting is an independent consulting firm, which provides services in a range of
sectors including: defence and security; energy and utilities; financial services; healthcare;
and travel and logistics. It employs over 2,800 people across 14 countries. It runs graduate
programmes in a number of its business areas, which are open to candidates with a 2.1
degree and 300 UCAS points. It also offers summer internships and industrial placement
years.
Bird & Bird is a law firm with a focus on providing legal services to organisations affected by
technology. It employs 1,300 lawyers in 30 offices worldwide. It offers two-year training
contracts, in which graduates spend six months working in four different practice areas.
A 2.1 in any degree subject is needed to apply. Two-week summer vacation schemes are also
available.
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is the independent body that regulates the financial
services industry in the UK. It is the conduct regulator for 58,000 financial services firms
and markets. The FCA runs graduate programmes and internships in a range of areas, for
which a 2.1 in any degree subject is needed.
See page 232 for more information
128
Tesco
129
UBS
130
Kier Group
See page 274 for more information
394 | UK 300 2019/20
Tesco is a grocery and general merchandise retailer. It operates across Europe and Asia and
has over 6,800 stores and 450,000 employees. It has more than 300,000 employees in the
UK. It runs graduate programmes in areas such as finance, distribution and fulfilment,
stores, and online. The schemes are open to graduates with a 2.2 in any degree discipline.
Tesco also offers a number of internships.
UBS is a bank and financial services company, which specialises in wealth management,
asset management and investment banking. It has offices in 50 countries around the world
and employs 68,000 people. In Europe, UBS offers 18 to 24-month graduate schemes in
asset management, corporate and investment banking. These schemes require a 2.1 or
higher.
Kier Group is an international infrastructure, buildings, developments and housing group that
employs over 18,000 people. It offers graduate programmes in areas such as civil
engineering, construction and design. Degree requirements vary across the schemes but
many ask for a 2.1 or above in a relevant subject.
The 300 in brief
131
WSP
132
Ministry of Defence
133
Capgemini
134
Herbert Smith Freehills
LLP
UK
300
WSP is a global engineering professional services consulting firm that works across
transport and infrastructure; property and buildings; water, energy and industry; and
planning and advisory. It has 43,600 employees across 40 countries. WSP offers a
three-year graduate development programme for people with a 2.1 or above in a relevant
discipline.
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is a British ministerial department focusing on foreign affairs,
defence and armed forces, and national security. It employs around 57,760 civilian
personnel. The MOD runs a two-year defence commercial graduate programme, which is
open to British nationals who have – or are predicted – a 2.2 in any degree subject.
Capgemini provides consulting, technology services and digital transformation in over 40
countries and employs around 200,000 people. It has 15 offices in the UK. Capgemini offers
graduate opportunities in technical roles, technology consulting positions and business
roles. Many positions require a relevant degree subject.
Herbert Smith Freehills LLP is a law firm and professional services business. It has 27
offices across five continents. It is recruiting for its two-year training programme exclusively
from its vacation scheme this year. Its vacation schemes are open to students and
graduates from all disciplines. It also offers two-day workshops for first-year students.
See page 246 for more information
135
Schlumberger
136
Grant Thornton
See page 242 for more information
137
Aon
See page 150 for more information
138
Mace
139
Bosch
140
Thames Water
Schlumberger provides technology for reservoir engineering, drilling, production and
processing to the oil and gas industry. It employs around 100,000 people in over 85
countries. Schlumberger recruits for graduates in operations, technology development,
commercial and business, and geoscience and petrochemical roles. Degree requirements
vary across the streams, though for most positions you will need a degree in a related
discipline. Schlumberger also offers internships.
Grant Thornton is an organisation made up of independent assurance, tax and advisory
firms. It employs around 50,000 people in over 135 countries. The firm offers a three-year
graduate programme in three business areas: audit, tax and advisory. The scheme is open to
graduates from any degree discipline. Other opportunities are 12-month placements and 6 to
8-week internships.
Aon is a professional services firm that specialises in offering risk, retirement and health
solutions. It employs around 50,000 people globally. Aon runs a graduate development
programme with eight streams in areas such as actuarial consulting, investment consulting
and global risk consulting. Entry requirements vary; many require a 2.1. Aon also offers
nine-week long summer internships and year-long placements for students predicted a
2.1 or higher.
Mace is a consultancy and construction company with its head office in London. It employs
5,726 people. Mace offers a two-year graduate development programme, as well as
12-month industrial placements and 10-week summer placements. The opportunities
require candidates to have or be expected to gain a 2.1 degree, 240 UCAS points from
3 A Levels, and GCSE grades C in maths and English.
Bosch is a supplier of technology and services, which specialises in mobility solutions,
consumer goods, industrial technology, the Internet of Things, and energy and building
technology. It employs 410,000 people worldwide, with around 5,200 based at 40 sites
across the UK. Bosch offers two-year graduate specialist programmes in engineering, and
technical sales and software engineering. Internships are also available.
Thames Water is a water and wastewater services provider that operates across London and
the Thames Valley. It has 15 million customers and over 6,000 employees. Thames Water
offers specialist finance, engineering and technology graduate programmes, which require a
2.2 degree in a relevant subject. It also offers a general leadership scheme and applicants
with a 2.2 in any degree discipline are considered for this.
UK 300 2019/20 | 395
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300
The 300 in brief
141
The Royal Bank of
Scotland Group
142
Pinsent Masons LLP
See page 332 for more information
143
Volkswagen Group
144
Lidl
The Royal Bank of Scotland Group includes various banking companies such RBS, NatWest,
Coutts and Drummonds. It runs graduate programmes in 12 different areas, including
finance, private banking, risk and technology. Applicants need a 2.1 in any degree discipline,
unless they are applying for the technology or RBS international schemes, which both
accept 2.2 degrees. It also offers internship programmes and insight weeks.
Pinsent Masons LLP is a law firm with 24 offices in 11 countries, nine of which are in the UK.
It offers training contracts in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland among other locations.
Entry requirements vary slightly, but generally speaking candidates need 300 UCAS points,
2.1 and when the time comes, a commendation or good result in the conversion course
and/or vocational degree stage (eg the LPC).Vacation schemes are also available.
Volkswagen Group is an automobile manufacturer, with its headquarters in Wolfsburg,
Germany. Its brands include Volkswagen, Audi, SEAT, ŠKODA, Bugatti, Lamborghini and
Porsche. Volkswagen UK is an importer of vehicles and employs around 600 people. It runs a
two-year graduate programme for graduates who have (or are predicted) a 2.1 in any degree
discipline. It also runs 12-month undergraduate placements.
Lidl is a German-originated supermarket that employs 20,000 people in the UK. It offers
graduate programmes in retail and management. These are open to applicants with a 2.2
degree in any discipline and a UK/EU driving licence. It also offers a 48-week retail
placement programme for students, ideally studying a business or retail degree.
See page 284 for more information
145
Danone
See page 214 for more information
146
Yorkshire Water
147
Norton Rose Fulbright
See page 326 for more information
148
Hogan Lovells
149
Clyde & Co LLP
See page 206 for more information
150
Nissan
See page 324 for more information
396 | UK 300 2019/20
Danone is a manufacturer of dairy, water, early life nutrition and medical nutrition products.
It has 100,000 employees in over 55 countries. In the UK, Danone runs a marketing and
sales graduate scheme and a nutrition graduate scheme, which are both open to graduates
with at least a 2.1 degree. Danone also offers internships and placements in its sales,
nutrition, marketing, finance, supply chain and IT departments.
Yorkshire Water manages the collection, treatment and distribution of water in Yorkshire and
Humberside. It employs around 3,500 people, manages over 600 water and wastewater
treatment works, and has five million customers. It offers a graduate scheme for graduates
with a 2.2 in any degree discipline and strong communication and teamworking skills.
Norton Rose Fulbright is a legal practice operating in industries such as finance, transport,
energy, infrastructure, technology, infrastructure, mining and commodities. It employs over
4,000 lawyers across 34 countries and has UK training contract locations in London and
Newcastle. Training contracts involve four six-month seats. Norton Rose Fulbright also runs
vacation schemes, open days and other work experience opportunities.
Hogan Lovells is a law firm that employs c. 2,600 lawyers in 26 countries. Every year it hires
around 50 trainee solicitors. For its London training contracts, applicants are required to
have a 2.1 or higher in any degree discipline. Hogan Lovells also runs insight schemes and
vacation schemes, with around half of their training contract intake having previously
completed its vacation scheme.
Clyde & Co LLP is an international law firm that employs around 3,800 staff. In the UK, it
recruits its trainees via its vacation schemes, which are available in London, Manchester,
Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen. Students, graduates and postgraduates from any degree
discipline are eligible to apply. For opportunities in Manchester and London, an AAB at A level
and a 2.1 degree are normally required.
Nissan is an automobile manufacturer that employs over 22,000 people globally. In the UK,
it has traditionally offered placements and graduate programmes in engineering,
procurement, and research and development, as well as in various commercial functions,
such as finance, HR, health and safety, IT, legal, and sales and marketing. Nissan normally
sets different degree subject requirements for different schemes but typically asks for a
2.1 minimum.
The 300 in brief
151
Eversheds Sutherland
152
Abbott UK
153
Defence Science and
Technology Laboratory
(Dstl)
154
Simmons & Simmons
155
TK Maxx
See page 366 for more information
156
BNP Paribas
157
Womble Bond Dickinson
UK
300
Eversheds Sutherland is a full-service law firm with 69 offices in 34 countries across Europe,
Asia, Africa, the Middle East and the United States. Internationally, it employs around 8,750
people. Training contract candidates require at least a 2.1 in any degree discipline and 128
UCAS points (ABB at A level). Vacation placements are also available.
Abbott UK is a healthcare and research company that manufactures healthcare,
pharmaceutical and nutrition products. It has 99,000 employees in over 150 countries
and employs around 1,400 people in the UK. Abbott advertises entry-level and graduate
opportunities on an ad hoc basis. Entry requirements vary from opportunity to opportunity.
The Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) provides research and scientific and
technical support to the Ministry of Defence and the wider government. Its headquarters are
located in Wiltshire. Every year it recruits about 80 graduates to its two-year graduate
programme. The programme covers a variety of analyst, engineer and scientist roles. It also
offers around 150 student placement opportunities each year.
Simmons & Simmons is a law firm that employs over 1,600 people in 21 offices across
Europe, Asia and the Middle East. It runs training contracts for students and graduates with a
2.1 or higher in any degree discipline and 136 UCAS points or equivalent. Simmons &
Simmons also offers open days, two-day insight schemes and vacation schemes.
TK Maxx is a fashion and homeware retailer. TK Maxx is the name that TJX Europe trades
under in the UK. TJX Europe itself is part of TJX Companies. TK Maxx runs graduate
programmes in merchandising and buying, IT, loss prevention, and finance. All degree
discipline are accepted, although for the IT programme a computer science-related degree is
asked for. Placements in the above areas and marketing and product development are also
available.
BNP Paribas is a bank and finances company. It has a presence in 73 countries with a total
of around 200,000 employees. It has 21 locations in the UK and employs over 9,300 people.
BNP Paribas hires graduate analysts in global markets, corporate banking, financial
institutions coverage, compliance and technology. Different areas may require different
degree disciplines. It also runs 10-week long summer internships and 4–11 month
internships for placement year students.
Womble Bond Dickinson is a law firm that employs around 2,400 people in the UK and the
US. It runs training contracts made up of four six-month long seats, which are open to
graduates with a ‘strong academic background’. The firm also offers work placement weeks.
See page 376 for more information
158
AWE (Atomic Weapons
Establishment)
See page 168 for more information
159
Dentons
160
Jagex
AWE (the Atomic Weapons Establishment) is responsible for the UK’s nuclear deterrent
programme. It builds and maintains warheads – from design to decommissioning – and
works under contract from the Ministry of Defence. It operates from four locations in the UK
and employs over 5,000 staff. There are two-year graduate development programmes in a
range of science, engineering and business services areas.
Dentons is an international law firm that operates in more than 170 different locations and
employs over 10,000 lawyers. Its UK training contracts are based in London, Milton Keynes,
Watford, Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow. They require a minimum 2.1 (or equivalent) and
preferably an ABB at A level. Vacation schemes are also available.
Jagex is a games developer and games publisher, which develops games such as
Runescape. It has its headquarters in Cambridge and has over 360 employees. It advertises
a range of positions in games development, growth and product services, legal, people
operations, publishing and technology. It has previously advertised entry-level positions that
require a relevant degree, internships and placements.
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The 300 in brief
Allianz
See page 146 for more information
162
BAM Construct UK
163
Ford
164
Babcock
See page 170 for more information
165
ScottishPower
166
Shoosmiths
Allianz is an international insurance company and is a part of the Allianz SE Group. It
employs 4,600 people across 26 offices in the UK. Allianz’s UK headquarters are located in
Guildford. It recruits around 40 graduates each year onto its graduate programmes. These
cover areas such as engineering insurance, finance, management, IT and underwriting.
Requirements vary. Internships and year-long placements are available.
BAM Construct UK is part of the construction and property services company Royal BAM
Group NV. The company employs 28,000 people internationally. It has offices in England,
Scotland and Wales and employs around 2,400 people in the UK. It offers a number of internlevel and graduate-level opportunities each year. Previously applicants have been required to
have studied a degree in a construction-, quantity surveying-, architecture- or engineeringrelated field.
Ford is an international vehicle manufacturer and distributor with around 65 plants and over
202,000 employees worldwide. In the UK it employs over 13,000 people. It has a number of
graduate opportunities in a variety of roles from HR to product development. Some roles
require specific degree disciplines. Ford also runs 12-month business placements and 12week vacation trainee opportunities.
Babcock is an engineering support company headquartered in London, which employs
35,000 people around the world. It specialises in the marine, land, aviation and nuclear
sectors. Babcock offers graduate programmes in a range of business management and
engineering and science areas. Applicants will need a degree in a relevant discipline and
requirements vary between a minimum of a 2.1 or 2.2 depending on the scheme.
Undergraduate placements are also available.
ScottishPower provides gas and energy to homes and businesses in the UK and is part of the
Iberdola Group. It recruits graduates into positions in disciplines such as quantity surveying,
marketing, digital, and mechanical and digital engineering. It also runs a two-year graduate
development programme. These opportunities are open to graduates with a 2.2 or higher,
and may require a relevant degree subject.
Shoosmiths is a law firm. It employs around 1,650 staff across 11 offices in the UK.
Candidates from any degree background and with a minimum of CCC grades at A level (or
equivalent) can apply for training contract opportunities at eight of its offices. Students can
also apply for insight evenings and week-long placements.
See page 352 for more information
167
Zurich Insurance
168
WPP
169
Fidelity International
See page 230 for more information
170
Caterpillar
398 | UK 300 2019/20
Zurich Insurance is an insurance company with around 55,000 employees working in over
170 countries. It runs graduate programmes in actuarial, business management, finance,
and change and technology. Graduates are required to have at least a 2.1 in any subject, 112
UCAS points and A–C grades in maths and English GCSE (or equivalent). Actuarial graduates
should have at least an A in A level (or equivalent) maths and be studying a numerical
degree. Internships are available.
WPP is a marketing communications services provider with over 120,000 employees across
112 countries. It is made up of smaller companies in disciplines such as: advertising, public
relations, branding and identity, digital, ecommerce and shopper marketing, and media
investment management. It is planning to relaunch its Fellowship graduate programme for
a 2020 intake. Individual WPP companies also run their own graduate programmes.
Fidelity International provides investment, retirement and asset management services.
It has approximately 2,500 employees in the UK. Its UK graduate programmes are in areas
such as equity research, multi-asset and fixed income investments. A 2.1 in any degree
subject is accepted; A level requirements vary. Internships and placements are also
available.
Caterpillar is a manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, diesel-electric
locomotives, diesel and gas engines and turbines. It employs more than 10,000 people in
the UK and runs graduate programmes and year-long placements in a range of disciplines for
various of its business units. Previously, applicants have been required to have a relevant
degree discipline and to have, or be predicted, at least a 2.1.
The 300 in brief
171
Leonardo
172
E.ON
173
CMS
See page 208 for more information
174
Atkins
See page 164 for more information
175
ABB
176
BASF
177
Blake Morgan
178
Nomura
179
Anglian Water
180
Morgan Sindall
UK
300
Leonardo is an aerospace engineering and manufacturing company that supplies defence
and security equipment to the Ministry of Defence. It employs around 7,000 people across
six sites in the UK. Leonardo offers an electronics, defence and security systems graduate
programme and another in helicopters. At least a 2.1 in a relevant degree is required.
Internships and placements are also available.
E.ON is a power and gas company that serves around 4m customers in the UK. It employs
around 9,975 people in the UK and around 42,000 people internationally. It offers 24-month
graduate schemes in areas including finance, customer operations leadership, strategic
business management, commercial leadership, analytical marketing and HR. Degree subject
requirements vary from scheme to scheme, but candidates must have, or be predicted, a
2.1. Internships may also be available.
CMS is an international law firm, employing around 5,500 lawyers. Core practice areas
include: banking and finance; commercial; competition and EU; corporate/mergers and
acquisitions; dispute resolution, employment and pensions; energy; infrastructure and
projects; insurance; intellectual property; life sciences; real estate and construction; and
technology, media and communications. Training contracts require a 2.1 in any subject
and 128 UCAS points. Vacation schemes are also available.
Atkins (referred to in the survey questionnaire as SNC-Lavalin’s Atkins business) is an
international design, engineering and project management consultancy. It employs around
18,000 people. It recruits graduates and placement students into roles across its energy,
transportation, infrastructure, and aerospace, defence, security and technology divisions,
in addition to its cost consultancy business Faithful+Gould. A relevant degree is usually
required.
ABB supplies power and automation solutions, products and services to utility industry,
transport and infrastructure industry customers in over 100 countries. It employs around
147,000. ABB’s graduate development programme lasts for four years and requires
applicants to have a minimum of a 2.1 in an engineering-related subject. It also runs
summer internships and year-long placements.
BASF is an international chemicals company, which employs around 900 people in the UK.
BASF manufactures a range of products including chemicals, plastics, crop protection
products, and oil and gas, which supply a number of industries. It offers graduate
programmes in areas such as agricultural sciences, biology and chemical engineering for
graduates with relevant degrees, and a PR scheme for graduates with any degree. Some
programmes require a masters or PhD.
Blake Morgan is a law firm based in southern England and Wales. It employs more than
700 people in addition to over 100 partners. Its specialities include banking and finance,
charities, construction and development, education, health and social care, and retail and
leisure. It offers training contracts, vacation schemes and other work experience
opportunities.
Nomura is an investment bank based in Asia with 28,000 employees in over 30 countries. It
is made up of four divisions: retail, asset management, wholesale (global markets and
investment banking) and merchant banking. Nomura runs graduate programmes in global
markets, investment banking and corporate infrastructure. These are open to graduates with
a bachelors, masters or PhD. It also offers a range of insight and internship programmes.
Anglian Water provides water and water recycling services to the east of England. It employs
around 5,000 people and provides water and water recycling services to more than six
million people in the UK. It offers graduate programmes in areas such as operations,
strategic delivery, information services and customer service; they all require a 2.1, but
degree subject specifications vary.
Morgan Sindall is a UK construction, infrastructure, design and regeneration group with
public sector and private clients. Its graduate programme is open to those with degrees in
construction management, commercial management, quantity surveying, civil engineering,
mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, chemical engineering, building services
engineering, architectural engineering and design management. It also offers 12-month
industrial placements.
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The 300 in brief
Laing O’Rourke
See page 282 for more information
182
Wood
183
Savills
184
MBDA
Laing O’Rourke is an international engineering company that specialises in engineering,
construction, manufacturing and asset management for public and private organisations.
It runs a 32-month graduate programme that is open to candidates with a 2.1 or higher in
certain engineering and construction-related degrees. Graduates with mathematics,
economics or business degrees can also apply. Summer and industrial placements are
also available.
Wood Group is an international energy services company that acquired Amec Foster Wheeler
in October 2017 and now employs approximately 60,000 people. It designs, builds and runs
industrial facilities, primarily in oil and gas, but also offers clean energy services. It provides
a range of graduate programmes, internships and vacation programmes around the world
(particularly in engineering); entry requirements vary according to the role.
Savills is an international property firm with around 35,000 employees in more than 60
countries. Founded in the UK, it offers graduate roles in: commercial, property development
and residential surveying; rural surveying, forestry management, and food and farming
consultancy; building surveying; and planning and urban design. Some roles require a
related degree that’s been approved by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.
Year placements, summer placements and insight weeks are available.
MBDA is a missile manufacturer that develops missile technology for air, sea and land
branches of the armed forces. It has more than 10,000 employees in six countries across
Europe and the US. It offers two-year-long graduate programmes in business, technical and
engineering areas. MBDA also offers internship and year-long placement opportunities.
See page 300 for more information
185
Total
186
BDO
See page 180 for more information
187
Kirkland & Ellis
International LLP
See page 276 for more information
188
Sellafield
See page 348 for more information
189
Honda
190
Dell
400 | UK 300 2019/20
Total is an energy company that operates in more than 130 countries with around 100,000
employees. It works with gas, oil and renewable energy. It offers a range of internships,
work-study and graduate vacancies internationally across a range of technical and
commercial professions.
BDO is an accountancy and business advisory firm that provides tax, audit and assurance,
advisory and business outsourcing services. It has 18 offices and 3,500 employees in the
UK. BDO runs three-year graduate programmes in all its UK offices for people with a 2.2 or
higher in any subject. Programmes are available in a number of different business areas,
including tax and forensic services. Internships are also available.
Kirkland & Ellis International LLP is an international commercial law firm employing over
2,500 lawyers. It has 14 offices in China, Hong Kong, the US, the UK and Germany. It offers
training contracts with compulsory seats in corporate and debt finance, which are open to
law and non-law students and graduates. It also runs open days and two-week vacation
schemes.
Sellafield is responsible for the safe decommissioning and reprocessing of the power station
at its Sellafield site in Cumbria, working with the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority. It runs
graduate schemes in areas such as commissioning, construction, HR, plant engineering and
project management. Applicants should have a 2.1 degree and preferred disciplines are
related to engineering (for which a masters is advantageous or required), science, business,
maths and technology. Placements are available.
Honda is a multinational business – primarily an automotive manufacturer that also
manufactures marine, industrial, motorcycle and garden machines among others. In the
UK, Honda typically offers vacancies for its head office and manufacturing plant on an
ad hoc basis; it also allows you to register interest for future vacancies.
Dell Technologies was created following a merger of Dell and EMC. It is a provider of
technology services, solutions and products worldwide. It offers internships, graduate
programmes and ad hoc jobs that require degrees in business, technology and engineering
across a variety of countries.
The 300 in brief
191
Mishcon de Reya
192
O2 (Telefónica)
193
Aviva
See page 166 for more information
194
Barratt Developments
195
Addleshaw Goddard
See page 138 for more information
196
Tata Steel
UK
300
Mishcon de Reya is a law firm based in London, with offices in New York. Its six main practice
areas are corporate, employment, dispute resolution, intellectual property, private and real
estate law. All trainees are recruited through a two-week vacation scheme. It accepts
applications from both law and non-law graduates and typically requires a minimum of a
2.1 degree. Open days are also available.
O2 is a digital communications company, which employs over 6,700 people in the UK. It is
the commercial brand of Telefónica UK Limited. It runs finance, technology, data analytics,
relationship and vendor management, commercial strategy, and digital graduate schemes.
Most schemes are open to applicants from any degree discipline, and some schemes
specify a 2.1 degree.
Aviva is a provider of insurance, savings and investment products. It employs around 31,700
people internationally and has nine locations in the UK. Among its opportunities, Aviva runs a
global graduate leadership programme that focuses on different areas including sales,
marketing and distribution. It is open to graduates with any degree discipline. The first 12month placement is spent in the UK, which is followed by a 12-month international rotation.
Barratt Developments is a residential property development company. Its brands include
Barratt Homes, David Wilson Homes, Barratt London and Wilson Bowden Developments. The
company operates throughout Britain and employs just over 6,000 people. It traditionally
runs graduate programmes, including the rotational ASPIRE scheme and one in construction.
A degree in any discipline is accepted. Local divisions may also advertise graduate
opportunities on an ad hoc basis.
Addleshaw Goddard is an international law firm. It specialises in providing legal services to
the digital, healthcare, industrials, transport, real estate, financial services, energy and
utilities, and retail and consumer sectors. Its training contract is open to students and
graduates with a 2.1 or higher in any degree discipline and ABB grades at A level (or
equivalent). Addleshaw Goddard also runs placement programmes.
Tata Steel is a steel producer with operations in 26 countries and commercial offices in over
35. It recruits graduates into areas such as manufacturing, mechanical engineering, process
control, information technology, research and development, and business functions.
Technical roles typically require a relevant degree. Placements are also available.
See page 360 for more information
197
Reed Smith
See page 336 for more information
198
Ashurst LLP
See page 160 for more information
199
BuroHappold Engineering
200
Next plc
See page 318 for more information
Reed Smith is a law firm with 28 offices throughout the US, Europe, Asia and the Middle East.
Its practice areas are: commercial disputes, corporate, employment, energy,
entertainment/media, finance, real estate and shipping. It has training contract vacancies in
its London office and runs two summer vacation schemes in June and July that each last
two weeks. Applicants from law and non-law backgrounds are accepted.
Ashurst LLP is a law firm that employs over 1,600 partners and lawyers across 27 offices
and 16 countries. Industries it specialises in include banking, the built environment, mining,
oil and gas, transport and utilities. Ashurst offers four-seat training contracts and a new
training programme for legal analysts (for which you require an LLB or a BA in law). This is in
addition to spring insight weeks and summer and winter vacation schemes.
BuroHappold Engineering is an international consultancy with 23 offices and over 1,700
employees. Its UK offices are in Bath, Edinburgh, Leeds, London and Manchester. Graduates
can specialise in a range of construction engineering areas from acoustics to water.
Industrial placements are available in engineering, while internships are offered in
engineering and business roles.
Next plc is a UK-based retailer of clothes, shoes, accessories and home products. It has
approximately 500 stores in the UK and Ireland and 200 stores across 35 other countries.
It employs over 40,000 people globally. Next plc offers a number of trainee merchandiser,
trainee buyer and graduate designer roles, as well as an 18–24-month technology graduate
trainee scheme and a 12-month placement year in IT. Entry requirements vary depending on
the role.
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The 300 in brief
Enterprise Rent-A-Car
See page 226 for more information
202
Jones Day
Enterprise Rent-A-Car is a car and van rental provider with over 7,200 locations in more than
30 countries. It offers trainee programmes in graduate management and international
management, as well as 12-month placements and summer internships. These programmes
do not require a specific degree, but all require a full driving licence (except in some cases of
disability) and the international management programme requires fluency in a specified
second language.
Jones Day is a law firm with more than 2,500 lawyers and 43 offices across 18 countries.
It hires around 20 trainees a year onto a non-rotational training contract. To gain a training
contract, you need to first complete a placement with the firm – open to law and non-law
students/graduates who have [or are predicted] a 2.1.
See page 266 for more information
203
Lloyd’s Register
204
QinetiQ
205
EE
20 6
Sainsbury’s
207
Burges Salmon
Lloyd’s Register is a provider of engineering, technology and business services, with clients
in over 75 countries. It specialises in areas such as aerospace and defence, energy,
manufacturing, marine and shipping, and oil and gas. It offers graduate programmes in
engineering and finance. Summer internships are also available.
QinetiQ provides customers with science- and technology-based advice, services and
products. Its key areas include aviation, maritime, cyber, space and robotics. It employs
more than 6,000 people worldwide. During its two-year graduate programme, graduates can
choose from over 100 rotational placements. Year-long placements are also available, as well
as summer placements for those studying maths, physics or any engineering discipline.
EE is part of the BT Group and primarily offers mobile phone and broadband internet
services. EE employs around 15,000 people. The overarching BT Group offers graduate
schemes in areas such as digital, sales, marketing, technology and project management;
some have an optional rotation at EE. All schemes are open to graduates from any discipline
with at least a 2.1 degree, or a 2.2 with a postgraduate qualification.
Sainsbury’s employs around 195,000 people in its supermarkets and convenience stores.
A range of roles are advertised on an ad hoc basis in areas including analytics, food
operations and logistics. Entry requirements vary, with some positions requiring a 2.1 in
a relevant discipline.
Burges Salmon is a UK commercial law firm with over 700 employees based in Bristol. Core
areas of expertise include banking, commercial, corporate, dispute resolution, employment,
private client services and real estate. Its six-seat training contracts require a 2.1 in any
subject. It also offers insight days and winter, spring and summer vacation schemes.
See page 198 for more information
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DHL
209
Johnson Matthey
See page 264 for more information
210
Oracle
402 | UK 300 2019/20
DHL is an international logistics company that employs 380,000 people around the world
and serves over 220 countries and territories. Each year DHL delivers 1,502,000,000
parcels. It offers two- or three-year graduate programmes in finance, HR, business
technology, procurement, global forwarding and future leadership to those with a 2.2 or
above in any discipline, as well as an 18-month international scheme across various sectors.
A 6–12-month internship is also available.
Johnson Matthey is a chemicals and sustainable technologies company that operates in
over 30 countries and employs 14,800 people. Its sectors of expertise include clean air,
efficient natural resources, health, and research and development. It offers graduate
schemes in its commercial, operations and science areas; it also advertises individual
graduate jobs on an ad hoc basis. Degree requirements vary.
Oracle is a provider of cloud computing, software, technology infrastructure, platform and
data services to businesses in 175 countries. In the UK, placements and graduate roles may
be advertised throughout the year on an ad hoc basis. Technical roles often require a
technology or other STEM degree; a degree in business, economics or IT may be required for
sales and non-technical consulting vacancies.
The 300 in brief
211
Skanska
212
Nationwide
213
AkzoNobel
214
SSE (Scottish and
Southern Energy)
215
Severn Trent
216
Société Générale
217
Latham & Watkins LLP
218
Gowling WLG
219
JCB
220
AXA
UK
300
Skanska is a construction company that employs around 40,000 people across Europe
and the US, with 5,700 of its employees based in the UK. Skanska has a number of
engineering, operations and business graduate programmes, including civil engineer,
geotechnical engineer, quantity surveyor, buyer, IT and health and safety programmes.
Entry requirements vary. Skanska also offers internships.
Nationwide is a British building society providing mortgages, insurance, loans, savings and
current accounts, ISAs and credit cards. It employs around 18,000 people. Nationwide runs
graduate development programmes in seven sectors, including digital, finance and risk, as
well as a separate technical development programme for graduates interested in IT. Summer
internships, work experience and year-long industrial placements are also available.
AkzoNobel is an international producer of speciality chemicals, paints and coatings. Its
headquarters are in Amsterdam and it employs around 34,500 people worldwide. It recruits
in areas such as strategy, engineering, finance, manufacturing, and marketing and sales.
In the UK it advertises ad hoc entry-level graduate and industrial placement positions.
SSE is an energy, phone and broadband company. It employs 20,000 people at over 150
locations across the UK. It offers two-year graduate programmes in engineering and nonengineering disciplines (non-engineering disciplines may include IT, telecoms, business and
commercial, finance, sales and quantity surveying) to graduates ideally with a 2.2 or above
in a relevant degree discipline. Summer placements are sometimes offered.
Severn Trent operates water supply and waste water disposal services. It is the parent
company of Severn Trent Water, the water authority for a catchment around the rivers Severn
and Trent in England and Wales. Severn Trent offers business, finance, engineering and
technology graduate schemes, as well as a number of internships and placements. The
engineering and digital programmes require applicants to have a relevant degree.
Société Générale is a European financial services organisation with over 149,000 employees
across 67 countries. Its main programmes open to graduates in the UK are in general
inspection and in global banking and investor solutions. Graduates may be able to apply for
trainee-level vacancies advertised on an ad hoc basis. The bank also offers internships.
Latham & Watkins LLP is a full-service international law firm with 2,700 lawyers across 14
countries. The firm offers training contracts to law and non-law students and graduates, as
well as winter, spring and summer vacation schemes for law students in their penultimate
year and above and non-law students in their final year and above. A 2.1 (predicted or
achieved) and AAB at A level is required for all its vacation schemes.
Gowling WLG is an international law firm with over 1,400 employees. Some of its services
include: banking and finance; commercial: corporate M&A and capital markets; real estate;
and tax. It offers 25 training contracts across its Birmingham and London offices and
accepts degrees of all classes. It also runs vacation schemes in the spring and summer and
is recruiting for its 2021 training contract solely via its vacation schemes.
JCB is a construction equipment manufacturer with headquarters in Staffordshire. It has
around 14,000 employees across four continents. It typically offers graduate programmes
in: business; finance; engineering; and electrical and electronic engineering. They tend to
require a bachelors at 2.1 or above, or a masters, in a relevant discipline. The company
usually recruits for summer and year placements in business and a range of engineering
disciplines.
AXA is an insurance and asset management company that has over 160,000 employees
across 64 countries. In the UK, individual graduate-level jobs are advertised on an ad hoc
basis across a variety of specialisms, including digital, insurance, sales and customer
services.
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300
The 300 in brief
221
Asda
222
UK Power Networks
223
Kennedys
See page 270 for more information
224
CBRE
225
British Sugar
226
Brodies LLP
227
McDonald’s
See page 302 for more information
228
United Utilities
229
RSM
230
Mayer Brown
International LLP
See page 298 for more information
404 | UK 300 2019/20
Asda is a UK supermarket chain and part of the Walmart group. It employs over 145,000
people and has more than 550 stores across the UK. Graduate programmes are available in
areas including finance, technology and retail management, with varying requirements
(finance requires a 2.1 in a relevant degree). There are also direct-entry jobs available to
graduates.
Part of the Cheung Kong Infrastructure Group, UK Power Networks owns and maintains
power cables equipment in the London, east and south east areas. It runs two-year
commercial, technology and engineering graduate programmes, after which graduates may
stay in their chosen area or apply to a range of positions across the business. It also offers
placement years for those studying engineering with an electrical component.
Kennedys is an international law firm that specialises in litigation and dispute resolution,
including in defending insurance and liability claims. It has 37 offices around the world and
employs around 2,000 people. Training contracts require a 2.1 degree or above in any
discipline and at least 120 UCAS points (excluding general studies). A winter vacation
scheme is also offered.
CBRE is an international real estate and investment services firm with more than 90,000
employees. Graduate schemes are available in five sectors: building consultancy;
commercial property; financial analytics; planning; and planning and development.
Requirements vary depending on programme. Four-week summer internships are also
available, some of which accept candidates from any year of study and degree discipline,
though others require specialist degree subjects.
British Sugar is a UK sugar supplier and manufacturer. It is part of the foods, ingredients
and retail group Associated British Foods, which employs over 130,000 people across 50
countries. It offers two-year rotational graduate programmes in disciplines including
science, engineering and business management.
Brodies LLP is a law firm headquartered in Scotland with offices in Aberdeen, Edinburgh,
Glasgow and Brussels and over 600 employees. It works across a wide range of sectors
including aviation, defence, education, financial services, IT and transport. It offers training
schemes with three eight-month placements, as well as four-week summer placements.
McDonald’s is a fast food chain with over 36,000 restaurants worldwide. In the UK it has
around 1,300 locations and employs more than 120,000 people. McDonald’s runs a trainee
manager scheme, which is open to graduates with any degree. Undergraduate students with
an interest in working in supply chain and experiencing farming can also apply to a year-long
progressive young farmer placement scheme.
United Utilities is a water company that provides people in north west England with water
and sewage services. It typically offers graduate programmes in finance, engineering
(in a range of disciplines) and IT, as well as a scheme for future leaders. However, the range
of available programmes may vary from year to year.
RSM provides audit, tax and consulting services. It has over 41,000 employees in 116
countries and 36 offices across the UK. Its graduate programmes include audit, tax,
consulting, corporate finance, risk advisory, accounting and IT. The programmes require 112
UCAS points across three A levels (or 104 across four highers/advanced highers) alongside
a predicted or obtained honours degree. RSM also offers internships, year placements and
work-shadowing.
Mayer Brown International LLP is a law firm with 26 offices across Europe, the Americas, Asia
and the Middle East. Training contracts are available in its London office and open to
undergraduates and graduates in any discipline.. The firm also provides vacation scheme
opportunities in the spring and summer.
The 300 in brief
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Macfarlanes LLP
UK
300
Macfarlanes LLP is a City law firm. Its practice areas range from multiple aspects of
commercial and corporate law through to intellectual property and IT. It recruits for up to 30
training contracts a year and accepts applications from candidates of all degree disciplines
with a minimum of a 2.1. It also runs insight days and two-week vacation schemes.
See page 292 for more information
232
RB
233
Anthony Gold Solicitors
234
Veolia
235
npower
236
Shearman & Sterling LLP
237
Cummins
238
Skyscanner
RB creates health, home and hygiene products and has operations in over 60 countries,
employing around 40,000 people. Its brands include Cillit Bang, Dettol, Nurofen, Lysol and
Calgon. It traditionally runs graduate programmes and internships, and it advertises
vacancies across the following functions: supply; sales; marketing; corporate; IT;
ecommerce; safety, quality, regulatory and compliance; medical; and research and
development.
Anthony Gold Solicitors is a law firm with offices in London Bridge, Elephant and Castle, and
Streatham. Its specialisms include housing and property disputes, injury and medical
claims, conveyancing, business services, and family and relationship law. It employs around
100 people. Applicants to its training contracts must have a 2.1 or above and AAB or
equivalent at A level (excluding general studies).
Veolia provides waste, water and energy management services. It employs over 170,000
people worldwide. Veolia typically offers two two-year graduate schemes. The first is a main
graduate development programme in which you can choose either the role-specific stream
or the rotational ‘future business leaders’ stream. The second is a finance-specific
programme. A 2.1 degree is required for both. Summer internships are also offered to both
undergraduates and recent graduates.
npower, part of the innogy Group, is a gas and electricity supplier. It offers graduate
programmes in finance, quantitative risk, IT, commercial and marketing roles, commercial
analysis, digital and data, business transformation, and operational management.
Requirements vary according to the scheme, but most are open to graduates of all
disciplines with a 2.2. Summer internships at npower can only be acquired through
its two student competitions.
Shearman & Sterling LLP is an international commercial law firm with over 850 lawyers. Its
core areas are: finance; project development and finance; and mergers and acquisitions. Its
training contracts require at least a 2.1 in any discipline (predicted or gained) and AAB
grades at A level. The firm offers one-day open days and hosts vacation schemes.
Internships are also available in business and in international arbitration.
Cummins is a designer, manufacturer, seller and servicer of engines and power generation
equipment. It is present in approximately 190 countries. It offers graduate jobs in areas such
as corporate responsibility, engineering, finance, marketing, quality assurance and supply
chain; a BSc or MSc in a relevant discipline at 2.1 or above is preferred. Year placements,
summer placements and other work experience opportunities are also available.
Skyscanner is a travel search and travel fare aggregation website used by over 90 million
people every month. It employs more than 1,400 staff across 11 offices. Graduate roles are
available in areas including software engineering, product management and business.
Internships are also available, usually for three months in the summer.
See page 356 for more information
239
Hewlett Packard
Enterprise
240
Standard Life Aberdeen
Hewlett Packard Enterprise is an IT company that designs and manufactures personal IT
systems and imaging and printing products, as well as providing business products and
services. It employs around 60,000 people. Graduate programmes are available in
engineering, IT, sales, business and consulting, HR and supply chain; they typically require
a 2.1 or above. Placement year internships are also available for students who are predicted
a 2.1.
Standard Life provides asset management services, long-term savings services and
investment products. Its headquarters are in Edinburgh. It offers summer internships and
graduate programmes in areas including: accountancy; operations; technology and change;
product creation and development; law; HR; risk and compliance; investments; marketing;
and distribution (customer service and client management).
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The 300 in brief
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Fujitsu
242
McKesson UK (Celesio)
243
London Stock Exchange
Group
244
Morrisons
245
Withers LLP
246
Bristows
247
Taylor Wessing
See page 362 for more information
248
Osborne Clarke LLP
See page 330 for more information
249
Mills & Reeve LLP
Fujitsu is an international information and communications technology company. It has
graduate roles in areas including sales, business consulting, business management,
cybersecurity, marketing, software development, project management, technology
architecture, HR and technology testing. It accepts applications from all disciplines,
though a degree in a related subject is required or highly recommended for some positions,
particularly technical roles.
McKesson UK (referenced in the survey as Celesio, as Celesio UK has since rebranded as
McKesson UK) is a healthcare services and pharmaceutical distribution company. Operating
under the LloydsPharmacy brand, it owns over 1,600 community pharmacies in the UK. Paid
four-week summer placements in its pharmacies are available to third-year MPharm
students, while first- and second-year MPharm students can apply for voluntary one-week
placements.
The London Stock Exchange Group runs international equity, bond and derivatives markets.
It also provides: post-trade and risk management services; market indexes and data
products; and trading platforms and capital markets software. It is headquartered in London,
has bases in North America, Italy, France and Sri Lanka, and employs around 4,500 people.
It offers business and technology graduate programmes to those with a 2.1 minimum –
technology requires a STEM degree. Summer internships are also available.
Morrisons is a UK supermarket chain headquartered in Bradford with over 110,000
employees and nearly 500 stores. Its graduate programmes cover retail, manufacturing,
logistics, buying, finance, technology, corporate roles and people management (HR).
Requirements vary, with some schemes requiring a 2.2 minimum and some a 2.1; some
schemes also require a full UK driving licence. Industrial placements are available in some
specialisms.
Withers LLP – which brands itself as Withersworldwide – is a private client law firm with
around 1,100 global staff. Its two-year rotational training contract requires applicants to
have, or be on track for, a 2.1 at degree level and have AAB (or equivalent) at A level. Fluency
in a widely spoken second language is highly valued, though not essential. It also offers
vacation schemes and first-year open days.
Bristows is a medium-sized law firm based in London and Brussels. It is particularly known
for its intellectual property practice and works across litigation, transactional, regulatory and
advisory matters; its core sectors are life sciences, technology, and brands. Its training
contracts include a guaranteed seat in intellectual property and are open to applicants from
all degree backgrounds. The firm typically offers open days and workshops too.
Taylor Wessing is a full-service international law firm, employing over 1,000 lawyers across
19 jurisdictions. It traditionally hires around 20 trainees a year onto its training contract and
to obtain a place on the 2021 training contract you need to have completed its vacation
scheme first. The entry requirements are a 2.1 minimum in any subject and at least an ABB
at A level (or equivalent).
Osborne Clarke is an international law firm employing over 850 lawyers in 24 locations. Its
core sectors are: energy and utilities; financial services; life sciences and healthcare; real
estate and infrastructure; recruitment; retail and consumer; technology, media and
communications; and transport and automotive. It typically offers 20 training contracts a
year; it prefers a 2.1 or above in any subject. It also provides insight days and vacation
schemes.
Mills & Reeve LLP is a UK law firm with over 500 lawyers working across six offices. Training
contracts and summer placements are usually available in the Birmingham, Cambridge,
Manchester and Norwich offices. The firm prefers candidates for training contracts to have at
least three Bs at A level and a minimum of 2.1 in any subject.
See page 308 for more information
250
Weightmans
406 | UK 300 2019/20
Weightmans is a UK law firm, employing over 1,300 people across offices in Birmingham,
Glasgow, Leeds, Leicester, Liverpool, London and Manchester. It provides services in:
aviation, construction and engineering; corporate and commercial; data protection; disputes
and litigation; employment, pensions and immigration; family; insurance; real estate;
regulatory; residential conveyancing; and wills, trusts and estates. It offers training
contracts and vacation schemes to students and graduates from all disciplines.
The 300 in brief
251
DWF Group Plc
See page 222 for more information
252
INEOS
See page 254 for more information
253
NFU Mutual
See page 320 for more information
254
Travers Smith LLP
See page 370 for more information
255
Shakespeare Martineau
256
Morgan, Lewis & Bockius
UK LLP
See page 310 for more information
257
Centrica (British Gas)
258
Qualcomm
259
Squire Patton Boggs
260
Browne Jacobson LLP
UK
300
DWF is a UK-headquartered law firm, employing c. 3,100 people across four continents. It
has expertise in the following sectors: energy and industrials; financial services; insurance;
public sector; real estate; retail, food and hospitality; technology; and transport and logistics.
DWF prefers applicants for its training contracts and vacation schemes to have a 2.1 in any
discipline and AAB grades at A level (or equivalent).
INEOS is a chemicals company; its products include solvents used to produce insulin and
antibiotics, chlorine, biofuel, synthetic oils, and plastics. It has around 21,000 employees
and 168 sites in 26 countries. It employs technical graduates on engineering and
commercial graduate programmes (engineering, science and other numerate disciplines will
be considered for the commercial programme). These programmes last four or five years.
NFU Mutual, aka the National Farmers Union Mutual Insurance Society Limited, provides
insurance, pensions and investment products to customers inside and outside of the
farming community. Headquartered in Stratford-upon-Avon, it recruits into a range of
insurance-specific, finance, HR, IT, legal, engineering, management, administrative, sales
and marketing roles; graduate schemes are available.
Travers Smith LLP is a financial and commercial law firm operating in London and Paris.
Practice areas include: commercial, intellectual property and technology; dispute resolution;
financial services and markets; investment funds; and employment. It typically offers 25
training contracts a year; entry requirements are a 2.1 in any subject and AAB at A level,
excluding general studies. It runs vacation schemes in the summer and one in December.
Shakespeare Martineau is an English law firm offering services to businesses and private
individuals, with eight offices in London and the Midlands. It specialises in corporate and
commercial, litigation and dispute resolution, real estate and planning, family, negligence
and private client work. Training contracts are run in its Leicester, Nottingham, Birmingham,
Solihull, Stratford-upon-Avon and London offices. A 2.1 in any subject is accepted.
Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP is a US-headquartered law firm employing over 2,200
professionals in over 30 international offices. Its London office has particular expertise in
regulatory and commercial matters in the financial services, energy, life sciences and
technology sectors. Training contracts and summer vacation schemes are available in its
London office, open to law and non-law students and graduates with an expected or
achieved 2.1 and AAB at A level.
Centrica is an integrated energy company. It typically offers graduate programmes in:
analysis; analysis in energy marketing and trading; business leadership; commercial
marketing; customer insight; digital technology services; engineering; finance; health,
safety, environment and security; HR; and procurement and supply chain. Most programmes
need a 2.1 – or a 2.2 if you have a masters. Summer and year-long placements are also
available.
Qualcomm is a technology company that specialises in wireless and processing
telecommunications, which introduced the first 5G mobile platform. It operates in 167
offices in 28 countries, eight of which are in the UK. It advertises individual graduate-level
jobs – many of which require a related degree – rather than graduate schemes.
Squire Patton Boggs is a full-service law firm with more than 1,500 lawyers in 20 countries.
It has UK offices in Birmingham, Leeds, London and Manchester, and its UK training
contracts are available in all of those offices. It also offers work experience and open day
opportunities.
Browne Jacobson LLP is a full-service law firm with offices in Birmingham, Exeter, London,
Manchester and Nottingham, employing over 500 lawyers. It offers around 20 training
contracts a year and a summer vacation scheme, for which there are no minimum academic
requirements set.
See page 194 for more information
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The 300 in brief
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Amey
262
TPP
See page 368 for more information
263
Mercer
264
Digby Brown
265
Phillips 66
266
Cooley LLP
267
Bryan Cave Leighton
Paisner
268
Inmarsat
See page 256 for more information
269
Petrofac
270
RPC
See page 344 for more information
408 | UK 300 2019/20
Amey is an infrastructure consultancy with 20,000 employees. It provides services related to
engineering, strategy consulting, transport, utilities, environmental and waste management,
facilities management, defence and justice, and infrastructure investment. Its graduate
opportunities are in: science, engineering and technology; environment; quantity surveying;
general management/operations; and business. A 2.2 minimum is expected, but degree
subject requirements vary. Internships and placements are found through local offices.
TPP is a technology company specialising in healthcare, providing software to clinicians in
the UK and overseas. It is based in Leeds. Graduate job roles include software developer,
product support specialist, deployment specialist, business analyst and account manager,
alongside positions in marketing and communications, and technical operations. All degree
subjects are accepted, but the required academic results vary according to the role. The
company also offers internships.
Mercer is an international consultancy specialising in health and benefits, wealth and
investments, workforce and careers, and mergers and acquisitions. It employs
approximately 23,000 people and is owned by Marsh & McLennan Companies. Mercer
traditionally hires graduates as analysts (and MBA students as associates) in consulting
and actuarial roles, but has been known to run a graduate development programme in the
UK. It also offers internships and placements.
Digby Brown is a law firm specialising in personal injury, employment and family law. Within
personal injury, it focuses on areas such as clinical negligence, road traffic accidents, workrelated accidents and accidents in foreign countries. It operates in Scotland with offices in
locations including Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee and Aberdeen. It offers summer placements
and a graduate trainee programme in personal injury.
Phillips 66 is an international, integrated energy manufacturing and logistics company,
employing around 14,800 people. Within the UK, it has offices in London and at the Humber
Refinery and markets fuels under the JET brand. For graduates in the UK, it offers a
commercial and marketing programme and a refinery engineering programme; there
are also commercial and refinery engineering placements available for undergraduates.
Cooley LLP is a US law firm, which also has offices in Beijing, Brussels, Hong Kong and
London. Its core practices cover corporate, litigation, regulatory and intellectual property. To
gain a training contract, you first need to complete its summer work experience programme.
These are open to law and non-law students, postgraduates and career changers; the entry
requirements are a 2.1 and 128 UCAS points, excluding AS Levels and general studies.
Berwin Leighton Paisner merged with Bryan Cave LLP in 2018 to create Bryan Cave Leighton
Paisner LLP. The firm employs over 1,400 lawyers in North America, Europe, the Middle East
and Asia. Practice areas in the UK offices include real estate, banking and finance, dispute
resolution, employment, regulatory and tax. It offers training contracts and a range of work
experience programmes, including vacation schemes.
Inmarsat is a mobile satellite communications provider, present in over 40 countries,
powering voice and high-speed data communications where terrestrial telecom networks
are unreliable or non-existent. It runs a technology and engineering graduate programme, a
finance graduate programme and a sales graduate programme. Inmarsat may also open
additional programmes over the next year. It also offers internships and sandwich
placements.
Petrofac designs, builds, operates and maintains oil and gas facilities. It has seven
operational centres in Sharjah, Abu Dhabi, Chennai, Mumbai, Aberdeen, Woking and Kuala
Lumpur, plus further offices elsewhere. It offers employment in technical and commercial
functions, including offshore roles. It usually runs graduate programmes in the UK in areas
such as mechanical, electrical and instrumentation engineering.
RPC is a commercial law firm and professional services/consulting firm, with offices in
London, Bristol, Hong Kong and Singapore. Legal areas of expertise are: disputes, litigation
and investigations; insurance; regulatory; corporate transactions; commercial, intellectual
property, technology and media; real estate and construction; and tax. Training contracts are
available in its London, Bristol and Hong Kong offices for law and non-law students and
graduates with a 2.1. Summer schemes are also offered.
The 300 in brief
271
Hill Dickinson LLP
272
Air Products
273
Bechtel
274
eBay Inc.
275
Farrer & Co
276
King
277
Sir Robert McAlpine
278
DAC Beachcroft LLP
See page 212 for more information
279
SAP
280
Softwire
UK
300
Hill Dickinson LLP is an international commercial law firm that employs more than 850
people. Its UK offices are in Leeds, Liverpool, London and Manchester. It takes a small
number of trainees. Different offices offer a different choice of seats. It requires applicants to
have a minimum of a 2.1 degree and ABB grades at A level or equivalent. It also runs oneweek vacation schemes and two-day insight schemes.
Air Products is an international supplier of gases, chemicals, equipment and technology for
industrial use. It has approximately 16,000 employees across 50 countries. The company
typically offers graduate programmes in engineering, in supply chain/procurement and in
business/commercial functions.
Bechtel is an international engineering, construction and project management company. It
focuses on markets within infrastructure; nuclear, security and environmental; oil, gas and
chemicals; and mining and metals. It offers graduate programmes and internships in areas
such as engineering, construction, project controls, procurement, HR, finance, supply chain
management and IT. Check the individual job descriptions for specific entry requirements,
but related degrees are usually expected.
eBay Inc. is a provider of e-commerce platforms and solutions across North America, Latin
America, the Asia Pacific, and Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Its businesses in the UK are
eBay, Gumtree, and StubHub. It employs graduates and interns in a range of countries and
roles, including in technology, retail and commercial functions. Vacancies appear to be
advertised on an ad hoc basis.
Farrer & Co is a London-based law firm with over 400 employees. Its practice areas include
banking and finance, commercial and corporate, as well as charities and community, family
and divorce, and immigration. Between eight and ten training contracts are offered each
year to law and non-law students, graduates and career changers; entry requirements are a
2.1 and ABB at A level (or equivalent). Vacation schemes are available.
King is an interactive entertainment company, part of Activision Blizzard Inc. Its mobile
game franchises include Candy Crush, Farm Heroes and Pet Rescue. Its game studios are
based in Stockholm, Malmo, London, Barcelona and Berlin. It offers internships, graduate
programmes and MBA-level opportunities in areas ranging from the technical to the financial
and commercial; previous vacancies have included UX design internships and graduate roles
in HR.
Sir Robert McAlpine is a building and civil engineering company. It has 12 offices in England,
Scotland and Wales. It offers a range of construction-related graduate career opportunities,
including in: quantity surveying; commercial management; building services engineering;
planning; architectural design; civil and structural design engineering; and environmental
and sustainability management. Work experience placements are also available. Sir Robert
McAlpine traditionally requires candidates to have related degrees.
DAC Beachcroft LLP is a law firm employing 2,500 people in the UK, Europe, Asia-Pacific and
Latin America. It has particular expertise in insurance, health and real estate. Its training
contracts are open to those who are in the final year of an undergraduate law degree or are
completing the graduate diploma in law; candidates require at least a 2.1 and 120 UCAS
points (or equivalent). The firm also offers vacation schemes.
SAP is a German software organisation specialising in enterprise applications, with more
than 98,000 employees in over 140 countries. It has its UK headquarters in Middlesex. It has
graduate jobs in development (software development, quality control, UX design and
similar), sales, finance and HR. It also offers internships in its development and technology,
sales, consulting services and marketing and communication, corporate, finance and HR
business areas.
Softwire is a software development company that delivers software solutions, apps and
websites for clients including the BBC and David Lloyd. It has over 150 employees across
offices in London, Cambridge and Manchester. It hires graduate software developers all year
round, and also offers internships over the summer and during the spring and winter
holidays. It doesn’t state minimum entry requirements for these vacancies.
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The 300 in brief
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Vodafone
282
Charles Russell
Speechlys
283
Croda
284
Tessella
285
Kerry Group
See page 272 for more information
286
Expedia
287
Ashfords
See page 158 for more information
288
Dialog Semiconductor
289
Atos
290
ConocoPhillips
410 | UK 300 2019/20
The Vodafone Group is an international telecommunications company, operating in 26
countries and partnering with organisations in a further 49. It traditionally offers two-year
graduate programmes in specialisms including: commercial functions; finance; and
technology. Entry requirements vary. The company also runs internships for undergraduate
and postgraduate students.
Charles Russell Speechlys is a law firm that was created in 2014 via a merger between
Charles Russell and Speechly Bircham. It employs over 500 lawyers in practice areas
including banking and finance, family and real estate across 11 offices in the UK, Europe, the
Middle East and Asia. The firm hires trainees who are on course for a 2.1 and have AAB at A
level into its Cheltenham, Guildford and London offices. It also offers a vacation scheme.
Croda develops, manufactures and sells chemicals for products in the health and beauty,
engine lubricants, plastics, and industrial chemical sectors among others. It employs more
than 4,000 people in over 30 countries. It runs an engineering graduate programme, a
technical graduate programme and a general graduate programme. The engineering
programme usually requires a 2.1 in chemistry or process engineering, and the others a
2.1 in a chemistry-related subject.
Tessella is an analytics, data science and AI technology consultancy and part of the Altran
Group. It has offices in England, France, Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, Germany, Italy and
the US. Science, maths and engineering graduates and postgraduates can apply for its
technical roles, such as data scientist and software engineer, which are advertised on an ad
hoc basis. It also runs a summer internship scheme for physics undergraduates from the
University of Oxford.
Kerry Group provides ingredients and solutions for the food, drink and pharmaceutical
industries. It has a workforce of around 23,000 and its headquarters are in Ireland. In the UK,
the divisions Kerry Foods and Kerry Taste & Nutrition recruit separately: there are graduate
roles in sales, marketing, supply chain, procurement, HR, IT, and research and development
among others.
The Expedia Group is a technology-focused travel company with over 24,000 employees
across more than 30 countries. The group’s brands include trivago, Hotels.com,
ebookers.com and hotwire. It hires graduates, postgraduates and interns in commercial and
technical roles. Its UK opportunities are in London, Manchester and Glasgow.
Ashfords is a law firm, based in the south west of England but with a presence in London,
offering business and personal legal services. It has three core divisions: business services,
real estate and infrastructure, and private client. It offers a Bristol-based training contract
and one in which trainees work across the other south west offices. It runs a summer work
experience scheme in Exeter.
Dialog Semiconductor provides custom and configurable mixed-signal integrated circuits
that power mobile devices and the Internet of Things. It has 2,100 employees in 29 locations
across 16 countries. In the UK, it has bases in Edinburgh, Swindon and Reading. It advertises
graduate-level vacancies, summer internships and year-long internships, primarily in
technical roles; 76% of its global workforce work in engineering functions.
Atos is an international IT services company, specialising in hybrid cloud, big data, business
applications and digital workplace solutions. It has 110,000 employees in over 70 countries.
It runs a three-year rotational graduate programme called the ‘Graduate Discovery Journey’
for students and recent graduates who are studying, or have studied, at one of its partner
universities – its careers website has a list of those universities.
ConocoPhillips is an energy exploration and production company, headquartered in Texas
in the US and operating in 17 countries; it employs approximately 10,800 people. It offers
graduate jobs and internships in areas such as: business; engineering; finance; the
geosciences; health, safety and environment; HR; IT; land management; and supply chain.
Geoscience opportunities require a masters or PhD.
The 300 in brief
291
FirstGroup
292
TLT LLP
293
Alstom
294
BLM
295
Freeths
296
Ropes & Gray
International LLP
297
Symantec
298
Sullivan & Cromwell LLP
299
Kimberly-Clark
30 0
CGI
UK
300
FirstGroup is a transport operator in the UK and North America with 100,000 employees.
In the UK, it offers opportunities across its bus, rail and group (corporate) divisions, with
engineering management, operations management and corporate/business management
graduate programmes. The group runs summer internships in its operations, engineering,
finance and commercial functions for penultimate-year students. Entry requirements vary,
but most graduate opportunities accept 2.2s.
TLT LLP is a law firm that specialises in: clean energy; digital; financial services; housing;
leisure, food and drink; the public sector; and retail and consumer goods. With offices in
Belfast, Bristol, Edinburgh, Glasgow, London and Manchester, it employs over 1,000 people.
It also has a niche shipping practice in Greece. TLT offers training contracts in all its UK
offices bar Edinburgh, requiring a 2.1 in any subject and 300 UCAS points made up of
A and B grades. It also runs vacation schemes.
Alstom is an international company that operates within the rail and transport sectors. It has
c. 36,300 employees in 60 countries. The company advertises individual internships and
graduate roles in various countries in areas such as engineering, finance and logistics; entry
requirements vary.
BLM is a law firm with c. 1,700 employees in 13 offices across the UK and Ireland. It’s
particularly known for its work in insurance and personal injury. It offers a small number of
training contracts in the UK and Republic of Ireland and traineeships in Scotland; it also runs
vacation schemes, from which it hopes to recruit many of its trainees. The firm doesn’t
screen out applicants on the basis of academic results.
Freeths is a commercial law firm with over 900 employees. It has 13 offices across England,
including in London. It offers training contracts to law and non-law students, with seats in
areas such as business services, construction, employment, planning and environment,
litigation, intellectual property and IT, and private client. It also offers a legal assistant
programme for graduates who aspire to become trainees.
Ropes & Gray International LLP is a US law firm, with international offices in London, Hong
Kong, Shanghai, Seoul and Tokyo. Its London training contract offers seats in areas including
private equity, real estate, tax, financial crime, competition/antitrust, privacy and cyber
security, and intellectual property. It only hires trainees who have attended its spring
vacation scheme; candidates for this are expected to have, or be predicted, at least a 2.1.
The Symantec Corporation is an international, Californian-headquartered cyber security
company that provides services and products for organisations, governments and individual
consumers; among consumers in the UK, it is perhaps best known for its Norton LifeLock
products. Within the UK, it has just set up an office in Reading. Symantec advertises
technical and commercial intern-level and graduate-level vacancies across a number of
countries.
Sullivan & Cromwell LLP is a US-headquartered law firm that employs over 875 lawyers in 13
offices internationally. Its London office specialises in equity and debt capital markets,
mergers and acquisitions, private equity, leveraged and acquisition finance, restructuring,
project development and finance, competition, and tax. Its London trainee scheme is open to
penultimate-year law and final-year non-law students, plus graduates and postgraduates; a
2.1 is required. It also offers a summer vacation scheme.
Kimberly-Clark is an international personal care company that produces consumer brands
such as Huggies, Andrex and Kleenex. It employs c. 41,000 people worldwide and c. 7,000
in its Europe, Middle East and Africa region. It advertises ad hoc job vacancies in areas
including engineering, finance, HR, marketing, manufacturing, sales, procurement, and
logistics and supply chain.
CGI is an international IT firm offering services in business consulting, systems integration,
IT outsourcing, business processes, applications and infrastructure. It employs around
77,000 people and offers business and technical graduate opportunities and industrial
placements. The technical opportunities require a computer science or other STEM degree,
while the business programmes accept all disciplines; 2.2s will be considered for most
opportunities, but some will require a 2.1.
UK 300 2019/20 | 411
One app.
Hundreds of
opportunities...
Delivered by
The 300 in brief
UK
300
A–Z index
Rank
......................................................Advert
A
175
152
98
47
195
22
49
272
19
213
89
64
161
293
3
104
261
179
233
137
31
66
107
28
221
287
198
48
21
174
289
193
158
ABB
Abbott UK
Abercrombie & Fitch
Accenture
Addleshaw Goddard ....138
adidas Group
AECOM ..........................140
Air Products
Airbus
AkzoNobel
Aldi ................................142
Allen & Overy LLP ........144
Allianz............................146
Alstom
Amazon ........................148
American Express
Amey
Anglian Water
Anthony Gold Solicitors
Aon ................................150
Apple
Arcadia Group ..............152
Arm ................................154
Arup ..............................156
Asda
Ashfords........................158
Ashurst LLP ..................160
Aston Martin
AstraZeneca..................162
Atkins ............................164
Atos
Aviva..............................166
AWE (Atomic Weapons
Establishment)............168
220 AXA
B
164
35
84
94
115
162
73
62
Babcock ........................170
BAE Systems ................172
Bain & Company
Baker McKenzie............174
Balfour Beatty
BAM Construct UK
Bank of America
The Bank of England....176
33
194
176
80
186
273
126
71
177
294
43
56
156
55
92
139
51
42
246
13
65
25
225
226
260
267
Barclays ........................178
Barratt Developments
BASF
Bayer
BDO................................180
Bechtel
Bird & Bird ....................182
BlackRock ....................184
Blake Morgan
BLM
Bloomberg ....................186
BMW Group ..................188
BNP Paribas
Boeing
Boots
Bosch
Boston Consulting Group
BP
Bristows
British Airways ............190
British Army ................192
British Council
British Sugar
Brodies LLP
Browne Jacobson LLP 194
Bryan Cave
Leighton Paisner
97 BT ..................................196
207 Burges Salmon ............198
199 BuroHappold Engineering
C
2
133
108
170
224
257
300
6
282
96
90
16
57
Cancer Research UK
Capgemini
Capital One ..................200
Caterpillar
CBRE
Centrica (British Gas)
CGI
Channel 4 Television
Charles Russell Speechlys
Cisco..............................202
Citi
The Civil Service
Fast Stream
Clifford Chance ............204
149
173
290
266
100
283
237
Clyde & Co LLP ............206
CMS................................208
ConocoPhillips
Cooley LLP
Credit Suisse ................210
Croda
Cummins
D
278
145
190
14
159
124
68
208
110
288
264
109
153
251
58
DAC Beachcroft LLP......212
Danone ..........................214
Dell
Deloitte ..........................216
Dentons
DESG
Deutsche Bank ............218
DHL
Diageo
Dialog Semiconductor
Digby Brown
DLA Piper ......................220
DSTL
DWF Group Plc..............222
Dyson............................224
E
172
274
86
205
201
30
151
286
88
26
E.ON
eBay Inc.
EDF Energy
EE
Enterprise Rent-A-Car 226
European Commission
Eversheds Sutherland
Expedia
ExxonMobil ..................228
EY
F
79
275
169
127
291
163
295
114
Facebook
Farrer & Co
Fidelity International ..230
Financial Conduct
Authority ......................232
FirstGroup
Ford
Freeths
Freshfields Bruckhaus
Deringer LLP
120 Frontline ......................234
241 Fujitsu
G
20
99
15
1
218
136
5
GCHQ..............................236
GE (General Electric)
Goldman Sachs ............238
Google ..........................240
Gowling WLG
Grant Thornton UK LLP242
GSK ................................244
H
134 Herbert Smith
Freehills LLP ................246
239 Hewlett Packard
Enterprise
271 Hill Dickinson LLP
70 Hilton ............................248
59 HM Revenue &
Customs........................250
148 Hogan Lovells
189 Honda
39 HSBC Bank plc..............252
I
34
252
268
95
102
IBM
INEOS ............................254
Inmarsat ......................256
Intel
Irwin Mitchell................258
J
118
160
18
219
50
44
209
202
7
Jacobs ..........................260
Jagex
Jaguar Land Rover
JCB
John Lewis Partnership
Johnson & Johnson ....262
Johnson Matthey ........264
Jones Day ....................266
J.P. Morgan ..................268
K
223 Kennedys......................270
285 Kerry Group ..................272
130 Kier Group ....................274
UK 300 2019/20 | 413
UK
300
The 300 in brief
299 Kimberly-Clark
276 King
187 Kirkland & Ellis
International LLP ........276
24 KPMG ............................278
L
23
181
217
171
144
87
121
203
85
32
L’Oréal ..........................280
Laing O’Rourke ............282
Latham & Watkins LLP
Leonardo
Lidl ................................284
Linklaters ....................286
Lloyd’s ..........................288
Lloyd’s Register
Lloyds Banking Group 290
Local Government –
National Graduate
Development Programme
(NGDP)
243 London Stock Exchange
Group
M
138
231
74
77
230
184
227
242
41
54
63
263
112
103
11
4
8
249
132
191
Mace
Macfarlanes LLP ..........292
Marks & Spencer ........294
Mars ..............................296
Mayer Brown
International LLP ........298
MBDA ............................300
McDonald’s ..................302
McKesson UK
McKinsey & Company
McLaren
Mercedes AMG High
Performance Powertrains
Mercer
Merck
Merlin Entertainments
MI5 –
The Security Service ..304
MI6 – Secret Intelligence
Service..........................306
Microsoft
Mills & Reeve LLP........308
Ministry of Defence
Mishcon de Reya
414 | UK 300 2019/20
69 Mondelez International
256 Morgan, Lewis &
Bockius UK LLP ............310
180 Morgan Sindall
40 Morgan Stanley ............312
244 Morrisons
83 Mott MacDonald ..........314
N
122
105
212
81
72
200
253
36
150
178
147
235
117
National Audit Office....316
National Grid
Nationwide
Nestlé
Network Rail
Next Plc ........................318
NFU Mutual ..................320
NHS Leadership
Academy ......................322
Nissan ..........................324
Nomura
Norton Rose Fulbright 326
npower
nucleargraduates ........328
O
192
210
248
53
O2 (Telefónica)
Oracle
Osborne Clarke LLP ....330
Oxfam
P
125
17
269
37
265
142
106
38
10
PA Consulting Group
Penguin Random House
Petrofac
Pfizer
Phillips 66
Pinsent Masons LLP....332
Police Now ....................334
Procter & Gamble (P&G)
PwC
Q
204 QinetiQ
258 Qualcomm
R
232 RB
197 Reed Smith ..................336
93 Roche ............................338
52 Rockstar Games
9 Rolls-Royce ..................340
296 Ropes & Gray International
LLP
61 The Royal Air Force
141 The Royal Bank of
Scotland Group
76 The Royal Navy ............342
270 RPC................................344
229 RSM
S
206
29
111
279
183
135
165
188
215
255
236
45
166
60
154
277
211
46
238
82
216
280
113
259
214
Sainsbury’s
Samsung ......................346
Santander
SAP
Savills
Schlumberger
ScottishPower
Sellafield ......................348
Severn Trent
Shakespeare Martineau
Shearman & Sterling LLP
Shell ..............................350
Shoosmiths ..................352
Siemens
Simmons & Simmons
Sir Robert McAlpine
Skanska
Sky ................................354
Skyscanner ..................356
Slaughter and May ......358
Société Générale
Softwire
Sony
Squire Patton Boggs
SSE (Scottish and
Southern Energy)
240 Standard Life Aberdeen
75 STFC (The Science and
Technology Facilities
Council)
298 Sullivan & Cromwell LLP
297 Symantec
T
196 Tata Steel ......................360
247 Taylor Wessing ............362
27
128
284
119
140
155
292
185
101
262
91
254
Teach First....................364
Tesco
Tessella
Thales
Thames Water
TK Maxx (TJX) ..............366
TLT LLP
Total
Toyota
TPP ................................368
Transport for London
Travers Smith LLP ........370
U
78
129
222
12
228
Ubisoft
UBS
UK Power Networks
Unilever
United Utilities
V
234
67
123
281
143
Veolia
Virgin Media
Visa ................................372
Vodafone
Volkswagen Group
W
250
116
245
157
Weightmans
White & Case LLP ........374
Withers LLP
Womble Bond
Dickinson......................376
182 Wood
168 WPP
131 WSP
Y
146 Yorkshire Water
Z
167 Zurich Insurance
Events
2019/20
Find out more about all events, competitions
and how to apply at targetjobs.co.uk/events.
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300
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416 | UK 300 2019/20
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