Glossary of terms

Assessment centre

A typical component of the recruitment process for graduate opportunities, assessment centres involve undertaking tasks and activities, such as group-work exercises and e-tray tasks.

Competency/strength

A competency is a skill you can demonstrate and you may be asked to give an example of a time you have utilised this skill in the past. A strength is something you have a natural aptitude for and may be an indication of what you like doing.

Employability

Simply put, this refers to your skills and abilities that allow you to be employed.

Graduate job/could also be referred to as Direct Entry

The Careers Group defines this as a job that requires a degree, but is not a position on a structured graduate scheme.

Graduate scheme

A graduate scheme is a structured training programme run by an employer, targeted to recent graduates, and usually last between one and two years. They are often available in a number of specialisms.

Internships

Internships normally take place in the summer, from July to September, or over the Christmas or Easter vacation period. Internships can also be undertaken by graduates. They vary in length depending on the time of year, but are typically between eight and twelve weeks, and do not form a component of your academic study.

Placements

Placements last between six and twelve months, and are part of your degree.

SME

Small and medium-sized enterprises that have less than 250 employees. They often have a range of opportunities available, but may not be well known brands…yet! May be more open to receiving speculative applications than larger firms are.

Spring Insights

These are structured programmes lasting anything between one-two days to a week to give you an insight into different areas of a firm’s operation.

Transferrable skills

A key consideration in career planning and making applications, transferrable skills refer to the application of skills already gained to a new situation.