UK students fear that physical appearance (58%), race and/or ethnicity (52%) and nationality (52%) have the greatest impact on recruitment decisions, a new survey from leading graduate careers website Milkround has revealed. The new findings highlight a clear discrepancy between how employers filter candidates and students and graduates’ experiences when applying for graduate roles. In fact, 81% of students and graduates believe that nepotism, whereby employers favour relatives or friends in hiring processes, remains a major factor when it comes to who is offered a job, despite just 6% of HR decision makers saying this is a factor.

This week, leading graduate careers website Milkround is delivering nearly 3,000 care packages to university students in six cities across the UK, targeting cities which have been most affected by ongoing lockdown measures over the last few months.

Graduate jobs board @MilkroundOnline’s survey of nearly 3,000 students, graduates and young workers has revealed that 10% of the next generation of workers feel wholly unprepared for the workplace after their degree.

Research by @milkroundonline and @diginbox - #Coronavirus impacting Graduates looking for jobs: 18% of 2020 Graduates secure jobs compared to typically 60% securing jobs before leaving University.  Three-quarters (75%) of grads and students feel that the current situation around #Covid-19 will impact their future career prospects Grad job concerns linked to Covid-19: Only 18% of students graduating this year have secured jobs and 60% of those are worried their position will be impacted Internships are also at risk: 63% said current circumstances have impact their internship, including 37% being terminated  

New research has revealed that the most recent cohorts of non-Russell Group graduates (83% of those aged under 26) feel that they wouldn’t have been able to secure their first graduate role without an internship, compared to just 14% of their Russell Group contemporaries. Across generations, over half (55%) of non-Russell Group graduates wouldn’t have been able to secure their first graduate role without an internship, in comparison to just 46% of their Russell Group counterparts.