Bristol University students are fourth most targeted by top employers

An annual report on graduate vacancies and starting salaries at top employers, found that Bristol University alumni were the fourth most sought-after employee.

The list of top companies in the study came from The Times list of ‘Top 100 Graduate Employers’. These are some of the most competitive post-graduate jobs and include companies like Google, the BBC and GCHQ.

Starting salaries at these firms can average around £33,500 which is up by £1,500 from last year. Median salaries are also rising with many fields offering around £50,000; the top three paying companies are investment banks, law firms and consulting firms.

The job market is undoubtedly still competitive as the report, which was put together by ‘High Fliers’, shows the top employers averaged 39 applicants per position in 2022.

Students should not be disheartened though, as there are more openings every year and top firms took on 3,500 more graduates last year than was predicted.

The report expects graduate vacancies to grow by 6.3% this year, on top of the 14.5% growth we saw in 2022.

The director of Bristol’s career service, Stuart Johnson spoke of how proud he was of Bristol’s students: “It’s fantastic that, once again, the UK’s biggest and most successful organisations are saying they want to snap up Bristol graduates.

“We are immensely proud of our graduates, who are out there now working hard, using their skills and helping to make these organisations even better.”

Other universities joining Bristol on the top 10 list include Manchester, Nottingham, Birmingham, Warwick, Leeds, UCL, Cambridge, Durham and Southampton.

Bristol graduates are also taking on other challenges with the alumni producing a number of successful start-ups. You may have heard of ‘Perceptual Robotics’ which uses drones to inspect Wind Turbines, or ‘PEEQUAL’, the creator of the UK’s first female urinal. If starting a company in any field sounds interesting, check out the University’s Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

Bristol Uni also has a Careers Service which can help students access internships and resources to help them get ahead in their careers. They also offer advice and many ways to boost your CV such as the Bristol PLUS award and ‘Career Ready’ courses.

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