Companies target universities to find top candidates

Competition between companies to recruit the best graduates is tough, one expert has said, with many using several strategies to attract those still studying to a particular career path.

Speaking to online magazine ComputerWeekly, Denis Lacroix, the Director of Development, Sales and Commerce Platforms at global travel distribution company Amadeus, noted that competition for 'the best graduates across Europe' is strong, particularly in IT jobs.

'The problem is we are not the only company going after these people, so we try to get close to students at university,' he said.

Mr Lacroix noted that word of mouth can help spread awareness of a company at a university.

Students will 'naturally trust' a graduate of the same university who speaks highly of a particular company, which is why Amadeus sends staff members back to institutes to speak to current undergraduates.

ComputerWeekly noted that some recruitment specialists are worried that the increasing amount of outsourcing in the IT sector could affect a healthy UK jobs market, which follows recent pressure from the British Computer Society for the government to continue to fund graduates wanting to study information technology as a second degree.