TWO in five students (42 percent) have revealed that upon graduating from university, they choose their careers for money. With 8 percent of the UK’s reluctant graduates opting for roles in Retail, Buying & Merchandising, and 6 percent securing a role in Sales over their desired career paths, perhaps the opportunities for commission is too tough to resist.

Milkround the UK’s leading youth recruitment site and agency resource Ri5, this morning offered over 40 employers, agencies and universities an insight into candidate expectations when setting out on their subject-related career dreams, to the harsh reality of what it takes to succeed ‘From Degree to Career’. With just 11 percent of those who completed an internship in law being offered a returning role in the business, it’s clear that with such stiff competition for graduate positions, alternate sectors must remain a realistic solution to entering full-time employment upon graduation. In contrast, 61 percent of savvy Engineering students who completed an internship (52 percent) did so in an alternative industry to their chosen course subject – keeping their options open.

Francesca Hall, Senior Marketing Manager at Milkround said: “With a rising trend of candidates seemingly holding all the cards when it comes to selecting a career; 42 percent of our audience having turned down at least one graduate job offer, the pressure is on for employers to ensure their offering is competitive – “19 percent of candidates have even declined up to three, four or even five graduate job offers before making their final selection. Employers must be sure to keep their future talent engaged, or be at risk of losing them to a proactive competitor.” The survey asked 2,500 of Milkround’s graduates who left university in 2014 or 2015 for their career paths when they graduated from university together with the internship opportunities that were available to them and the skills students are (or are not) gaining at university.