It can take a while to get the 'graduate' job you really want, and there may be all kinds of reasons for this, for example:

• for some careers, starting work at a lower, non-graduate, level is either required or advantageous;
• if you decide not to explore career options or apply for graduate jobs until after you have finished your studies, you will naturally take longer to  find a job;
• some jobs and courses/research have only one recruitment cycle per year - miss it and you have to wait;  
• You may not want to look for a 'graduate' job immediately - perhaps you plan to travel for a while.

To get yourself that first graduate job your preparation needs to start early.  If you can decide what it is you want to do while you are still a student (and still a first year or second year) then you will be in a better position.  Think about what you need to do to improve your opportunities and help you stand out from the crowd – look for voluntary work, work experience, or work placements, try to meet people already doing your chosen career – for information as well as finding jobs. Above all, keep persevering.

Below are some resources to help you explore employment trends for Higher Education graduates.

Graduate Prospects website

This site offers a wide range of Careers information for Higher Education students and graduates, including a section on salary and vacancy FAQs covering:

• Average graduate salaries
• The top paying jobs for new graduates
• How graduates progress in the job market
•  ... and lots more

As well as considering large organisations that traditionally recruit graduates each year you might like to consider the possibilities of working for Small and Medium Size Enterprises (SMEs). The Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services has produced a video entitled Big Opportunities in Small Businesses, streamed here in a choice of two formats:

high quality (2 Mb/s), full screen

medium quality (500 Kb/s), quarter screen.

National Guidance Research Forum - LMI Future Trends

The National Guidance Research Forum's website offers a LMI Future Trends section covering over 30 key industrial sectors and broad areas of employment which you can find at at http://www.guidance-research.org/lmi-learning.  It focuses on future changes and sector drivers in the  labour market, together with skills needs, from a local as well as a national perspective.

The information for each sector is structured as follows:

• Sector information:  skills gaps and shortages, future employment and drivers
• Data and charts:  statistical information and trends
• Regional and national dimension:  what's happening in your area
• Occupations:  job information, salary levels and occupational demands
• Equal opportunity issues:  issues and challenges
• Education and training:  What is available and how to access it
• Research:  details of recent research on the sector
• Sector summary:  a broad overview of the sector
• Links and sources:  links to original source materials, websites and other sources. 

Warwick Institute for Employment Research

The Warwick Institute for Employment Research is a leading European centre for research in the labour market field.  Its work focuses on the operation of labour markets and soci0-economic processes related to employment and unemployment in the UK at nationa, regional and local levels.  The publications section includes PDF versions of the quarterly IER Bulletin that provides findings from research projects or programmes and covers the full range of the Institute's work.

The Labour Market in Wales

Visit the Labour Market Information in Wales section of the GO Wales website for information about the local labour market.

WELMERC, the Welsh Economy Labour Market Evaluation and Research Centre, is based in the Economics Department at Swansea University, and was set up to provide evidence-based advice to develop economic policies.