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In the context of a somewhat turbulent graduate labour market, attention is being focused on the employment of graduates in small‐ and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs). This paper takes an initial “sounding” of our understanding about the transition of graduates into such organisations. While research data provides some insight into the barriers which work to discourage more SMEs from recruiting graduates, this understanding appears inadequate and insufficiently segmented to provide a detailed knowledge of the problems. A prevailing assumption is that graduates lack skills required by SME employers. Yet the limited research findings reveal ambiguity about the extent to which SMEs effectively deploy graduate labour. The article proposes an agenda that highlights the need for two types of research. First, a clearer picture of current trends in the SME graduate labour market. Second, a richer understanding of the real experience of graduates, and their managers, in relation to employment in an SME and the implications of such for both the supply and demand sides of the graduate labour market.

The research takes a comprehensive evaluation of hospitality students’ perceptions towards small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) employment and explores whether the current recession and labour market changes influence hospitality students career-related decisions. Such exploration would provide vital information as to how the new economic environment has modified the nature and context of hospitality students perceptions towards SMEs. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

The research focuses on a constructionist philosophy in order to interpret how hospitality students construct of career choice. The qualitative methodology adopts semi-structured interviews in order to explore the socially constructed views of hospitality students’ perception of SMEs employment.

In spite of recessional challenges which particularly affect the graduate labour market, the research confirms the original academic arguments that socially constructed barriers and influencing factors do not highlight SMEs as an attractive first employment destination.

This research recognises the need to reconsider the curriculum for hospitality students to embed the notion of SMEs as a possible career choice.

Socially SMEs have not either historically or in the present day been seen as providing adequate resources for graduates entering the world of work. Such an implication has a considerably impact upon the supply and demand side of SMEs graduate labour market.

The economic downturn now poses a real challenge for new graduates as it is difficult to predict and discuss future labour market issues and trends. The research allows key stakeholders in graduate employment to understand the effects of the economic environment to graduate SMEs perceptions and take measures in improving SMEs-graduate employment in hospitality.

Reveals how the Hays Challenge, a serious game developed to respond to key business objectives for the attraction of graduate recruits, was developed and implemented.

Describes how a recruitment-orientated serious game was developed and implemented at Hays plc. Applied research was conducted through a series of focus groups that informed the design process.

Reveals that more than 40,000 players from 190 countries have played the Hays Challenge. Within the UK business 73 percent of the most recent graduate applicants have played the Hays Challenge.

Explains that anecdotal information from the internal-recruiting teams suggests that there has been an improvement in the quality of applicants and that their knowledge about recruitment consultancies is much more evident.

Describes an interesting and attractive way of providing information about careers in recruitment to today's internet-savvy young people.

Fills a gap in the relatively limited published research into how serious gaming can be used in the attraction and initial self-selection stage of the recruitment process. Adds further insight for practitioners into this area and demonstrates some of the benefits of adopting such an approach.

The “demographic time bomb” will have implications for all industries, especially in the recruitment of graduates. This situation is explored with reference to the hotel and catering industry in the UK. Research carried out into the job opportunities for graduates in this sector of industry is reported with regard to the types of job package offered; training; levels of responsibility and career prospects; salary and fringe benefits. It was found that the packages offered exhibit similarities and differences when compared with those offered by other industries and concludes that the present situation in the hotel and catering industry may have arisen from a failure to regard itself as competing in the wider graduate labour market.

Reviews the data on changing demographic trends and predictions about their implications for human resource management (HRM) practices in the 1990s. Reports the results of a survey of 176 senior managers/personnel specialists, which assessed their knowledge of the demographic trends, and their attitudes to HRM practices which are claimed to alleviate the effects of these trends. The results reveal a considerable degree of ignorance about the nature of the demographic trends, and varying attitudes towards the importance of the practices associated with their alleviation.

To examine the attitudes of small‐to‐medium enterprises (SMEs) in the UK, in order to identify obstacles to employment of marketing‐qualified graduates and devise strategies for improving the rate of graduate recruitment in the sector.

Focus groups, semi‐structured interviews and a postal questionnaire survey, yielding responses from 260 SMEs and 130 graduates, was built upon focus group discussions and semi‐structured interviews, and selectively followed up by in‐depth interviews.

There is a significant supply‐demand imbalance and a mismatch between the skills demanded by SME owner‐managers versus those taught in typical marketing syllabuses. Graduates' frame of reference is the world of big FMCG business; they do not understand the modus operandi of SMEs. Proposals are made for dealing with the resulting problems.

The sample is limited geographically and the response rate among SMEs characteristically low. A broader‐based extension of the study is indicated.

The findings provide a recipe for the redesign of syllabuses and curricula to narrow the skills identified, to educate SME owner‐managers in the benefits of employing graduates, and to stimulate graduates to take more responsibility for their own development.

Empirical research of interest to policy makers, marketing educators and small‐business leaders.

This study aims to investigate the various competencies a graduate should hold to prepare them for graduate building surveying roles from employers’ perspective.

This study uses a sequential exploratory mixed-method approach by informing a quantitative study with the finding from a qualitative study.

Based on exploratory factor analysis, the study found that 13 essential competencies are valued by the employers when recruiting building surveying graduates, as they are requisites for effective job performance. Personal management skills, technical surveying knowledge and knowledge of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyor standards are the essential competencies based on the level of variance extracted by the three components. Other competency categories include client management skills, being goal-driven and self-motivated, optimistic personality traits, strong mental resilience, building maintenance and management knowledge and time management skills, among others that are explained in the paper.

The essential competencies were dependent on maintaining a balance between knowledge, skills and personality-based competencies. Measures and approaches for gaining the essential competencies, as well as their level of significance, are further discussed. The study will be of significant benefits to employers of graduate building surveyors, academic institutions that are seeking to improve their graduate employability, as well as students who are preparing for the world of work.

Although graduate recruitment is an area of activity which is beset with difficulties for both employers and careers advisors, it is probably the graduates themselves who are faced with the most difficult problems. Apart from the obvious anxieties they face as recruiters make decisions about them at various stages in the selection procedure, they too are required to make decisions. Two particularly important decisions are which organisations to apply to in the first place and whether or not to accept particular offers. There is little systematic evidence about the former. However, there have been some investigations of the processes which influence acceptance of offers.

Graduate employers are faced with the challenges posed by an increasingly complex graduate labour market as well as increasing graduate recruitment and retention problems. In the light of these issues this paper considers graduate attitudes and behaviour towards sales jobs, and employers’ response to recruitment of graduates into sales. Results from interviews with key UK graduate employers and a survey of final year students at a Northern Business School show that there is a need for employers to enhance the status of sales and for universities to improve the employability and career management skills of students.