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Adrian Walsh examines the rigorous needs of graduate programme entry and comes to the sorrowful conclusion - it’s all just more of the same.
At this time of year, while scrolling through Instagram, listening to blaring ads that allow you access to 30 minutes of uninterrupted music on Spotify, or perhaps innocently walking through campus, you may be assaulted by the brightly coloured, and overly enthusiastic noises from Ireland's top graduate employers.
From engineering, law and financial services all the way to retail giants, tech and big pharma, graduate programs account for a huge percentage of first time professional employment in Ireland today. While graduate programs can be found in the civil service and government bodies, the vast majority of graduate programs are found in the private sector.
These programs are highly lucrative, with notable benefits arising from landing a place. For some, it is the promise of professional training. Law firms, which offer traineeships, allow students to qualify as a solicitor while experiencing work in a top firm, and accountancy firms offer a similar deal, with paid training, time off, and the funding of continued education. The remuneration is also high, with the average wage of a Big 4 entry position being 27 - 32,000 euro per year, with the assurance that pay and continuous development could lead to a salary of over 60,000 in 5 years.
As well as this, there are social benefits such as clubs, an on site gym and central locations with many of your colleagues being of a similar age to you. This may seem like an amazing route to take - progression and challenging work alongside a certain sense of financial security - and for some it certainly is.
With progression competitive and staff overworked, often the work life balance is very unbalanced indeed
Minimalist offices and sterile work environments aside, the reality of working for a corporate firm as a graduate can be gruelling. With progression competitive and staff overworked, often the work life balance is very unbalanced indeed. While this work environment may be expected, the work doesn’t just start when you get in the door - getting accepted to a graduate program takes significant time commitment, and often years of hard work and academic success to back you up.
It is the adage that when you are young you should keep your options open, and that leaving school and having to decide what you will do for the rest of your life is impossible and an unfair burden to place upon young people. However, this sentiment doesn’t translate into graduate recruitment.
Most large companies look for a breakdown of Leaving Certificate or equivalent results and the grades received in every module you’ve done in college. It is clear that the individuals who are favoured for this path are those who have excelled over a long period of time. In theory this vetting process makes sense, however, scrutinising ALL past academic achievement favours certain groups of people.
It is the adage that when you are young you should keep your options open, and that leaving school and having to decide what you will do for the rest of your life is impossible and an unfair burden to place upon young people. However, this sentiment doesn’t translate into graduate recruitment.
Some may have the ability to pay for grinds and achieve higher Leaving Certificate results, or have the privilege of not having to work in their first years of college, which many people do in order to save for the later years. When you have the financial backing to put more time into your degree than survival, you are looked on more favourably. Some may say that a part time job increases your employability, but for large corporate firms they are often looking for relevant work experience, which means landing an internship in a similar area, which again relies upon academic success.
Other factors that matter include your extra curricular uptake. If you have taken part in debating, drama or sport, your chances of being selected increase due to “soft skills” development. For many though, these extra curricular activities are unattainable due to the cost. Debating at a high level is far more accessible for those who have a coach at secondary school level, positions that usually only private schools employ. Sports training is often held late at night, impossible for those who face lengthy commutes.
If you have gotten to college through another means, such as through a Level 5 qualification, then the rigorous application process becomes even more tiresome. Having to reiterate why you do not have a Leaving Certificate, only to be rejected anyway, gets no more exciting the 13th time it happens. This all leads to one question, “Why do historical measures of your academic success hold equal value to your completed University degree?” Even if there are structures in place to account for the students that we are talking about, they are never explicitly referenced in the applications - something that is easily remedied but as of yet hasn’t been included in any applications for the Big 4 or the top Law firms.
The amount of time and effort that is spent personalising each application to each corporate company is also a huge burden, and the application process often requires company-specific research and unique answers to the questions that are asked. Without the knowledge of what these companies are looking for, writing answers to these applications can be very difficult, especially if you are applying for many different programs. It is widely held that if you are lucky enough to know someone who has succeeded, either in the application process or the career itself, you are at a significant advantage.
All this process does is leave those who have set their sights on this entrance into the working world with a feeling of inadequacy, with the knowledge that even achieving a high grade in your degree doesn’t mean you’ll stand out against the myriad other applicants. Filling out these applications can feel ageing, and form a realisation that the decisions of your 17 year old self may actually stand in the way of your future.
These applications shouldn’t be structured in the way they are. They clearly favour a certain demographic and don’t allow for a flexible approach - such as those who have entered university through an alternative method or who simply found interest in these paths later in their academic career. The lengthy and specific questions asked, and answers required, are nothing but off putting for many, especially those with learning difficulties, actively contradicting the inclusion and diversity policies that these companies try to promote.
The future of these corporate firms as diverse workplaces doesn’t just lie in the slick graphics and interactive websites that paint them as forward thinking and modern, but in the recruitment process becoming an equitable and inviting place for all - that should be the first step in improving their commitment to the doctrines of inclusivity that they promote.