Recruiting our students and graduates

Career and Employability Services provide a free, online advertising service for a wide range of vacancies suitable for new and recent graduates and current students.

Vacancies are released daily onto our fully searchable database from Handshake where you can add your company information and upload opportunities, sign up for Handshake today.

You can advertise:

graduate positions
placements and internships
part-time or casual jobs

With our jobs board, jobseekers can search on a wide range of options including location, degree subject and type of work.

They can also set up automatic email alerts, so if your opportunity matches their search criteria they will receive email notification of your vacancy.

Recruiting international students and graduates

If you would like to employ one of our international students or graduates, you will find details on our dedicated Recruiting international students pages for information and advice about the working regulations.

Yorkshire Universities Inclusive Recruitment Guide for Employer

Recruitment information and advice

We are here to assist you:

If you are new to recruitment or if you are looking for ways to improve on how you currently recruit, we can help. The Employer and Placement Services Team will offer you advice and assistance on:

how and where to advertise your vacancy
shortlisting - what to look for in a CV or application form
interview techniques
selecting the best candidate for the role
best practice in EDI for recruitment

Contact [email protected] or telephone 01274 234991 to get in touch today.

About our students and graduates

Our courses are designed with industry input and we work with national, international and local businesses. Our courses are taught by professionals from within these industries, so you can rely on our graduates to have the skills they need to succeed and the confidence to use them.

Developing employability skills is at the heart of our students' experience at the University of Bradford.

In Bradford we refer to these skills as the Nine Employability Capabilities and they are an integral part of the courses offered at the University:

Management of self and own performance
Professional values
Communication skills and presentation of self
Team and customer working
Problem solving and decision making
Innovation and enterprise
Information and digital literacy
Financial literacy
Business and commercial awareness

Part-time and casual work

Students can offer a wide range of skills and support to your organisation when you need them. They bring a cost effective and flexible solution to your workforce needs. A large percentage of our students work part-time whilst studying and they are usually available in the evenings, at weekends and at occasional times during weekdays.

Examples of part-time and casual jobs that are often filled by students are:

customer service and call centre
market research and surveys
administration and data input
telesales and marketing
IT support, web design, database work
hospitality and bar work
retail, shop floor and stock control
translating and interpreting

In light of the demands of their academic study, we do not recommend that students commit to more than 15 hours of work per week during term time but this of course can be extended in vacation periods – Christmas, Easter and Summer (June to September).

Salaries vary from the National Minimum Wage (NMW) and upwards. See the current National Minimum Wage rates.

Short term placements and summer internships

Work experience

Whatever type of work experience opportunity you can offer - placements, summer internships, work shadowing, projects or volunteering - we can help you make contact with interested students.

Many of our programmes at the University offer placement options as part of the course, either short term or for a year in industry. Opportunities for you to recruit or involve students in your work are wide ranging, including:

Short term placements from a few days to a few months
Flexible term time and vacation project work
Summer internships
Voluntary work
MBA projects/ consultancy

Get in touch with us to discuss how offering work experience to students can benefit your organisation.

Internships and the minimum wage

Unless specifically exempted by law, all workers must be paid the National Minimum Wage (NMW) and organisations offering work experience, including placements and internships, must determine whether the student or graduate constitutes a ‘worker’, and is therefore entitled to the NMW, or if a legal exemption applies to them. Failure to pay the NMW to someone who is entitled to it is against the law (Department for Business Innovation & Skills, 2012).

We can advertise all types of vacancy where roles are to be paid at least NMW, taking into consideration the following exemptions:

Students engaged in work experience as part of their higher education course and where the placement does not exceed one year.
Voluntary workers who provide their time and effort completely free and with no contractual agreement.
Work shadowing where the placement consists entirely of work shadowing with no performed work.

Industrial placement year

The University of Bradford offers industrial placements for undergraduate students, typically lasting 9-12 months. These placements usually occur in the third year of a four-year course, allowing students to apply their knowledge and skills in a real-world setting.

The benefits to you

Fresh Ideas and Motivation: Students bring new perspectives and enthusiasm to your business.
Cost-Effective: Placements can be a cost-effective way to manage projects or fill resource gaps.
Future Recruitment: Students who complete placements may become valuable future recruits, already familiar with your business.
Creative Solutions: In challenging economic times, placements can be a creative solution to recruitment freezes or cutbacks.

If you are looking for students with specific knowledge or skills, please explore our Faculty pages:

"We've had a number of students from University of Bradford School of Management on marketing placements and on each occasion we've been delighted not only with the quality of the students, but also with the help and support given by the University's Placement team throughout the recruitment process." (Marketing Officer, Calderdale Council)

How much will it cost?

The University does not charge for placements. You only need to pay the student the agreed salary for the duration of their placement.

How It Works

Objective: The placement should offer genuine responsibility and exposure to real business issues, aligning with the University’s aim to “make knowledge work.”
Job Content: You decide the job content, but we can support you as needed.

Timescale

September onwards

Advertise your placement at any point from September through to July for an expected summer start date.
Selection process – Conduct the selection process as you prefer, with advice, resources, and facilities available from the University.
Job offer – ake a job offer to the selected student, including start and end dates, salary, and holiday details.

June - September

Start Date: Students typically start work between June and September and work for 12 months.

Each course has a Placement Coordinator who can provide you with further information, advice and requirements for their students.

Please contact the Employer Services Team on 01274 234991 for further help or email [email protected].

Other recommended advertising

Opportunities in Yorkshire

Yorkshire Graduates is managed in partnership with the region's University Careers Services and works to bring employers and graduates together. Their website gives information on the resources and help available to recruiters, and promotes graduate jobs and careers in the Yorkshire and Humber area.

They will advertise your opportunities through their website and offer you advice and comprehensive graduate recruitment services, including information on training and induction if you are new to graduate recruitment.

Recommended websites

You can see which specialist websites we recommend. This list is not meant to be comprehensive but it does give a starting point for students and graduates to search for specialist areas of work, or for work in particular sectors.

Yorkshire Universities Inclusive Recrutiment Guide for Employers

Further Information

Support against employment fraud

Jobs Aware is a joint industry and law enforcement non-profit organisation campaigning against job-related fraud. They work to advise and support job seekers who fall victim to job scams, but also aim to support employers ion how to protect themselves against employment fraud, from application fraud through to insider theft.

Advice and guidance on degree fraud - A toolkit for employers from Prospects HEDD.

Yorkshire Universities Inclusive Recruitment Guide for Employers

For information for recruitment agencies and advice on employing international students, please see the documents below.

AGCAS - Best Practice in Graduate Recruitment

Download AGCAS - Best Practice in Graduate Recruitment (DOCX, 72 kB)

If you are advertising a vacancy on behalf of a client, then in order for us to comply with AGCAS guidelines, we need the details of the client on whose behalf you are recruiting. This information will be kept confidential.

If you require this information in an alternative format, please contact our team. You can also read our Website Accessibility Statement.