HR/legal thoughts please – graduate roles

Keep options open, say yes to the Sept 2015. Meanwhile apply to the other 3. If one gives you a better deal take it, if not walk in in Sept. If they bail again you will get the £5k.

This is what I’d do.

Is his qualification in accounting?

One of my daughters works for one of the big 4 through their generic grad scheme. Sat filling in immigration paperwork for tech company employees under the ‘business services’ function. Hates it.

If an accountant stick it out, generic run a mile.

Make sure that there’s no lock out period and take the 5k, then reapply for the same role, possibly even in the September intake, along with anything else available. He should be in an ideal position, having already been an intern…

This seems the best option to me. You have so few employment rights in the first two years anyway, I can’t see there would be any basis to do anything other than accept the £5k or hang on. Anywhere I’ve worked we feel far far more confident/comfortable employing ex-interns that we know vs. interview process hires.

Make sure that there’s no lock out period and take the 5k, then reapply for the same role, possibly even in the September intake, along with anything else available. He should be in an ideal position, having already been an intern…

It’s the audit side they want to move him to, which is why he doesn’t want to go there

It’ll give him a job for life, with the possibility (with luck, cunning & brains) of being well rewarded – what expertise is he wanting instead?

Bear in mind that HR departments generally have no record of what they did yesterday, let alone what they did with a graduate offer from last year. There are no bridges to be burned, as they’ll completely forget who he was this time next week.

I applied for a graduate job with Airbus. When through a rather arduous two day selection process, but got rejected. Two months later they call me for an interview, seemingly having forgotten about the two day selection process I failed. Got offered the job (which I declined for other reasons).

Two options have merit. Take the £5k and start the hunt again (inc. applying for the same job in 2025). Keep the offer and carry on looking for a job at the “big 3” or elsewhere. £5k isn’t a lot of money, so I would go with the latter option.

It’s the audit side they want to move him to, which is why he doesn’t want to go there

It’ll give him a job for life, with the possibility (with luck, cunning & brains) of being well rewarded – what expertise is he wanting instead?

But is it accounting audit or one of the other bullshit audit functions these companies also like to fluff up, like SOX compliance nonsense.

It’ll give him a job for life, with the possibility (with luck, cunning & brains) of being well rewarded – what expertise is he wanting instead?

Experience of not being despised by everyone in every office you walk into?

If 1 of the big 4 has stopped recruiting I’d be surprised if any of the other 3 still are and his odds of landing a role are reduced anyway if they still are.

Surely in September there will be all of this years graduates on top of those waiting from last year to fill a few if any roles? They would be foolish to not look at the 2025 grads to see if there are any better than who they have already selected from 2024.

I would take the money now given it is free money and just start applying for any job he is interested in. If an opportunity becomes available at a big 4 there is no reason he can’t still apply and quit his current job (assuming he finds one).

Take the money now, and walk away. Tomorrow is an uncertainty, let alone Sep 25. By then they would have forgotten about it all anyway.