Last Tuesday evening, Lucie left the little Bright office on Bond Street and headed on over to Cass Business School to attend a talk by Vicki Spindler – Tesco’s Graduate Resourcing Manager for Commercial & Marketing.
What followed was an eye-opening, frank and insightful discussion into the myths of the retail sector, its recruitment patterns and the incredible opportunities on offer for graduates…
Unsurprisingly, 47% of current emerging graduates aspire to work for an international organisation. What is surprising, however, is that only 5.7% of graduates want to work in the retail sector. With ‘retail’ companies like Tesco dominating international zones these days, the conclusion can only be that there appears to be a huge disassociation between ‘retail’ companies like Tesco and international opportunities.
One reason for this is that many graduates assume they will be working in Tesco stores on a Tesco graduate scheme. But this just isn’t the case… it’s in fact a huge misconception and prevents bright graduates from snapping up brilliant opportunities. We bet you didn’t know that of the 19 programmes that Tesco offers … only 1 of them is in-store. Tesco offers fantastic business opportunities in General Merchandise, Distribution Management and Finance to name but a few… and all will provide exceptional graduates with first-class business training.
Today, Tesco has more shop floor space overseas than in the UK. They operate in 13 countries around the globe and have over 6,200 stores. Their International Business is now a major focus for their future growth and, as a graduate, you have (or can have) the opportunity to be a part of an exciting, growing and transforming International business should you join them.
If this all sounds good to you, then make sure you do your best to get noticed as soon as you can. Companies like Tesco are starting to have conversations with undergraduates earlier and earlier. 70% of students have looked into their future career options before they enter their penultimate year. Cottoning on to this trend, recruiters are now attempting to get ahead of students by targeting those in their first and second year as soon as possible …
… so it’s vital that you get involved and get noticed as soon as possible to make sure you’re not left behind. Have a look at Tesco’s profile on the Bright Network and keep your eyes peeled for opportunities. If you’ve ticked that you’re interested in ‘FMCG & Retail’ opportunities on your profile, we’ll be sure to send you updates whenever a new opportunity is listed.
Great business opportunities are available in the retail sector. You just have to know where to look for them and how to capitalize on their recruitment drives.