Sectors: Business and management

Most organisations will provide full training, often with the chance to study for portable recognised qualifications such as CIPD (Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development) for HR roles, CIMA (Chartered Institute of Management Accountants) for finance roles, or CIM (Chartered Institute of Marketing) for marketing and retail roles.

For project management roles, firms will provide training in the skills below, but gaining some familiarity with what they entail might prove useful at interview:

• Specialist software; Gantt charts, Critical Path Analysis and PERT help you to schedule and manage complex projects. Microsoft Project is a popular project support tool covering scheduling, resource allocation and costs.
• PRINCE/PRINCE II (Projects IN Controlled Environments) qualifications can enhance your skills and employment prospects.

Look at the training options that the employers provide in order to be able to express your motivation and understanding of what your work would involve. Practice the psychometric tests available through our Resources section in order to prepare for this key part of the recruitment process. Key sites are www.graduatesfirst.com  and Profiling for Success.

Read the business press (daily newspaper or BBC Business News) to understand what is happening in the world of business. Be ready to talk about a story you’ve followed and have an opinion about it.

Some organisations offer rotational schemes (for instance, 3 months in each functional area before you decide where to stay), while others place you into one area right from the start.

Some functional areas involve tasks and responsibilities that are very similar in different sectors. If you have identified a functional area that plays to your strengths and interests, don’t forget to cast your net widely across the sectors.