Graduates warned against masters

Graduates who stayed on at university to do a masters degree with the aim of making
themselves more employable might have been better off spending the money on travel, This Is Money has reported. The finance web site reported that recruitment experts and employers are saying that it has become more difficult for candidates to differentiate themselves, and that further qualifications are unlikely to help.

The piece said that graduates who have a 2:1 are assumed to have a good education, and it is therefore not a differentiator. With fewer graduate jobs this year, experts say too many people are staying on to do a masters. Martin Thomas, head of recruitment at BT, told This Is Money: ‘If I was advising a graduate deciding whether to do a masters degree or go travelling, I’d tell them to go travelling. “A masters will get them in more debt and I can honestly say I would not automatically recruit someone with a masters over and above another candidate with the same first degree.’
The web site also reported that postgraduate qualification is unlikely to increase pay, with Phillip Lane of Citybased marketing recruiter Penna Barkers saying, “Most employers do not pay a premium for a masters, so graduates won’t get a return on their investment.”

Graduate Recruiter