Smaller firms 'may face challenges attracting graduates'

Small companies which want to attract graduates may find some stumbling blocks when competing with large firms, it has been suggested.

Dan Hawes, co-founder of the Graduate Recruitment Bureau, said that multi-national organisations may "have the resources to offer a very defined career path and have the experience and the brand awareness to attract a high number of people".

In contrast, he explained that smaller companies tend to "invest in their future" by hiring graduates who can be trained for management positions "further down the line".

He added that small companies may want to hire an agency which can help them develop a brand to attract graduates and other jobseekers to their firm.

Research from the Association of Graduate Recruiters' 2007 survey indicates that accountancy vacancies make up the bulk of graduate openings (23 per cent), followed by banking and financial services (12.2 per cent).