PUP tops employers' choice survey

It seems like when it comes to hiring fresh graduates; it's no longer a four-way tie between the blue, the green, the maroon, and the gold and black.

Based on the recent JobSreet.com Fresh Graduate Survey, the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) is the top school most companies prefer to get fresh graduate employees from.

The survey was conducted amongst 550 companies which submitted their findings online.

According to the JobStreet.com findings, PUP graduates possess the most traits many companies look for in applicants. Respondent-companies state that PUP graduates, in general, are very hard-working, often going the extra mile in their job.

Respondent-employers have also found that PUP graduates do not tend to complain about tasks and do not give up on assignments given to them.

Companies also liked the school's graduates' genuine eagerness to learn and drive in uplifting their life, which in turn drives them to work harder.

The same JobStreet.com survey also found that six out of 10 companies consider the school where applicants have graduated from before hiring.

However, a bigger consideration for most companies still remains with an applicant's behavior and the function they want to fill in the company.

In fact, 9 out of 10 employers claim to still consider hiring a Fresh Graduate who is not from their preferred schools, provided that the candidate has the skills they are looking for.  JobStreet.com Philippines country manager Philip A. Gioca says, "More than preference for particular colleges and universities, employers prioritize applicants who show willingness to be trained and to learn. Companies need new employees who can easily adapt to their processes and systems, learn their products and services, the dynamics of the industry that they are a part of, and what drives their success. Most importantly, they want candidates who have the right attitude on being trained. Primadonnas and newbies who think they don't need training won't get hired. Where a fresh graduate got his or her diploma won't matter as much as his or her eagerness to learn and showing the ability to absorb concepts and apply them in the office setting."

Meanwhile, eight out of 10 companies would hire fresh graduates to fill in vacant positions.

Of the companies willing to hire fresh graduates, the call center industry remains the biggest market for them, with close to 60% of total BPO jobs filled in by fresh graduates. Generally, the BPO industry is also one of the most lucrative, as it provides 57% of overall jobs available to fresh graduates.

The JobStreet.com Fresh Graduates Survey also states that fresh graduates' entry salary has increased from the last 2014 study by nine percent. The information technology and call center sector still comprise the top bracket of salaries for fresh graduates, at an average of P22,000 per month.

Another interesting trend is the rise of the merchandising, quality control, and training and development sectors in the list of jobs that pay new graduates the highest.

But despite the availability of more jobs and the rising salaries offered to fresh graduates, the market is also getting more competitive, with more graduates compared to the number of jobs. To address this, Gioca advises new entrants to the job market to sharpen their sub-skills aside from their main specialization that will make them more marketable to companies.  Â

JobStreet.com is one of Asia's leading job marketplaces. Located in five countries, the site is also part of SEEK Limited, the world's largest network of job marketplaces by market capitalization.

About JobStreet.com

JobStreet.com is a leading online job board presently covering the employment markets in Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia and Vietnam. JobStreet.com currently services over 230,000 corporate hirers and over 15 million jobseekers in its database.

About SEEK Asia

JobStreet.com and jobsDB are part of SEEK Asia, which is the leading online employment market place in Asia. SEEK Asia covers 7 countries namely Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

SEEK Asia is the extension of the Australian Securities Exchange listed company called SEEK. The company's purpose is to help improve people's lives through a better career. SEEK Asia's database consist of over 500,000 corporate hirers and over 24 million candidates.

For more information about this article, or to schedule an interview with JobStreet.com Philippines, please call Mark Nichol Turija, Content Marketing Specialist, at 286-6222.