“Think of graduation not as the culmination of your achievements, but as a necessary, but insufficient, stage in making it into the world of work,” says Vishanti Fox, careers manager for the Institute of Physics.
According to a report published by the Association of Graduate Recruiters, the proportion of graduate placements that go to 24 to 35-year-olds rose by more than 3 per cent in 2010, showing that older graduates with experience behind them are moving in on the jobs that were once the preserve of the fresh-faced university leaver. “Work experience is a life jacket,” says Fox. “Put it on your CV and it will save you from being put in the ‘other’ pile.”