Graduates into sales – employer, student and university perspectives

Graduate employers are faced with the challenges posed by an increasingly complex graduate labour market as well as increasing graduate recruitment and retention problems. In the light of these issues this paper considers graduate attitudes and behaviour towards sales jobs, and employers’ response to recruitment of graduates into sales. Results from interviews with key UK graduate employers and a survey of final year students at a Northern Business School show that there is a need for employers to enhance the status of sales and for universities to improve the employability and career management skills of students.