How can employers better manage applicants’ expectations?
‘I feel really disheartened and demotivated with work. There’s been a lack of training and support, and I don’t get any feedback. I’ve lost any confidence in my work. At the moment I feel I’d be better suited stacking shelves in a supermarket… and I loved my degree and got a First!’ Civil Engineer who studied Engineering, 2010 ‘[My line manager] could give more feedback… I do not know how my performance relates to that of the others and whether I am achieving the level expected of me. Need more individualised feedback!’Engineer who studied Naval Architecture, 2010 When Real Prospects graduates first entered the labour market they were often looking for a role which would help them to clarify their career goals. They assumed that their first job would equip them with the skills and experience they would need to progress in the future, but were not always prepared for the fact that employers would expect them to take responsibility for planning their own professional development. Some
