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Graduates turn to call centre work

Published: Tuesday, 01 September 2009   Category: Sales and recruitment

More and more university leavers are looking to take graduate jobs in call centres, figures from various companies show.

One call centre agency, Hays, says that the number of people sending in applications for graduate jobs in the field have trebled in the past 12 months, while telecommunications firm O2 has also reported an increase.

According to the Times, graduates are also applying their skills to call centre jobs with dental health insurer Denplan and Cambridgeshire County Council and not just because of the recession.

Elspeth Hutchinson, who took up a graduate job at the Holiday Extras call centre, told the newspaper: "When I first graduated, I was initially thinking I wasn't going to stay here long and I would go elsewhere and the recession wouldn't hold me back, but since then I've changed my mind."

A recent survey by a University of Southampton PhD student found that degree-holders are expecting higher salaries from their graduate jobs, with some off by around £3,000.