Recruit our students FAQs

We run a range of events to connect our students and graduates with employers. Events are an excellent way to raise your organisations brand and talent spot future hires. Due to the pandemic and current restrictions, we’ve moved our activities online so you can still engage virtually. You can get involved through:

• Careers fairs
• Our multi-award winning Assessment Centre Experience days
• Themed weeks, employer presentation sessions and skills workshops for a targeted student audience, delivered via video conferencing
• Take over our Instagram account and host live question and answer sessions with our students
• Employer assessed projects and competitions that set challenges for our students, developed as part of a student’s assessment or as an extra-curricular activity.

Find out more about our employer events.

Yes, we can. At Herts, we have a strong record in terms of widening access and participation, which is evident in our student population and the proportion of students from under-represented backgrounds.

Just under 70% of our undergraduate, UK/EU student population are from under-represented backgrounds. This includes students who identify as Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME), students from parts of the country with the lowest progression to higher education, students on incomes below £25,000, and students who declare a disability.

We will support and strongly encourage the employers we work with to reflect the diversity of our students in their engagement activities. We actively host events and projects to promote diversity, for example the Inclusive Futures fair, that brought together students from diverse backgrounds with employers actively seeking diverse talent. The event was attended by more than 90 employers and 1800 students.

Find out more about widening access and equality, diversity and inclusion at Herts.

Advertising a role is quick, easy and free through our careers platform, Handshake. You can set up an employer profile and customise it with your corporate branding and any additional content that may help you to reach suitable candidates. Our platform can also target candidates that have the skills and experience required for your roles.

There’s a wide range of roles that can be advertised through the University including:

• Graduate roles
• 6-12 month work placements
• Internships
• Volunteering roles
• Part-time work

The traditional recruitment cycle tends to see recruitment schemes open for applications in September, with recruitment fairs following in October. Selection then takes place during the early part of the new year. It’s not a necessity however to follow this pattern. Many employers recruit throughout the year and we can work with you to support your recruitment needs and approach. We recommend that you avoid the exam period, which takes place in April and May at the University of Hertfordshire.

No, unless you are a charity that is seeking volunteers, we encourage all jobs to be paid in line with National Minimum Wage legislation.

Yes, you can. We have many talented and experienced international students studying courses that include a placement opportunity. To discuss this further, please contact us through our enquiry form and we are happy to advise. We also recommend checking the government website for the latest guidance.

There are many benefits that come from employing a placement student. These include:

• Bringing new talent into your business without a long-term commitment, but with the possibility of retaining future talent and lowering recruitment costs
• Placements are a cost-effective way of overcoming staff shortages and filling skills gaps
• There is flexibility with the type of placements available, for example summer internships and 6, 9 or 12 month work placements
• The business can benefit from the placement students’ knowledge gained at university
• It’s a great way to develop your staff’s managerial and mentoring skills.

Our students can participate in work placements when studying a variety of subject areas including:

• Business
• Creative Arts
• Physics, Astronomy and Mathematics
• Engineering and Computer Science
• Humanities
• Law
• Life and Medical Sciences

Recruiting a placement student is very similar to traditional forms of recruitment. You can advertise the role to our talented students through our free online jobs board. Once a student has received a job offer, we will review the role to ensure that it fits with the student’s degree. Before the placement starts, we’ll contact you to complete a Risk Assessment (Insurance and Health & Safety). A Work Agreement Letter (plus related Terms and Conditions) will be issued and a placement tutor will be allocated, who will support you and the student throughout the placement.