The University of Sheffield
Careers Service

Why Choose Sheffield

Why should employers choose the University of Sheffield when selecting campuses on which to focus their recruitment activity?

We think there are a number of good reasons for targeting University of Sheffield students and graduates. Some of these relate to our reputation as an institution – we are proud of our global standing, our excellence in both teaching and research, and our links with business and industry. Others relate to the quality of our students and graduates, not just in terms of academic excellence but also because of the skills and qualities they can offer employers. And finally we believe that the University of Sheffield Careers Service offers varied provision and a flexibility of approach that allows all employers, from small local organisations to large multinational recruiters, to access a diverse pool of talent.

Our academic strengths

We are one of the UK´s leading universities and a member of the Russell Group, an association of 24 research-intensive UK universities. We have 50 academic departments and sections grouped into five faculties; Arts and Humanities; Engineering; Medicine, Dentistry and Health; Science; Social Sciences. Independent surveys rate our teaching very highly across a range of subjects and the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise rated 93% of our submitted research as internationally recognised or world leading. In 2011 the University was received the prestigious title of ‘The Times Higher Education UK University of the Year’.


Our students and graduates

We currently have over 25000 students, 73% of whom are studying at undergraduate level. 26% of our students are from outside of the UK and 125 countries are represented on the campus. This gives the University of Sheffield a diverse and cosmopolitan character. As well as being academically well-qualified, our students are encouraged to engage in extra-curricular activities which will help develop those skills and attributes values by employers. The Sheffield Graduate Award has been introduced to recognise the achievements of those students who have made outstanding progress in developing skills outside of their degree studies. For more information see the right hand menu.

91.6% of full-time first degree graduates who completed their courses in 2010/11 had entered employment or further study at a point six months after graduation.

By far the single largest employer of University of Sheffield graduates is the National Health Service but significant numbers also join organisations such as Sheffield City Council, PwC, KPMG, The Royal Bank of Scotland, Rolls-Royce, Tesco, Teach First, Atkins, Mott MacDonald, the Army, The British Council and government departments and local government.

In addition this University is also a significant recruiter of its own graduates. Our graduates also find employment in less well-known and smaller organisations offering interesting and challenging opportunities, often in specialist roles eg IT, public relations, urban planning etc.


The Careers Service

We offer wide ranging provision for employers with experienced staff to help you select the services most appropriate for your needs. Our online vacancy service is available free of charge but there are many more options you can select from. Some are directly related to your recruitment drive eg presentations and one-to-one sessions while others, such as skills sessions and occupational panels, enable you to enhance your campus profile by contributing to student knowledge about occupations and employers. We run an annual programme of highly-regarded and well-attended recruitment fairs each year. As well as helping you raise your profile we can also help you develop a relationship with specific departments.

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Why you should choose the University of Sheffield students and graduates