Why don't some companies accept graduates with a 2.2?

There are two reasons why a company might not accept graduates with anything below a 2.1. The first, is that the employer may believe the graduate job requires somebody of particular academic standard and the easiest way to recognise this is through the grade they achieved at University. The second reason is a logistical one. Larger employers who run popular graduate schemes, receive thousands of applications for each role. This causes them big problems when it comes to reading through each application and reducing the list of applicants to invite to assessment centres. An easy way to reduce the number of applications is to remove any applicants who did not achieve a 2.1 or above. This may seem unfair but the HR departments of these companies are expected to find ways to reduce the time and money invested in their graduate recruitment campaigns.

What jobs can a 2.2 graduate apply for?

Despite the above, there are still plenty of employers who welcome applications from 2.2 graduates.

Graduate schemes are not out of the question. Although the biggest companies might prefer 2.1 and above, there are plenty of large employers who don't mind. Unless they state on the job advertisement that they only accept 2.1 and above then it is always worth applying. It may be frustrating to hear nothing back but if you never apply, you will never know!

SME's are a great option. The advantage of a small company is that they often consider personality and character to be as important as degree grade. If you will be working in a small team your attitude is essential and an SME employer will know that. Consequently, your CV and Cover Letter will be given much more attention, so make sure you allow your personality to shine.

However, it is important to be realistic. It is important to be prepared for the fact that you might not be able to take a direct route in to your desired career. Sometimes the best option is to take a job in Sales or Recruitment in order to build experience which will put you in a much better position when applying for your dream job. Another great option is to consider Internships to build your experience and your CV. Internships are available to undergraduates and sometimes graduates, so it is never too late to get some work experience.