Unpaid work experience is an essential tool in getting your perfect graduate job.

In the competitive jobs market you will struggle to get ahead of the pack without already having worked as interns. A student has shown that three out of the five leading companies will not interview applicants from the class of 2011 who have not done work experience with them and students must get a job in the companies chosen field while studying for their degree in order to get a good job when they graduate.

The study by High Fliers Research examined the recruitment plans of 100 leading UK employers including Tesco, GlaxoSmithKline, Lloyd’s and the civil service.

With an average of 70 graduates applying for every trainee scheme place, undergraduates need to consider undertaking anything that improve their chances.

Martin Birchall, of High Fliers, said ‘This is a stark warning. In this highly competitive market, new graduates who’ve not had any work experience have little or no chance of landing a well-paid job with a leading employer.’ This even took into account the degree they have studied, and even if the graduate had achieved a high result.”

Recruitment for graduates is shaping up moving into 2011 and most employees are increasing their graduate intake by 9.4%.