Candidate demand | Salary less important than personal interest when grads choose careers

For most students approaching the end university, deciding on which career path to commit to is a big decision that doesn’t always come easy.

In fact, there’s a whole host of factors that may influence a person’s thinking before they throw themselves into the graduate job market – not just the promise of a weighty pay packet.

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The latest research from graduate job specialist Milkround has unearthed plenty of insight into these various motivations. The study draws on responses from just under 6,000 UK students and graduates, each quizzed about their main influences when looking for a salaried position.

The vast majority of students (72%) cited personal interests as the main influence when choosing their career path, more than double those that listed salary potential (34%). Interestingly, the exact same number of students (34%) listed personal values as their key driver. This is a good indication that millennials increasingly want to align themselves with companies that they genuinely feel proud to represent.