Many future graduates may be compromising their careers because they lack the skills to compete in the job market.

That’s the stark warning from Claire Reed, network manager at the Student Industrial Society, a charitable organisation that helps graduates find work.

Reed said that many could miss out on jobs because they feel that simply having a degree guarantees them a job.

“They need to have work experience and a CV demonstrating other experience and show what they have learned from it,” she said. Involvement in student activities and societies and even time travelling can boost CVs – as long as graduates list what skills they learnt as a result, said Reed.

Research by the Association of Graduate Recruiters (AGR) has revealed that work experience often provides graduates with vacancy information. It also found that just 19% of students start thinking about their careers before leaving university.