With signs that the graduate job market may be getting tougher this year, it’s clear that graduates will have to be at the top of their game to get a first foot on the employment ladder.
Since 2012 the Graduate of the Year competition has been a great opportunity for top graduates to stand out from the crowd, and this year’s competition has been no different.
With hundreds of applicants from extremely talented graduates across the globe, picking a winner has been extremely tough. Luckily, co-founder Doug Monro had help from two top external judges – tech investor Robin Klein and Managing Director of HR at Barclaycard Rose Thomson.
Entries were initially evaluated on a number of criteria including professional and academic achievements (in fields such as science, politics, sports, and arts), volunteer work, life experiences and entrepreneurship. Three shortlisted candidates were then chosen for each country, before our international team whittled the selection down to one finalist per country.
At the final stage our three judges – Robin Klein, Rose Thomson and Adzuna co-founder Doug Monro – evaluated each of the finalists’ profiles to choose the overall winner of the competition. As well as taking the coveted title of the Graduate Of The Year 2016 will also win the following:
- An internship in a top company
- A £1000 cash prize
- A CV clinic with a top UK entrepreneur
And the winner is…
“Average is not an option!”
Myric September – South Africa
Myric, 24, graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology from the Central University of Technology.
Today, he’s a successful IT entrepreneur and businessman in the making, having already created a program for journalism students to publish their writing and developed a hotel management system wholly in C#. These experiences will no doubt help him towards reaching his goal of running a successful international software company in South Africa.
He describes himself as an analytical individual and wishes to teach others in the software field. To this end, he has also completed an instructor’s course and currently runs a tutoring business for undergraduate students. Besides academics, Myric is a keen athlete with a particular skill for volleyball.
What our judges had to say:
Judge Robin Klein , “Myric stood out from an exceptional shortlist of graduates not only because of his remarkable academic achievements, but also his promising entrepreneurial streak. This is one name to follow in South Africa’s up and coming tech scene.”
Rose Thomson “A shortlist of incredibly talented and hardworking graduates made picking an overall winner a troubling task. While there were several finalists that were worthy of being crowned Adzuna’s Graduate of the Year, Myric’s achievements an and out of the classroom, not to mention the potential he has for future success, made him a clear favourite in the end.”
Doug Monro “Despite a very impressive shortlist of finalists, Myric was a unanimous choice for our fifth Graduate of the Year. As well as standing out for his personal achievements, his desire to help other students fulfil their potential ultimately shined through.”
Our heartfelt congratulations to Myric for all his achievements and we are elated to be a part of his professional story in the tech industry. We’ll leave the final word to him:
“It’s hard to describe how I feel! I’m super excited and happy right now, the feeling that would most describe it is humbleness, I’m humbled – I worked so hard and it feels like it’s paying off now. Maybe one day this will be the start where I look back and realise that I started making it.”
About our judges
Robin Klein
An astute early-stage investor, Robin has been involved with some of the UK’s leading and most successful companies, such as LocalGlobe, Lastminute.com, Zoopla Property Group, TransferWise, LoveFilm and moo.com.
Rose Thompson
A highly commercial and effective HR leader, she has a great track record in driving business benefits with some of the world’s biggest brands including Coca-Cola and Walt Disney. With experience in Asia, Europe and the USA, she is currently Managing Director of HR at Barclaycard.