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Students: Plugging the Gaps in your Organisation

4 September 2026

Students: Plugging the Gaps in your Organisation

Did you know that a lot of graduate roles are never filled? The main reason is the lack of “first-hand” work experience to partner with their degree. With one of our offices being based in Cambridge, we are in a fortunate position to have access to a diverse, highly-skilled market of students, and we often tell our clients that by utilising a student within your business, you could be helping to upskill candidates, making them more attractive for graduate schemes and employers moving forward.

Many students look for part-time work that will not only fit around their studies but, allow them to further their pre-existing skills and build a CV which will benefit them when looking for work after their studies.

Many of our clients often temporarily need candidates who can offer flexibility in hours and roles – students are a great resource for covering maternity leave, sick leave, job sharing etc.


Skills?

At
The ONE Group

, we frequently work with students looking for temporary work. Often, these students have prior work experience in areas such as; administration, customer service, retail, finance, marketing, and general office roles.

An example profile of a student looking for work could be;

  • 2nd-year law undergraduate

  • Previous experience working in an office environment

  • Administration

  • Secretarial

  • Customer service positions

  • Fluent in Italian

  • Looking for circa 20 hours per week

  • Able to work 2 full days and 3 part-time days 


Proactiveness

We feel that students can truly add value to a business, especially a business that can counter-offer flexibility. Maybe you require someone to support two days per week or on a certain project that requires more manpower, perhaps this workload will fluctuate, and you need a candidate who can be flexible around this.

By offering flexibility on days to be worked, students can offer the same flexibility on hours worked per week as they require fewer hours than a worker looking for a permanent placement.


Capture upcoming talent

Cambridge attracts some of the best minds in the Country, it can only benefit organisations to utilise this talent.

We are always seeing reported skills shortages in the various markets, by engaging with the student talent pool to assist in some of the lower level duties, not only does it relieve the pressure of more senior members of a team but, it also helps train the next working generation!


Length?

A student can interact with your business for as long, or as short as necessary. If there is a set cover time, such as a project, then this can be put to the student, if it’s just on an ad-hoc basis, then depending on the student’s prior engagements, it is likely they can cover at extremely short notice.

However, we have known many students interact with the same company throughout their studies, working across various divisions and, due to their understanding of the business they are often a much more cost-effective solution than hiring someone new as they will require limited training.


On the flip side, students are also excellent temps for those tricky-to-fill one-day covers!
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THE ONE GROUP

Where we're from,
and how we got here

Twenty years of specialist recruitment in the East – and a lot of small decisions that added up.

TOG started in Peterborough in 2004 with a small team and a simple idea: that recruitment is a people business, done best by specialists who stay in their sector long enough to know it properly.

More than two decades on, we've grown into four offices across the East of England and Home Counties. We recruit for finance leaders, HR directors, engineering managers, tech founders, scientists, and the commercial teams that keep businesses running day to day. Between us, we've built up over 258 years of collective recruitment experience across our specialist divisions, and a network of more than 150,000 candidates we've placed, coached, or come to know across two decades in the region.

The founding principle hasn't changed. Recruitment as it should be.

OUR STORY

Key events timeline

2004

Doors open in Peterborough.

Our first office launches with a team of six on Lynch Wood. Cambridge follows the same year, giving us two offices before our first anniversary.

2015

Northampton makes it three.

Our third office opens with a team of five, quickly growing to eleven consultants covering the wider Midlands region.

2017

Peterborough moves across the road.

The team has outgrown the founding office. We move into Arena House on Lynch Wood, big enough for a growing consultant base and the back-office team that supports the whole group.

2018

Cambridge moves too.

Our second office relocates to Cambourne Business Park, giving the growing Cambridge team the space it now needs.

2023

Four offices, three counties, one very good year.

The Hertfordshire & Essex office opens in Potters Bar, extending our footprint into the Home Counties.

In the same year, we're named Business of the Year in Northamptonshire, and Employer of the Year in both Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire at the regional SME Business Awards. Three counties, three panels.

TODAY

Still growing.

Four offices, more than 258 years of collective recruitment experience across our specialist divisions, and a network of over 150,000 candidates.

Same founding principle.

SPECIALISTS BY DESIGN

What we do

We're specialists, not generalists. Every consultant at TOG focuses on one sector and stays in it. Not because it's the only way to do recruitment, but because it's how you build the depth to spot the difference between a strong CV and a strong hire.

It's also why so many of our clients come back to us years, even decades, after a first placement.

01
Accountancy & Finance
→
 02
Human Resources
→
 03
Commercial Office
Administration, customer service, project management and more
→
 04
Technology
→
 05
Engineering & Manufacturing
→
 06
Scientific
→
 07
Sales, Marketing & Creative
→
 08
Executive Search
Across all of the above
→

Beyond the recruitment itself, we produce annual salary guides, regional market reports, and the practical resources our clients and candidates turn to when they want a clearer view of what's happening in their sector.

THE WAY WE WORK

How we work

Four principles show up in every conversation and every process.
01

Be curious.

We stay interested in the market we work in, and in the people who work in it.

02

Keep it human.

We remember your kids' names and know how you take your coffee. That's just how we work here.

03

Make a difference.

We're here to help people build careers they love and businesses they're proud of.

04

Enjoy the ride.

Recruitment is a career, but it should be fun too. If it isn't, we've done something wrong.

WHAT COMES NEXT?

Recruitment
as it should be.

Hire with TOG → Looking for a role →
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