Graduates at Sanctuary

Who we look for

We’re an ambitious organisation and we want our graduates to share our ambitions. Graduating in any degree subject, you will be in your final year of study or have finished your studies within the past two years, and will have or be predicted a minimum of a 2:1 degree.

Your personal skills will be just as important. Determined and focused, you will be a natural at building relationships and inspiring others. You’ll also need adaptability, ideas and initiative, strong problem-solving skills and confidence in your own ability. Above all, you’ll have the commercial aptitude and desire to take us forward. We are looking for people who demonstrate Sanctuary’s values and behaviours and in particular show a high degree of potential in the following areas:

• Commercial aptitude
• Ambition and drive
• Leadership
• Communication
• Adaptability
• Decision making
• Creativity
• Influencing
• Problem solving and analysis

Sanctuary is committed to diversity and inclusion. We particularly encourage applications from people who are Black, Asian or minority ethnic or disabled.

What's in it for you?

Rewards and benefits

We offer a competitive salary, a generous contributory pension scheme and a range of other benefits including 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays, life assurance, leisure and retail discounts and exclusive employee offers through our e-hub scheme.

Learning and development

Your learning and development will be a priority at Sanctuary. You’ll have a comprehensive induction, where you will be introduced to senior leaders throughout the business and visit a range of our operations across the UK. Throughout your time on the programme, we’ll make sure you have the right balance of on-the-job training, more formal learning and professional development.

After the programme

From Corporate Services to Development, Supported Living to Housing, our former graduates work across all areas of the business. Your future is in your hands. We’ll be expecting you to have the ambition and focus to progress within Sanctuary and have a significant impact on our operations. Your development doesn’t stop when you complete the programme, and we will continue to nurture your potential and help you to realise your career aspirations.

Application process

When you apply for our Graduate Development Programme, you’ll go through the following process:

1. Complete an online application form and submit a short video

The first part of the application process is to complete an online application form and submit a short video. We will be looking for you to demonstrate why you want to work for Sanctuary so please ensure you have done your research about each of our business areas and our core values. When providing answers to questions, please provide specific examples which are appropriate and can relate to the role you have applied for.

2. First stage interviews

These will be about an hour long and will be conducted remotely via Microsoft Teams or Zoom. The interviews will take place at the end of January. We will be looking to find out why you want to join your chosen Graduate Development Programme. We are looking for future potential in our graduates so think about how you can best demonstrate your potential.

3. Pre-Assessment Centre meeting

If you’re successful at first stage interview, we’ll invite you to a virtual meeting prior to the Assessment Centre. This meeting will enable you to meet some of our Directors and find out more about Sanctuary. You’ll also be able to network with our current graduates to find out what life is really like as a graduate at Sanctuary.

4. Assessment Centre

The Assessment Centre is a great opportunity for you to show that you are genuinely interested in the role. The one-day assessment centre will be held at our Worcester head office which is easily accessible by road and rail. We’ll provide overnight accommodation  the night before for applicants with a long distance to travel, and reasonable travel expenses to the will also be reimbursed. You will be informed of the outcome within 24 hours and a member of our Graduate Recruitment Team will schedule in time with you to deliver detailed feedback on your performance.

Top tips for applying

We receive a high volume of applications, so it is essential that your application stands out from the crowd.

• Do your research. We want to hear why you are passionate about wanting to work for our organisation and how your values and behaviours align to Sanctuary’s values and behaviours
• Carefully check your spelling and grammar and proofread your application before submitting it – do not rely on spellcheckers to auto correct words
• Ensure you sell yourself, demonstrating your passion and enthusiasm for both our organisation and the programme you are applying for
• Use short, succinct sentences and paragraphs which are easy to follow and focus on answering the question

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