In the UK, popularity of employers is often compiled on the basis of students' satisfaction with on-campus activities, in other words it is based on anticipation of employment and employer brand. At Graduate Prospects/HECSU we wanted to know what graduate employees' view of their employers is based on their lived experiences of being employed, as we felt this would be more 'real'. Thus the Real Prospects survey was launched in 2009 to find out whether employers really did live up to their branding. However, what is important about Real Prospects is the way that employers are using its findings to improve their graduate recruitment and retention. This session will reveal survey findings about new employee satisfaction on a wide range of themes, such as induction, training and development, progression opportunities etc. It will reveal how the experience of work differs by job type, location and industrial/commercial sector. The session will also explore with participants, the ways that survey findings can be used to enhance marketing, recruitment and retention of graduate talent.