How to survive graduate job application season: our top tips

If you’re reading this, we’re going to assume you’re one of the thousands of students about to start the sometimes gruelling (but often rewarding) journey of securing your place on a graduate scheme.

As you enter your final year of university, we know you’ll have tonnes of things on your plate. From writing your dissertation to the huge task of completing your studies and generally enjoying your final year as a student, adding securing a graduate scheme into the mix means some serious juggling will have to take place this year.

That’s why we’re here to help! We know a thing or two about graduate schemes and want to make the whole process as easy as possible. We’ve collected our top tips to help you make it through graduate scheme application season.

In this guide, we'll cover these tips:

• Tweak your CV for the role you’re applying for
• Attend in-person or virtual career events
• Track your applications
• Be realistic with how many applications you may have to make
• Be patient
• Reach out for support
• Practise, practise, practise
• Create a bank of interview answers
• Expand your search
• Be kind to yourself

Often, CVs are the first thing that a potential employer might see from you, so it's important not to rush the process of creating your perfect CV.

Different companies value different skills and experiences, and the same goes for if you’re applying for a range of roles. That means you should have one baseline CV that you tweak depending on exactly which opportunity you’re applying for.

You want to make yourself as attractive as possible to your potential future employer, so make sure you’re signposting exactly why they should invite you to the next stage of the application process clearly and concisely.

For example:

• If the job description for the role you're applying for specifies 'attention to detail' as a skill, make sure that your CV includes reference to this skill somewhere.
• If the company is looking for someone with specific knowledge and you’ve completed a module at university that speaks to that knowledge, then make sure it’s highlighted on your CV.

Be proactive and put yourself in front of employers by attending career fairs and virtual events. There are so many opportunities to meet employers – you just need to know where to search.

At Bright Network, we host lots of graduate events featuring talks, panels and networking sessions. Make the most of our free opportunities to connect with potential employers!

When you start graduate scheme season, you’ll soon realise how overwhelming it can be to keep track of all your applications. There will be numerous emails, tonnes of job descriptions and so much more to keep up with, so you’ll be thankful to your past self for creating a spreadsheet or document that has a log of all that.

Our top tip when it comes to applying to graduate schemes is to get your application in as soon as possible, as companies will often hire on an ongoing basis, which means they’ll close the application as soon as they’ve filled the scheme. If they do set deadlines, they’ll often be for November or December so making the most of something like our deadline tracker will be the helping hand you need to keep track of when to get your applications submitted by.

Most graduate schemes are extremely competitive, with hundreds or sometimes thousands of students applying for a select number of roles. It’s good to prepare yourself for the number of applications you may have to make. Although some students may be lucky and only apply to two or three before securing their graduate scheme, others may make upwards of 50 applications before finding something.

Set time aside – whether that’s an hour a day or an afternoon once a week, to chip away at applications. Coming to terms with the fact that it’s completely normal to make lots of applications will help make the process that little bit more bearable.

Keep in mind, though, that applications are about quality, not quantity. Don't skimp on the quality of your submissions just to get your numbers higher.

On a similar note to our last tip, be patient during application season. Sometimes it may take a bit of time to hear back from companies, and sadly you may sometimes not hear back from some at all, so being patient is important. If you can follow up after submitting your application, then we’d recommend doing so, but make sure to leave enough time before following up (we’d say at least a week!) and use your application tracker to log when you followed up and who you spoke to.

Be prepared to face rejections and remind yourself that even if you don’t land a graduate scheme right away it doesn’t mean that you won’t secure one at all. Some companies start applications later than others, with some students not progressing through the application process until March or April, so staying patient is important!

A great way to get feedback on your application is to reach out to those around you and get their advice. Your parents or peers may not be able to provide subject-specific or technical feedback, but they will be able to give general feedback and point out any obvious things that you may want to change about your application.

If there’s a particular company or graduate scheme you’ve got your heart set on securing, why not reach out to people currently taking part on that scheme? A quick LinkedIn search, followed by a short and friendly message could connect you with someone who’d be happy to share advice on how they secured the role, insights into what working at the company is like, followed by some tips on making it through the application process. People are often happier to help than you may think, so lean on those around you for support.

As you start moving through application processes, it’s important that you feel prepared for rest of the application stages. The application process for graduate schemes can often be lengthy, with stages that consist of different sorts of psychometrics tests such as aptitude tests, personality assessments and job simulations set before you even talk to a member of the team.

You wouldn’t show up to a university exam without revising or completing practice papers beforehand, so make sure you do the same when it comes to taking these tests. There’s plenty of practice tools online that you can utilise beforehand, and sometimes if the company is a big graduate recruiter you’ll even be able to find exact examples of their psychometrics tests online. Have a deep dive, take some practice tests and brush up on your skills before completing an actual assessment centre test.

Even though you’ll be asked slightly different questions in each of the applications you make, there’s bound to be lots of crossover throughout. Take some time to sit down and create a bank of example answers that you can lean on during when submitting applications. Sure, you’ll need to tweak them slightly for each application, but having answers you’ll frequently be asked all in one place will save you lots of valuable time in the long run.

If you’re not receiving the traction you were hoping for with your applications, then you might want to consider expanding your search and casting a slightly wider net. We know it can be tricky if you’ve had your heart set on a specific graduate scheme in a particular industry, but looking outside of your initial ideal will sometimes open up a whole new range of opportunities for you.

There’s no shame in slightly pivoting from what you initially had in mind for your graduate scheme and you might end up finding that those opportunities are better suited to you anyway. It’s also worth pointing out that what you do during your graduate scheme doesn’t have to be your forever career – look at your graduate scheme as the launching point for the rest of your career.

There’s no denying that graduate scheme application season is hard. Particularly when you add the small task of juggling it alongside your final and most important year of university. Remember that you’re only human and try not to be too hard on yourself if things aren’t going as expected. Everyone will face some sort of set back and rejection during application season – instead of letting that bog you down, try to dust yourself off and get back out there with your applications.

You have the whole year to secure your graduate role (and longer if needed) so here are a few things to make time for on top of your studies and applications:

• Screen-free breaks
• Socialising with friends
• Time outside in nature
• Pursuing your passions and maintaining your hobbies
• Sleep (you’re no use to anyone if you’re sleep deprived!)

Good luck with graduate scheme application season!