Job hunting is never easy. But if you are a student at university and applying for a prestigious trainee scheme for 2026, or you have recently graduated and are looking for your first full-time job, you could be forgiven for being demoralised.
Stories abound of job hunters with good degrees from top-flight universities, applying for more than 500 roles and not even getting a single interview.
But is it really that bad? And if so, what can graduates do to improve their chances of landing a job? On the surface, the numbers do indeed paint a bleak picture.
Data from Adzuna, a jobs search engine which lists nearly all job adverts in the UK, shows that, in September 2016, there were 49,069 graduate jobs being advertised – 4.25 per cent of all the vacancies – a figure that remained fairly stable until Covid.
After Covid, it started to dip a little before falling markedly three years ago. In September 2025, there were a mere 13,754 or 1.68 per cent of all jobs – the lowest it has been for a decade.
‘That’s quite scary for graduates,’ says Andrew Hunter, the co-founder of Adzuna. ‘This is the toughest market for graduates that I’ve seen.’
The main reason is simple: economic uncertainty. ‘There’s super-low business confidence, the mood music in this country as well as others isn’t great, and that’s hurting the overall hiring picture,’ Hunter told the Mail.
As the Chancellor has made it more expensive for organisations to hire workers, due in part to her decision to increase employers’ National Insurance contributions and the minimum wage, unemployment has hit a five-year high.
In 2025, there were 140 graduates going for each vacancy. Competition for roles in retail, consumer goods companies and tourism were the highest at 290 applications for every graduate role
The rate of joblessness increased from 4.8 per cent to 5 per cent in the three months January to March this year, according to the Office for National Statistics.
‘Hiring overall is down, but graduates are getting hit harder. They tend to be the first to get hit in times of uncertainty. We saw it in the 2008/9 financial crisis – they’re the easiest jobs to pause or cut, because they don’t necessarily have an immediate impact on revenue or on the bottom line of a business,’ says Mr Hunter.
To make matters worse, there are simply more graduates chasing fewer jobs. Official figures suggest that about 1,053,600 students finished a undergraduate, post-graduate or diploma course in 2023/24, up on the 755,000 a decade ago and nearly three times the 350,000 that were looking for jobs 20 years ago.
Tony Blair’s decision to encourage half of school leavers to go to university means there is a glut of graduates, but there has not been a corresponding increase in entry-level jobs.
And when it comes specifically to graduate trainee programmes, it has got significantly more competitive. Go back more than two decades, to 2003, and employers received an average of 38 applications per graduate vacancy, according to Institute of Student Employers, which represents 300 of the largest organisations from the Civil Service to Accenture, Primark and Barclays.
By 2023 that figure had more than doubled to 86 applicants per vacancy. But in the last two years this has shot up. In 2025, there were 140 graduates going for each vacancy. Competition for roles in retail, consumer goods companies and tourism were the highest at 290 applications for every graduate role.
This is not just because there are more graduates around, it’s also because some grad trainee schemes have been reduced.
One analysis has worked out that the so-called Big Four consultancy firms – KPMG, PwC, Deloitte and EY – hired a thousand fewer graduates, school leavers and apprentices in 2025 than in 2024.
Add to the haemorrhaging grad job opportunities the prospect of replacing entry-level workers with artificial intelligence (AI) and the picture is bleaker still.
While most experts suggest that AI is not replacing a huge swathe of jobs. Or at least not yet. AI is making employers pause recruitment while they assess how many entry level candidates they need.
And within the application process, the use of AI is making the competition even worse. It is always the case that in a tough jobs market, people apply to more and more jobs – out of fear they will not land any and that process can now be automated.
Harry Wallop writes that when he entered the jobs market at the end of the 1990s, you still applied via Royal Mail. This required you to make the effort to buy a stack of envelopes and stamps, carefully write a covering letter and post the applications. Now, you can use various AI tools to apply for a job in seconds
Stephen Isherwood, the joint CEO of the Institute of Student Employers, explains: ‘AI is making it easier for students to apply for jobs. So, when we talk to employers, one of the things they’re struggling with is actually AI-driven applications increasing the volume.’
When I entered the jobs market at the end of the 1990s, you still (just about) applied via Royal Mail. This required you to make the effort to buy a stack of envelopes and stamps, carefully write a covering letter and post the applications.
Now, you can use various AI tools to apply for a job in seconds. On one of the most famous job platforms, LinkedIn, you can press the ‘apply now’ button on job adverts and – in some cases – it will automatically upload and send your CV to the company.
Many other recruitment companies allow you to apply at the press of a button or two.
So yes, some students are applying for well over 200 jobs before they land a role, but that does not mean they have necessarily had to carefully hone an application to 200 separate companies.
Complicating matters further is the fact that most companies are so overwhelmed by the numbers applying for each job that they turn to AI themselves to filter out the best and worst applicants.
The most common method facilitating this AI loop is something called Applicant Tracking Software (ATS), a computer software used by employers that automatically scans the CV on behalf of the hiring team.
Sally Wynter, who has set up a company called Hunch, to help graduates use AI to find jobs, explains how ATS works: ‘What it’s looking for is certain keywords on your CV that reflect skills and other attributes that are described within the job description.’
In crude terms, if the job description says they are looking for a candidate with ‘strong analytical skills’ and who has ‘creativity and curiosity’, then your CV needs to include these key words. ‘Your CV needs to be bespoke,’ she adds.
The jobseeker’s most important weapon is still the old-fashioned CV. Not only does it need to be tweaked and tailored for every job, but it needs to have two other things.
The first is a snappy introduction. You have to sell yourself in just a couple of sentences at the top of the page. It should be along the lines of: ‘I’m a recent law graduate and I am looking for work in family law,’ or ‘I am a numerate, analytical history graduate with a passion for consumer goods’.
Again, you need to ensure your summary matches the job you are going for. ‘It immediately makes you look like a better fit for the role,’ says Wynter.
The jobseeker’s most important weapon is still the old-fashioned CV, which needs to be tweaked and tailored for every job
The second crucial thing is the skills section. ‘Everybody will have roughly the same academic credentials. So that’s not the differentiator. To stand out, you need employability skills,’ says Isherwood.
If you are not sure what skills are relevant, take a look at LinkedIn and, in the profile section, you will see a list of hundreds of different skills that, in theory, you could add to your profile or to your CV.
Some require you to have actually mastered a particular skill like programming software, for instance, or a foreign language but others, known as ‘soft skills’, like ‘teamwork’, ‘customer insights’ or ‘event management’ are still very useful to an employer.
These are a little more abstract and you can claim, with justification, that you have gained these skills via a summer job or even through helping organise a university club or society.
‘If you worked in a bar, you were working in a business,’ says Isherwood. ‘How did you deal with difficult customers? And if you haven’t got that type of experience you have to go and get it somewhere. It might be through volunteering.’
Wynter adds: ‘The skills can’t be vague. They need to be specific. And you need to put some data in there. If, for instance, you’ve done some bar work, don’t put: “bar work”.
‘Say that you managed extremely busy shifts serving hundreds of customers an evening. Perhaps you moved the crisps from behind the bar onto some sort of display in front, and those crisp sales went up by 20 per cent – that’s going to look far more impressive.’
Even running your university football club’s social media account is a skill useful to a potential employer if you can prove you gained lots of new followers or gained a sponsor as a result of your efforts.
It is also now easier than ever to learn new skills without leaving home, thanks to the large number of online courses, many of them free.
The most famous site is Udemy, which does charge for many courses, but offers robust 30 hours’ worth of videos and training in things such as how to make the most out of AI or data analytics. LinkedIn also offers lots of courses.
‘You’ve just got to be obsessed with learning,’ says Emma Vites, author of The Graduate Bible. ‘In the age of AI, people who are fast learners, who are curious, who have a passion for learning, are the ones that are going to succeed.’
Possibly the most important bit of advice is not to rely solely on job adverts. There are thousands of interesting companies who do not run a high-profile graduate trainee scheme or who might not be recruiting just now. But they will be interested in hearing from bright, keen people who want to work for them.
Wynter says you need to be canny enough to track down people who work for these companies and then bold enough to contact them. ‘I would be DMing people at that company. Connect with them on LinkedIn and directly ask them: “Would they be up for giving you some advice, or take a call or be up for meeting for a coffee, or are there any events you can attend?”’
When the vast majority of job applications are now automated and filtered by a computer, making contact with a real human and telling them you are interested in what they do is one of the best ways to stand out.
When at an interview, Andrew Hunter, co-founder of Adzuna, the jobs website, recommends: ‘Take deep breaths, think positive thoughts and try to remain calm and professional throughout – but also try to let your personality shine through!’
How to ace a job interview
Well done – you have secured an interview! But after getting this far, how do you make sure that you don’t mess it up?
Do your homework
‘Preparation will beat polish every time,’ says Matt Burney, senior strategic adviser at Indeed, the recruitment company. ‘If you’re going to an organisation, look at the company’s purpose, recent news, culture, all that kind of stuff.’
Practice using AI
‘We live in an age where technology and AI can really help us to be interview-ready,’ says Andrew Hunter, co-founder of Adzuna, the jobs website. ‘Use ChatGPT to research the company history or key personnel so that you are ready to have a deep conversation about the business.’
He also recommends using one of a number of free interview simulation platforms such as Adzuna’s ‘Prepper’ (adzuna.co.uk/jobs/prepper).
The job description is your guide
‘Read the job description like it’s a brief,’ says Burney. ‘What is the organisation trying to solve? And then have really good examples that show how you can solve that.
‘It’s not about memorising answers. It’s about your ability to go and solve those problems.’
If stuck for an answer, remember STAR
‘The “star framework” is a great way to get through an interview,’ says Burney. This is a well-known method of answering interview questions and refers to Situation, Task, Action, Result.
‘This stops you from rambling and gives you a framework as to how to answer a question’.
Ask lots of questions!
‘Make it all about them and less about you – ask a lot of questions,’ says Emma Vites, author of The Graduate Bible. She suggests: ‘Tell me what would success look like in this role? Tell me about your most successful person, what qualities do they have? We’re moving into this new world of AI, how is that impacting your company?’
Burney agrees strongly, but cautions: ‘The really generic stuff such as “What’s the culture like?” isn’t great. And asking about holiday entitlement is definitely one to avoid! Be more curious about what the business wants, rather than what you want from the business.’
Stay calm
‘Interviews can be intimidating, but it’s important to remember that no one in that room wants you to fail,’ says Hunter.
‘Take deep breaths, think positive thoughts and try to remain calm and professional throughout – but also try to let your personality shine through!’
Best websites for graduates to find jobs and internships
If you are job hunting, it is important not to restrict your search to just the traditional recruitment companies such as Linked In, Indeed, Hays, Adecco and Reed – though these will list a lot of graduate jobs.
In the past few years a number of free specialist websites specifically tailored to graduates and students can be useful too.
Bright Network
Probably the best-known site for graduates, it offers lots of advice, as well as jobs and listings for internships and even work experience placements.
No idea what job you want? You can take a quiz which helps suggest various roles and sectors that you might not have thought about.
Its most useful feature is the ‘deadline tracker’. You can add any job that you might be interested in and it will then alert you to remind you of the deadline for the application.
Sally Wynter set up a company called Hunch to help graduates use AI to find jobs
TargetJobs
There are lots of jobs, internships and vacation schemes (for lawyers and bankers). But it is particularly good at helping students with the nuts and bolts of applying for jobs.
There are template CVs, template covering letters – all geared for different types of jobs, as well as guides to how to cope with psychometric testing.
Milkround
Set up way back in 1996, this is the longest-established of all sites aimed specifically at graduates. It is now owned by TotalJobs, the recruitment company.
It is quite a basic site, but you can upload your CV and what sort of career you are looking for and you will be sent job vacancies. Its strength is the number of apprenticeships and graduate trainee schemes that it lists.
Gradcracker
If you are still at school, this is an excellent site, offering advice on whether you’d be better off getting a job or going to uni. Or doing both at the same time.
There are lots of jobs on the site that offer full-scale degrees, while you work. For instance, an apprenticeship at Aston Martin, helping to design new engines, with a starting salary of £26,500. While working there, you will also be studying for a design degree at Warwick University, without the downside of any student debt.
It is primarily aimed at those studying STEM subjects at school, though there are plenty of jobs at Barclays, Tesco, Sky and the like that do not require A-level maths or science.
Hunch
Launched only in the summer of 2025, this takes a different approach. Instead of you scouring endless jobs, Hunch uses AI to do the looking for you, once you have given them some basic details about what you are looking for.
You also upload your CV or LinkedIn profile. It then, at 8am, sends you 20 job matches. You can ‘Save’ up to ten of them, or you can delete most of them.
The AI supposedly learns, over a few days, exactly what career or job that you are keen on.
It is a super simple site and very easy to use – more like a dating service than a jobs board.
Handshake
An American platform, which has lots of UK employers listing jobs and internships.
The most useful aspect are the reviews – when students who have just done an interview or internship at a company list the best and worst thing about the organisation.
Why graduates need to be on LinkedIn
Jimmy McLoughlin, host of Jimmy’s Jobs Of The Future podcast
LinkedIn used to be full of humblebrags and CVs nobody read. Now it is becoming where Britain’s bosses hang out – and it might just be the most valuable career resource for a young person.
It’s worth students and graduates alike signing up to the platform early doors. Even if your CV currently consists of your degree and a few shifts in a pub or a week’s work experience, you can still frame your ambition. In your headline, write ‘aspiring lawyer’ or ‘future management consultant’. It signals intent and employers notice that.
Jimmy McLoughlin says that three years ago, only 20 per cent of FTSE 100 executives were on LinkedIn. Now it’s closer to 85 per cent, and many of them post content regularly. That’s an extraordinary opportunity
Three years ago, only 20 per cent of FTSE 100 executives were on LinkedIn. Now it’s closer to 85 per cent, and many of them post content regularly. That’s an extraordinary opportunity.
Comment thoughtfully beneath those posts and you’ll start appearing on the radar of corporate HR and communication teams. That’s because LinkedIn, now owned by Microsoft, rewards users who are more active and ‘engaged’.
If you’ve completed an internship or met someone at a careers fair, LinkedIn is a brilliant way to stay in touch. I used to send a postcard after an internship; it would sit on their desk and keep me in their eyeline. Today, a follow or a comment does exactly the same thing.
One of the best bits of career advice I’ve ever been given is this: ‘This isn’t school – no one’s coming to pick you, even if you were last.’
LinkedIn is your chance to thrust yourself forward. From your student dorm room, you can engage directly with Britain’s boardrooms.
- Follow Jimmy McLoughlin OBE, host of Jimmy’s Jobs Of The Future, on LinkedIn
How to write a CV that stands out
Chris Eldridge, recruitment CEO
In a job market overwhelmed by applications, standing out has never been more critical. But this is particularly challenging for recent graduates who are entering the workforce after spending most of their lives in full-time education with limited professional experience.
That said, younger generations bring a wealth of qualities – from adaptability to tech-savviness – that make them well-equipped to negotiate today’s competitive jobs market.
At Robert Walters we review thousands of CVs every year and understand the power of an engaging one. Focusing on your key accomplishments and successes will boost your chances of catching an employer’s attention.
No matter your job level; your skills, experience and the ability to communicate your fit for a role will always be key in securing it.
The first step is understanding the current hiring landscape. Right now, budgets are tight and hiring plans remain cautious. As a result, employers are turning to skills-based hiring approaches which prioritise someone’s technical expertise and transferable skills such as communication and problem-solving.
To stand out, graduates must emphasise these transferable skills and technical abilities, making sure their CVs meet employers’ specific needs.
Recruitment CEO Chris Eldridge says that to stand out, graduates must emphasise their transferable skills and technical abilities, making sure their CVs meet employers’ specific needs
Academic credentials alone won’t secure a job. It’s not about having extensive experience, but rather demonstrating what you’ve accomplished so far.
For example, if you managed social media accounts for your university’s netball society, highlight how you increased follower engagement. Experiences from university societies, part-time jobs, or volunteering roles are excellent opportunities to showcase your ability through real life examples.
Customising your CV for each application is essential – generic resumes simply won’t cut it. Start with a broad, editable base CV that you can adapt for each role by adding relevant, quantifiable achievements. Avoid vague or convoluted language, as this will raise concerns for recruiters, hiring managers and automated Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) alike.
As AI continues to automate repetitive tasks, human-centric qualities like creativity, leadership and adaptability are becoming more valuable than ever.
Your CV shouldn’t read like a dry list; it should showcase your personality and best attributes in a way that compels hiring managers to want to meet you in person.
Whether you are a natural leader or creative thinker, ensure your CV provides an accurate window into your key strengths and the qualities.
While AI presents challenges in the hiring process, graduates can also use it to their advantage when crafting CVs. Tools like ChatGPT can help refine wording or suggest industry-specific keywords to improve visibility during automated screenings.
However, any AI-generated edits should always be reviewed carefully to ensure consistency in tone and structure.
Remember, AI may handle initial CV screenings, but humans make the final hiring decisions. Keep your CV engaging and reflective of your unique strengths – it should shine as an authentic representation of you.
- Chris Eldridge is the CEO of Robert Walters UK&I recruitment company
Zack Islam juggled three jobs while studying at university to improve his CV
Growing up in Luton, I wasn’t always certain that university was for me. In sixth form, I worked part-time at my local Greggs while studying for my A-levels to help support myself and my family. I believed my best option after finishing school would be to stay on at Greggs full-time and work my way up to a store manager position.
It was actually my parents who gave me the initial push to go to university. They were young parents, new to the UK and never had the opportunity to attend themselves. They believed higher education could give me a better life.
At that stage, I also had the wrong idea about university. I knew I’d need a student loan and the thought of graduating with around £60,000 of debt terrified me. It felt like a huge gamble – one I wasn’t sure would pay off.
When my A-level results came out, I had underperformed despite winning my school’s award for the Highest Achieving A-level Student. On results day, I was rejected by both my firm and insurance university choices.
It was devastating, but I refused to give up. Through Clearing, I secured a place at the University of Exeter to study Human Sciences.
I threw myself into every opportunity possible, determined to make the most of it. That decision changed the course of my life.
At Exeter, I worked very hard to build both my academic and personal development. I balanced my degree with multiple part-time jobs, volunteering, sports, society position and employability initiatives – sometimes juggling three student jobs at once.
Over those years, I worked a wide range of jobs from Greggs, McDonald’s, Dnata Catering and the DPD warehouse, to on-campus catering and as a University Student Ambassador. Each role taught me something different – about teamwork, communication, professionalism and resilience.
Beyond paid work, I was constantly engaged with social mobility charities and extracurricular activities to make myself more employable.
That discipline and involvement paid off.
I received a scholarship and, in my second year, I was awarded the Sutton Trust/JP Morgan Competitive Opportunity Bursary, which helped ease financial pressures and allowed me to focus more on professional development.
I remain incredibly grateful for the financial support provided by both the University of Exeter and the Sutton Trust, it genuinely made a difference in enabling me to succeed.
A major turning point in my journey was joining upReach, a charity supporting students from less advantaged backgrounds to access top graduate careers. Through UpReach, I gained confidence in networking with professionals across industries and connected with like-minded students nationwide.
Before graduating, I completed a Summer Internship at JP Morgan’s Investment Bank in London, within the Securities Services Leadership Programme (Depositary Receipts Group).
After graduating in 2025, I joined Neuberger Berman as a Graduate Analyst in the Global RFP Team, specialising in Alternative Investments and Public Equities.
Securing such a prestigious graduate role straight out of university was a defining milestone, the culmination of years of work, sacrifice and persistence.
The graduate job market today is more competitive than ever. Many students submit countless applications without hearing back and that silence can be discouraging, especially for those without professional networks or prior exposure to corporate environments.
That’s why programmes like UpReach, SEO London, Sutton Trust, Zero Gravity, The Brokerage, 93 per cent Club and Bright Network are so important. They help level the playing field by giving students the tools, guidance and confidence to succeed.
It’s encouraging to see more employers recognising this and taking steps to recruit more inclusively, though there’s still work to be done.
If I could share advice with others, it would be:
- Develop a habit of saying yes to opportunities.
- Use your background as your advantage. In every interview, if I saw the chance, I spoke proudly about how I had to fight for opportunities. It showed resilience, motivation and authenticity.
- Adopt a long-term mindset. I’ve never known exactly where I want to be in five years. My focus has always been on making the most of the present.
- Treat every stage like it matters. Whether it was a first-round interview or a final assessment centre, I prepped as if it was my dream role.
- Seek out support proactively. There’s so much free help available - you just need to look for it. Reach out to your university careers service, alumni networks and charities
- Never take rejection personally. I always viewed rejection as redirection.