Applying for graduate jobs is a challenging process as there are many stages involved. Firstly, you need to choose the industry, then the company and finally the specific role. Still, probably the most difficult decision is the number of applications to submit, and so you need to think carefully about this.
A recent graduate survey has discovered that students expect to submit 27 applications over five months, which has fallen from 31 over four and a half months. Also, almost 25% of Oxbridge students think they will only make between 10 and 14 applications over the equivalent period. These statistics could signal a few different things. One is that young people are becoming more optimistic about the jobs market and want to concentrate on applying to fewer companies. In contrast, students could have realised that it takes considerable time to complete application forms and need to concentrate on their studies more.
One important point to note is that even if you have achieved high standard academic qualifications and study at one of the top universities, you should not rest on your laurels. The application process for all graduate jobs is a rigorous process and requires both commitment and enthusiasm. Being over confident and only applying to a few prestigious companies runs the risk of leaving you with nothing. This may be a pessimistic view, but a parallel can be drawn with applying to universities. If you only applied to one university rather than six, you would be relying too much on your personal statement and performance at an interview on a particular day, thus inevitably reducing your chance of success.
Still, the number of applications overall is high, which indicates that students are prepared to try hard to find a way into their desired career. Some agencies think this demonstrates a change in the expectations of students, in the context of pay freezes and redundancies in the period of austerity that seems to continue. In a way it is good applying to different companies since you will not only learn more about the different working cultures during interviews, but also gain valuable experience to help improve your application technique going forward.
Overall, you need to take time when making the decision about how many applications to make. In any industry there are large international key players in contrast to smaller local companies and boutique firms. The key is to spread your applications carefully, so that if something does not go to plan, there is always the chance of another offer, rather than taking too many risks and then wondering what to do next at a later date.
Arnab Datta
