Recent research has shown that over recent years there has been some significant changes in the behaviour of those who are looking to apply for graduate jobs with more students making applications earlier in the year and submitting more graduate job applications. We take a look at whether this really increases your chances of getting a graduate job.

In this article we take a look at the recent research from High Fliers research showing the changing behaviour of graduate job hunters and how these changes can affect their chances of securing a graduate job.

More students are thinking about their graduate job earlier in their university career

The results of The UK Graduate Careers Survey has shown that more students than ever are thinking about their graduate job prospects and career choices as early as their first year of university. The results show that a whopping 48% of this years final year students started to consider their career path and options by the end of their first year at university. This is the highest proportion ever recorded by the survey and it dwarfs the 30% recorded in 2010 when students were asked the same question.

Does this help their graduate job prospects?

Yes, absolutely. The fact that students are researching and considering their career in their first year of university definitely gives those students a bit of an edge over those who perhaps haven’t looked in to their future career path yet. These students who have started to think about their future career are likely to look for work experience or programmes in the sectors they are considering which can prove invaluable to your CV and future graduate job applications.

By considering your career options earlier you are more likely to be aware of insight programmes and other work experience opportunities that are available after your first year at university that you can apply to. If you are able to participate in these sorts of programmes it will not only enable you to have valuable experience to boast on your CV but it will also give you a clearer idea as to whether or not that sector or job role you were considering is well suited to you. Insight programmes are a great way of, not only experiencing life within a large organisation to assess your suitability, but also present an opportunity at securing a summer internship for the following summer if you are able to impress. Nearly all insight programmes can either lead to a direct summer internship offer or at least a fast-track opportunity to a more advanced stage of the internship application process if you are able to make a positive impression during your time at the company. With more and more employers taking a higher proportion of their graduate intake from internships this is an exceptional opportunity to get ahead of the competition.

More students are applying to graduate job positions earlier on in their final year

Another interesting finding from the survey conducted was that those students in their final year are submitting applications earlier on in the year. The report showed the following:

‘A record 64% of students made applications to graduate employers by March in their final year, up very substantially from 46% ten years ago.’

But why is applying earlier so important?

Many students will often make the mistake of waiting until the deadline before making an application and research has shown that this mistake is being made less often by students who are recognising the value in applying to graduate opportunities well in advance of the application deadline stating.

Although a graduate employer may accept application up until the deadline it does not necessarily mean that the company will not start reviewing applications prior to that date. More companies are now conducting interviews, assessment centres and even making graduate job offers to students before the deadline for applications has even closed. This means that by leaving your application to the last minute before applying can significantly hinder your chances of securing the graduate job you want. In some cases a graduate employer has closed applications before the intended deadline as they have been able to fill their graduate vacancies with the right candidate prior to their application deadline.

Students are making, on average, more graduate job applications than previous years

Research also has shown that final year students are submitting more applications to graduate employers than they have done historically. On average finalists have submitted 7.4 graduate job applications each, with the combined number of applications being submitted reaching 474,000, 80% more than over the same recruitment period six years ago.

Does more applications necessarily increase your chances of securing a graduate job?

It can, but it not necessarily always the case. Although it may sound logical that submitting more applications would increase your chances of success, it is only the case if you are able to spend the appropriate amount of time of each application to ensure it is of the highest quality possible.

Of course if you are a final year student who has invested a lot of time in researching employers and are submitting more applications because you have started your applications earlier than others, then of course the more applications you submit, the better the odds of success. However if you are submitting more applications at the expense of quality of your applications then this can be more harmful to your chances of getting the graduate job you want. Instead it becomes a quantity over quality argument, and with the higher level of competition that exists in the graduate job market today it is unlikely that a substandard application is going to be successful.

For example many students will make the mistake of not tailoring their CV or competency question answers to the graduate employer they are applying for, instead they will copy something from a previous application to save time. This is something graduate recruiters are highly likely to spot from a mile off and will likely reject your application if they think that your answer is too generalised and not tailored specifically for their company.

It is quite clear to see that the recent changes in the behaviour of students in their final year on the whole are things that will give students a significant advantage in the job hunt. The only question mark is regarding the number of applications that are submitted, providing enough time is spent on each application to make it stand out. However there is no question that if you start applying earlier in the recruitment window and take advantage of opportunities in your first year then it can only be beneficial to your application.

Source : http://www.graddiary.com/careers-advice/final-year-students-graduate-jobs/