My Graduate Scheme Application Story // Life After Uni // The Reality of Finding a Graduate Job 

I’m so sorry to hear that, the process is brutal… that’s my point exactly! Lots of people expect grads to immediately get an amazing job after they graduate and it’s just not the case. This line of thought makes the process even more stressful than it already is. It is very unlikely that the first 50 applications work out. The job market for recent grads is super tough and also very random. I really hope that you’ll be able to find a job you enjoy in the right location soon!!

I felt this. I’ve been applying since January. I’m sure I’ve applied to well over 500 jobs at this point. I’m landing interviews but have yet to land the job.

It’s such a weird process to find a job as a recent grad, especially since we either don’t have any experience working or very little, so it’s comparing and judging a bunch of people who are all very similar. But the good thing is, that by going through the process over and over again you get more and more experience. It’s a painful and frustrating process but eventually you will land a job. I wish you all the good luck out there on landing that job! (Don’t give up and I’m sure you’ll burst into tears of relief as well 😉) You can do it!

@@Steffie228G I just had an interview. And I think I did well in the video call. Next I have a face to face interview and then assessment centre, and then job offer. I’m so scared 😭😂😂😂 I really want this job 😂😂😂

@@playershotzzz2890 congratulations!!! That’s good to hear! Good luck on your next interview, I’m sure you will do great 🍀🍀

Thank you!! Landing a grad job is hard, extremely hard. I found it to be way more difficult than applying for master’s degrees. I honestly believe that the key to success in landing a grad scheme is to keep on applying. You’ll see that you’ll slowly get further and further in the application process, you find out what works. When this is too time consuming you can always go the direct entry route, which can still be very competitive depending on the company that you are applying for. Anyways, good luck on applying and I’m very happy to hear that I inspired you to keep on applying! You can do it!!

Thank you for your advice and support! I can do it! 💪

Thank you very much! It really was brutal, I’m very happy that it paid off.

Thank you! I very much enjoy my job fortunately 😅. Good luck on all of your applications, it’s hard to keep on pushing, but you can do it 💪💪

Thank you! 😊

Thank you!

Thank you for pointing the differences between the UK and the US, I wasn’t aware that grad schemes are called training programs overseas. The UK has a huge variety of grad schemes available, from very competitive companies in competitive industries to lesser well known companies. While applying I’ve found that indeed it’s the competitive companies in competitive industries (such as banking, law, and consulting) that have very strict requirements, however less known companies and less competitive industries tend to offer a similar grad scheme with less restrictions on the application process. There’s such a wide range of companies that offer grad schemes over here that you really don’t need to be the top student in your class graduating from a top university. Fortunately, lots of companies in the UK are looking for a varied group of grads instead of a duplicate of one specific person. The problem is just that the amount of available grad schemes doesn’t cover the demand, which turns it into a numbers game to increase your chances. It was harder for me to get a place on a grad scheme than to get a place on a master’s degree, which is crazy.

Aww thank you! I really appreciate it! 😀

If it makes you feel any better, Oxford is similar, in the sense that they want to prep their students for a PhD, so grad schemes are not their no. 1 priority either. In addition, where I grew up, grad scheme just aren't as big as they are in the UK, especially as a literature student, they're just not a priority. So, I literally found out about them because my UK flatmates were applying. If not for my flatmates, I would have found out after uni as well.

Congratulations on the offer!! That’s amazing news. Wishing you all the best!!

It’s such a weird process but so happy to hear that you’ve found your place!! Congrats!

which site were you applying on?

Congratulations. I’m at the application point right now. Any tips? Can I connect with you on LinkedIn?

Hi! It really is tough. I’ve used Brightnetwork and Targetjobs. Hopefully that helps! Good luck on all of your applications!!

Hi Ryan! Thank you for your comment. I must say that I have my theories on interviews but assessment centres, I honestly don't know. I have always tried to be the best version of myself. I feel like all these companies look at so many different aspects and it's also a bit subjective as you often encounter different people at different stages of the assessment centre.

Oh wow! Thats amazing, good luck on the job!!

You’re welcome! Good luck on your applications!! Don’t give up!

@@Steffie228G 🙏🏿

Thank you for sharing! It certainly is a very overwhelming process, especially the unexplained rejections, they’re terrible as you cannot learn from them. Good luck on all your applications! Don’t give up! You can do it!

Thank you

Hi! Thank you for watching. This video is mainly about how I felt going through the job application process after uni. There’s a separate video up on my channel with advice on how to get on a grad scheme. I do believe that it is partly a numbers game and partly getting better at interviews thanks to practice as you interview over and over again. Which boils down to not giving up on the applications which can be incredibly frustrating and demotivating. But I really do think that the main thing is to not give up and learn from your unsuccessful applications. Which is really difficult sometimes. In the year I was applying I had several things that weren’t helping, one being covid and the other being an ongoing Brexit. This meant that lots of companies were hesitant to hire EU citizens as some would require visa sponsorship while others don’t and it was sometimes unclear for companies what the situations was as companies don’t tend to sponsor very junior people. Multiple times I had to stress that I did not require a visa. Besides that, as an EU person my school marks and info does not fit into the application prompts. For example I didn’t do GCSEs because we don’t have them nor do we have an equivalent back home. So multiple times I had to reach out to companies as I couldn’t submit the application form as filling out gcse marks was a mandatory field. One company went as far as saying that they couldn’t continue with my application if I kept on refusing to share my gcse results. 🤦🏻‍♀️ The other obvious thing was indeed my degree subject. French isn’t the most logical subject to get on a grad scheme with. However, during the assessment centres, there were multiple other applicants who studied history or English. In my grad scheme cohort I think we’re 50/50 on business related degrees vs other degrees. Lastly, the other things that impacted me were my lack of experience in applying to jobs as well as my lack of experience of having a job.

Hi! Yes ofc! Most of my assessment centers consisted out of the following: an introduction round where all candidates introduce themselves (generally age, where/what they studied), a group activity with about 5 to 12 others, one or two interviews, an individual task (can honestly be anything), and finally an info session on the grad scheme itself. I’ve come across different ones and while they all shared some the things I mentioned above, they’ll all have them in a slightly different way. Generally they do let you know in advance what to expect when you get invited to the assessment Center stage. I’ve never been ‘surprised’ with an interview or something. Hope that helps!

Hi! Thank you! Yes, I applied in September/October 2021 to start September 2022, there were some companies that offered a January or February start as well but in 97% of cases I applied for a start the year after. I’ve now finished my graduate scheme and currently have a full time role with the same company, so still super happy and excited. Hope this answered your question.

I’m so sorry to hear that. The job market is brutal especially when straight out of uni. Good luck on all of your applications! And take it as a good sign that you got far in the civil service application process as I’ve heard that it’s really hard to get on their scheme.

@@Steffie228G Thank you!

Omg really 😱 its a crazy process and not enough people talk about it in my opinion. Landing a job with one of the top 100 employers does not happen on the second try (some people act like they did) essentially it comes down to the fact that no one knows the actual number of applications you need to complete to be successful. But good for you for going for it! And 100 is a lot 😅

​@@Steffie228G Great video btw. For enyone job seraching i recommend learning some more on the recruitment industries and their practises. I had an interview recently for one and they asked me who i would hire. A motivated person asking for 20k or b person who isisnt that bothered but is asking for 35k. Aparently the correct anwser was person b becouse they will make the recruitment agency a higher commision...xD so for all you out there, aim high, dont stress and keep going.

Hi! I'm sorry to tell you that it's going to be dependent on the company that is hiring, even companies in the same industry are likely after slightly different answers/things in candidates. I wish I could tell you how all companies select their candidates, but I honestly don't know. On the timings, again, it's going to depend on the company. I remember some emailing me a standard reply after I completed the one way video interview, which indicated a time line. Generally speaking I want to say that I heard back within a week, however, there have been companies that came back 3 weeks later as, I assume, they release all results to all candidates from the past 3+ weeks on the same date for the next stage. I hope this helps! Good luck on your applications!!

@@Steffie228G Hello, thank you so much for your reply and all the details. Can you please tell me in detail about the assessment centre interview? What do they ask? How to prepare for it? Also, how to prepare and focus on which part of the presentation? Any more tips or guidance regarding the same? Thank you.

Hi! It varied, some got back to me within 4 days others took longer, I’m pretty sure three weeks was the longest wait I had. In a way - no news is good news. You can always reach out to the company and ask if they have an update for you. Good luck!!

@@Steffie228G Thanks for your reply! Did they give you an offer after 3 weeks, or was it a rejection. Im not sure whether they hand out offers or rejections first. What's the longest time you had to wait for an offer after an AC? Sorry for my anxiety XD.

No need to apologise for your anxiety! It was an offer after 3 weeks. I do have my speculations that if it takes longer you’re on a waitlist. At least that’s how I felt. Like they likely already rejected the people they don’t want and accepted the ones they really want but have the buffer in case someone drops out, as they often have too many capable applicants and not enough spots. Again just want to highlight that is speculation and that I don’t know for sure. Some companies might just take some more time to get back to their applicants. Honestly it’s never bad to reach out for an update. Worst case scenario it shows that you are interested and are keen to hear back. Good luck! Keeping my fingers crossed!!

Hi! Great question! I’m pretty sure that it will depend on the company. From my experience on what was written in the grad scheme job descriptions when applying, most companies offer their grads a full time position after finishing. Which was also the case for me. However, this might be different in other industries/companies etc. Companies generally see their trainees as professionals they invested a lot of time in, so they’re keen to keep their trainees, so from my perspective, that would mean, even if you’re having to reapply, you have a greater chance of for a role than someone from the outside - but that’s my speculation. Hope this helps!

​@@Steffie228GSo that would be great. Thank you for your help Steffie

Hi Ryan! Amazing to hear that you have made it to the final bit of the application process for your graduate scheme! That is a huge accomplishment. In all honesty, I don't know whether they are going to have good or bad news, as all companies organise these things differently. They might have encountered a delay in being able to process so many new hires. I would think that no news is good news but it depends on so many different factors. One company told me the date that they were supposed to release the decisions and it took them two weeks longer because of delays. So honestly don't panic about it, as long as they don't give you any bad news I would just keep the good thoughts going! (And you can always drop HR an email to ask them when they plan on letting candidates know)

@@Steffie228G Thank you for the advice. Hopefully I hear something soon. The worst part of the process is waiting to hear from the company whether you have been successful or not.

@@ryanittoo Hopefully they get back to you soon! 🤞🤞🤞 And I fully agree the wait sometimes is terrible.

Originally when I started my degree, my goal was to become a French high school teacher. As life continues, plans and goals can change, which happened to me. Fortunately, I ended up in the UK where university is seen more as a place where you learn transferable skills, in comparison to the Netherlands where I’m from and where I started off in uni, allowing me to apply to different graduate schemes. Did it make the job search easier, probably not, but my odds were so much better than back home. It’s a lot more accepted here to have a humanities background and work in a business setting. Believe it or not, I now work in finance and I couldn’t be happier with the choice I made to study a subject I’m passionate about.

Yes! They’re like jobs but involve a lot of training 😊

I'm so sorry to hear that you're having a tough time landing a job. Keep on trying for a job that you actually like! There's nothing wrong with working a minimum wage job until you find a job that works out. I've worked one between finding out that I got on a grad scheme (january) to the actual start date (september) and I had a great time. So honestly, it's good to have a distraction while still applying for jobs that you are actually interested in + making some money is always helpful. You'll do great!! Good luck with everything!!

A first in what?