Episode 92 – When is the best time to apply for a graduate job?

May 5, 2020 Podcast

Hello and welcome to the 92nd episode of the Graduate Job Podcast. In today’s episode I tackle a listener question, which is when is the best time to apply for a graduate job? Is it better to apply during your final year, or once you have graduated? In this episode I take you through the pros and cons of when you should start applying.  We cover when graduate schemes are open from, why applicants often underestimate the work required to apply for a graduate job, and why you need to think carefully about if you have capacity to apply for jobs whilst you are in your final year. I delve into some of the advantages of applying early, such as the skills and experience you learn from an early application, how it might reset your expectations about how difficult the application will be, and how it could be worth applying early if you don’t think you will get a 2.1. Finally, I explore why ultimately you should ignore any peer pressure and only apply for graduate jobs when you have capacity and are ready. No matter where you are on your job search this is an episode you won’t want to miss. As always you can find a full transcript with all the links from today in the show notes at www.graduatejobpodcast.com/when.

MORE SPECIFICALLY IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT:

  • When graduate schemes open and close, and why you need to make sure you apply early
  • Why applying in your final year might be best if you think you will get a 2:2
  • How most graduates underestimate the work required to apply successfully for graduate jobs
  • Why you need to disregard peer pressure and what your friends are doing, and apply when is best for you
  • Why you need to be making the most of your time at university

SELECTED LINKS INCLUDE:

Transcript of Episode 92 – When is the best time to apply for a graduate job?

Hello and welcome to the 92nd episode of the Graduate Job Podcast. Today’s episode comes via a listener question from Dje who got in touch by emailing me at hello@graduatejobpodcast.com. Dje emailed me with a cracking question, which was, when is the best time to apply for a graduate job? A seemingly simple question, but one that belies a lot of nuance, and one that we haven’t covered on the show before, so today I thought that we should delve into it in more detail and work through some of the pros and cons of when to apply for a graduate job, and more specifically whether you should do it before you graduate in your final year of university, or save it till after graduation. There are pros and cons on each side, but let’s see which one comes out on top! Now the show notes for today’s episode, where you can download a full transcript, and also check out all the links, as I do mention quite a few other episodes to check out, are at www.graduatejobpodcast.com/when. 

Before we start let me tell you about the brilliant course I’m working on cunningly titled “How to get a graduate job”. This course is packed chock full of decades of experience into one step by step guide of everything you need to do to get a graduate job. There are videos, guides, handouts, cheat sheets, example CVs, example covering letters, example answers to those annoying 200 word competency questions, help with telephone interviews, video interviews. Look if you need to know it to get a graduate job it’s in my course. The course is going live in August, but to be the first to hear about it and get it at a never to be repeated price with special bonuses, head to https://howtogetagraduatejob.com/ and leave me your email. Right, on with the show.

When to Apply for a graduate Job

So, let’s get back to Dje’s question, as a bit of background he is about to enter his final year at university, and he was wondering when to start applying for graduate jobs. Should he do it in his final year, or should he wait until after he has graduated. Now there are several strands to this question, and the answer to each of them is….it depends.

Taking the first aspect of the actual specifics of literally when you can apply, here in the UK, if you are applying to well-known large firms, the type of firms that tend to be in the Times Top 100 list of graduate employers, the type of firms that travel round and exhibit at your university careers events, then the majority of these firms (though not all) tend to stick to the ‘Milkround schedule’, which is applications opening at the end of September / beginning of October, and then closing either at the end of the year or normally in January /February time. If you succeeded in getting one of these jobs, you would then start working the following summer. Now if you are applying to one of these firms, the key to success for your application is to get it in as close to the opening date as possible. This way you ensure that they read your application before they are swamped, and this ensures that you get it in while there are actually jobs left. Graduate schemes have a habit of closing applications as soon as they fill the spots, so don’t wait to the last minute as you might find yourself too late. This happened last year with one of the clients I was coaching, The firm said it was closing applications on the 31st of December, but then must have got so many applications coming through that they instead at no notice announced on the 18th of December that it was now shut, leaving many people including my client high and dry. So, do your research find out when the schemes shut and get your application in well in advance.  

But, there are lots of large companies though who recruit all year round, check out episode 93 coming next week with DS Smith, they are still open for applications as this goes to press until the end of May 2020, it’s the same for previous guests Enterprise, Police Now, and also a slew of companies like Aldi, Mi5 etc. etc. If the company has applications year round then now is as good a time as any to get an application in, and you can time it to when you actually have the capacity to do the application justice. More on that later.

So, we’ve covered when can you literally apply to the scheme of your choice, let’s move onto whether you want to apply in your final year, or wait until you have graduated.  I think there are some pros and cons for each.

Pros of Waiting to apply for Graduate Jobs till You Have Graduated

As you will very quickly learn when you start applying for graduate jobs, you will find that applying to them well and to a high standard is a very time-consuming business. Applications aren’t something you can bosh out in a couple of hours, and if you do, you probably won’t be getting very far in the process. Researching the company takes time, tailoring your CV and covering letter so you are ticking off all of the things they are looking for takes time, completing online applications with lots of questions takes time. If you can wait till you have graduated and are say working part time, or maybe not even working, you can focus a lot of energy and time to the applications. Don’t forget, we aren’t just talking about the time spent in October initially applying, it’s also continuous time through the process, time preparing for and then completing video interviews, face to face interviews, assessment centres etc, multiply these by several companies and the time and energy commitment really starts to add up. This last year I was working with a very talented graduate studying engineering at a top university and helping him apply for a year in industry. He had great work experience, stellar academic results, but the problem was his course was just so busy and demanded so much of him, that he had very little time to put the required attention in to the applications. So, if you find yourself in this situation, waiting till you graduate might be the best option, as you will have that time and breathing space and energy to put into the applications.

An important point to consider is that university is stressful, and this is especially true in the final year. Adding the stress of trying to apply to graduate jobs whilst also juggling important coursework and dissertations which will count for your final grades is maybe adding too much into the mix. Do you really want to be taking hours out for interviews, and days out to go to assessment centres when you are knee deep in the middle of your final year dissertation? Now maybe for people studying art history or English who have 2 hours of lectures a week and no final exams this won’t be an issue, but I know for lots of people it’s tough to juggle, and can be putting undue stress and pressure on yourself when you already have a lot on your plate. Check out episode 76 on ‘How to deal with anxiety and stress as you apply for a graduate job‘ for advice on how to deal with stress and anxiety.

Another reason to wait till after graduation before applying for jobs is that maybe you’re not in a rush to get into corporate life. Personally speaking, after 4 years of university the last thing I wanted to do was to rush into a graduate job and start working full time only 2 months after finishing my exams. I wanted some time out. I wanted to go travelling and see the world after 4 years at uni, which is why I headed out to China and spent a year teaching English which was amazing fun, and also great for my CV. So, another advantage of waiting till after graduation before applying is that you can have some breathing space post university and an opportunity for freedom.

The other advantage of waiting till you graduate before applying for jobs is that you can concentrate all of your focus on getting great grades, or that golden 2.1, which is required to open the door to most of the big graduate schemes. Also, you can actually enjoy the benefits of university which are all so fleeting, such as having all your friends in one place and being able to see them at the drop of a hat, or brilliant networking opportunities from all the different university societies at your disposal. Once you graduate and your friends scatter back to their home towns and settle down, seeing them becomes such a logistical task. There will always be jobs for you to apply to later, but you will never get your time at university back.

Finally, instead of applying for jobs you can use your time at university to build up your CV with impressive things which are going to impress recruiters, such as being involved in and running university societies, writing relevant dissertations, volunteering, teaching, exciting travel etc. Make sure you don’t come out of uni with nothing but a degree and a scary amount of student loan debt.  

Cons of Waiting till You Have Graduated before Applying for Graduate Jobs

So, we have run through some of the pros of waiting till after graduation before applying for graduate job, now let’s look at some of the cons.

The first one for me, is that you have missed an opportunity to practice your application skills, and to find out what to expect through the process. Companies only let you apply once each year, so if you miss a chance to apply, it’s a 1 year wait before you can have another go. Let’s say you are focussed and that you know that you really really want to apply to company X. If so, you could apply to them in your final year and almost treat it as a dry run. If you get it, amazing, job done. If not, you’ve not wasted too much time only applying to one company, and you will learn so much as you go through the process, you will see the types of questions that are asked at each stage, what is expected of you, and you can see areas for improvement so you can come back stronger next year. I see this with the clients I coach, there can be a sense of graduates underestimating the difficulty and also the required standard that companies are looking for with applications, and having a ‘practice’ application run in your final year could help to reset your expectations. In my experience graduates massively underestimate things like how much effort they need to put into company research, practicing online tests, and the overall amount of time they need to be putting into applications. Check out episode 84 where I talk through the 4 things you need to be doing before you start applying for a graduate schemes. This sometimes misplaced confidence can be quickly reset by applying in your final year, if you don’t get past the first or second rounds, then you know there are areas you need to work on, in which case give me an email and I’ll happily help, or check out my course on how to get a graduate job. Either way, you will learn a huge amount with an application at this stage. Just make sure it’s not at the expense of your grades or your mental health.

Another pro of applying at this stage before you have graduated is that you can be optimistic about the grades you will get. For example, if you know getting a 2.2 is realistic, you can tell companies on your application that you will get a 2.1. This is important as lots of firms have getting a 2.1 as a minimum bar to application. If you wow them through the application process and they offer you a job with the proviso you need to get a 2.1, and then you get a 2.2, it is an easier conversation for why they should still hire you. You can play up mitigating circumstances over the exam period, that you were ill, grandma was ill, the dog was ill etc. etc. Now some companies will just rescind the offer, but at least you can argue your case and they might not. Conversely, if you did get a 2.2. and applied after graduation for a company specifying a minimum of a 2.1, you won’t ever get the chance to have a conversation, as you will be screened out immediately at the first stage. If you are worried about getting a 2.2. or a third, check out my episode #61, on How to Get a Graduate Job with a 2.2 or 3rd Class Degree.

The final pro point of applying in your third year is that you really really might want to start work as soon as you graduate. If that is the case, then make sure you get that application in in your final year, as I mentioned earlier, you can only apply once a year to each company, so don’t miss the boat.

So, there you go, a few pros and cons of when to start applying for graduate jobs, although let me hedge my bets with a couple of caveats.

The first is that either way, if you do want to wait until after you graduate, it is still crucial to take advantage of the opportunities for networking and developing your skills in your final year. By this I mean identifying the companies / industries that you’re interested in and then making sure that you go to any careers fairs that they will be going to on campus/in your city. Make sure you are chatting to the respective companies at each fair, chatting to the graduates, asking them what they like/dislike/struggled with/wished they had known/found hard about the application process/advice they have for applicants etc. Pick their brains and try and get a picture of the firm to see if it is going to be the best place for you. Make sure you are making best use of your university careers service. Go to any event run by any firm where they run through mock interview skills / mock assessment centres / application help etc. Even if it’s in a field you aren’t interested in, the skills will be relevant and useful. Make sure you leave university having done something extracurricular other than getting drunk at the student’s union on a Wednesday. Try and make sure you have done some volunteering, ran or taken part in some university society, done something for charity, taken a leadership role in something within your academic department. It all adds to things you can talk about in your applications for a graduate job. You will face lots of competency questions through the application process….’Tell me about a time when you worked in a team’…. if you have more responses than the average answer of ‘I did a university group work project’ you will stand out. 

And final final point today, watch out for peer pressure and your mental health. You might have friends who despite the final year work load are applying for every graduate job that is open. It’s easy to feel that you need to be keeping up with them, that you are missing the boat, that you’re missing out, that you need to be applying as well. As I said right at the beginning, final year is a stressful time, do what is right for you, and no one else. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself, and rest assured that  there will always be jobs, graduate schemes will always be looking for brilliant candidates, so do what is right for you and no one else, and don’t forget that I’m here to help and guide you through the application process, no matter when you apply.

So that is it for today, as a reminder show notes are at www.graduatejobpodcast.com/when. While you are there, go to https://howtogetagraduatejob.com/ to sign up to hear about my step by step guide to getting a graduate job. It will change your life! Join me next week when I am joined on the show by DS Smith, one of the biggest UK companies I bet you have not heard of, who have 3 brilliant graduate schemes including one where you spend a year in 3 different countries across Europe as part of the training, it’s a goodie. I hope you enjoyed the episode today, but more importantly; I hope you use it, and apply it. See you next week.