For many families, a university degree represents a huge financial and emotional investment. Yet new data reveals a stark reality for graduates entering the UK job market: According to the Institute of Student Employers (ISE) 2024 Student Recruitment Survey, employers received more than 1.2 million applications for just under 17,000 graduate vacancies in 2023–24, working out to roughly 140 applications per job.
The implication is unambiguous: in a hyper-competitive market - exacerbated by heavy use of artificial intelligence in recruitment, slower growth in entry-level vacancies and evolving employer expectations - students now face a “numbers game” with very few winners.
For parents and students, this means a degree alone is no longer a guarantee of rapid post-university employment. It reinforces the need for a dual-track strategy: combine the acquisition of a respected degree with a clear post-graduate plan to protect your career investment.
Graduate CV Writing, the ATS & Keywords: Post-graduate strategy
Differentiation matters now more than volume. Generic CVs sent en masse will not succeed in what has become a highly competitive and quality-driven game.
Quality means standing out. The CV and accompanying documents should directly align with the employer's selection criteria. This involves carefully reading the job description and doing research about the organisation to glean which elements are must-haves, and then tailoring each CV to pitch your relevant attributes. Options to do this include:
- Master CV - This is the Gold Standard, and if you're serious about beating the odds, it's your best bet. This chronicles your life-to-date achievements and casts them as transferable skills.
- Know your prospect - Treat researching the prospective employer as a serious task: understand their mission, culture, values and challenges; then align your application with their present and future needs. You're marketing yourself, so crafting a CV relies on understanding the prospective employers' needs, not promoting every attribute you have. Think: how can my attributes - skills, knowledge, experience, personal qualities and accomplishments - benefit this employer?
- The excellent may be the enemy of the good - Keep an open mind about the definition of a “graduate job”. With the fiercest competition in sectors like digital, information technology and finance, you might explore alternative pathways including apprenticeships, smaller companies or roles where the dose of academic polish is complemented by hands-on relevance.
- How family can help - Parents, grandparents and family members can assist by encouraging early work experience that aligns with your field of study. Internships or part-time employment build a professional profile beyond academia and reduce reliance on the congested graduate pool.
A university education remains a valuable asset, but the return may not be immediate. Planning for reality as much as ambition is no longer optional, it is essential.
ATS and Keyword Relevance
Most large employers now use Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) to screen applications before a human ever reads them. These systems scan CVs for specific keywords drawn from the job description. Without those words, even a qualified candidate may be filtered out. Remember to mirror the employer’s language rather than relying on general phrases such as “good communicator” or “team player.”
Action verbs and CVs
Study a range of target job descriptions and compile recurring terms - technical skills, qualifications, verbs describing action or achievement - and incorporate them naturally into your CV and cover letter.
What not to do
"Graduate with quality degree makes fatal CV errors"
- Don't play hunt the template - Most are not ATS-friendly (even if they say they are), are not designed for early career CVs, and encourage users to lazily enter generic, superficially impressive slop. Start with what each employer needs, not what you want to say. Only then should you consider how to set it out in document form.
- Qualitative matters - Who you are, and how you do things is as important as what you've done.
"Being clever makes me a CV expert"
- Don't overestimate your abilities - Get advice from professionals. It may surprise you to learn that HR people and recruiters can spot an AI-led CV a mile off and so can ATS. It takes human intelligence to create a meaningful narrative, even if you use AI prompts to help.
Key Signals in graduate CVs
Signal effective decision capability
- Qualitative - Try to demonstrate how you gather and analyse information to form decisions: like how you decided to research the employer to better understand their current and future needs.
- Quantitative - Emphasise any key decisions, such as the successful implementation of a new system, including any measurable benefits.
For example: choosing between competing assignments, balancing study with part-time work, or leading a project group to meet a tight deadline.
Signal Leadership
- Qualitative - Illustrate your communication style and how you tailor your approach to different stakeholders to influence outcomes.
- Quantitative - Provide examples of team achievements, such as project completions, or improvements in team performance.
For example: captaining a sports team, chairing a student society, mentoring a peer, or coordinating a community fundraiser.
Signal getting things done
- Qualitative - Highlight your ability to efficiently manage workloads and prioritise tasks to meet deadlines.
- Quantitative - Offer examples where your ability to deliver at pace resulted in meeting critical deadlines or achieving targets ahead of schedule.
For example: managing a workload during exam periods, organising an event, or completing a dissertation while juggling other commitments.
Each example should be described briefly in terms of what was done, how it was approached, and what improved as a result. These concrete, real-life actions demonstrate to employers both behavioural competence and potential, which are equally valuable as formal work experience.
By considering both qualitative and quantitative information, you can create a well-rounded profile that convincingly portrays your suitability for the role in terms of both actions and outcomes.
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~ Elle Bradshaw