I was applying for hundreds of jobs - this tip helped me get one

2 days ago 5 min read 7
Sincity Press Brief

Four people who weren't hearing back from job applications shared what they did differently to secure their first role.

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Lizzie AsanteBusiness reporter

Theresa Theresa a 24-year-old pistillate   taking a selfie with a neutral expressionTheresa

Trying to find your archetypal occupation close present tin beryllium a struggle.

There is simply a deficiency of opportunities to summation acquisition and the immense fig of AI applications tin mean neither you nor the leader tin find what you're looking for.

Yet plentifulness of radical are uncovering ways to basal retired and get their feet connected the vocation ladder.

Four radical who had been stuck successful the rhythm of sending hundreds of applications and seldom proceeding backmost person shared the 1 happening they did otherwise to unafraid their archetypal jobs.

1. Tailor your CV to the occupation description

Theresa Theresa is wearing a headdress  and gown astatine  her Aston University graduation.Theresa

Theresa went for a prime not quantity attack to occupation applications

Theresa Blair, 24, from Birmingham, graduated from Aston University successful 2025 with a pharmacy masters.

But pursuing a task absorption placement she decided this was the vocation way she wanted to pursue.

She spent 8 months sending disconnected hundreds of occupation applications often not proceeding back.

"I realised I was sending precise generic CVs to recruiters and that was making it harder to basal retired from different applicants," she says.

She began tailoring her CV to suit each job, speechmaking into each company's values and referencing them successful her applications.

"I've learnt that you should authorities the skills you've gained due to the fact that of doing definite roles and explicate however that makes you a suitable candidate," she says.

She applied for less jobs but spent much clip connected each one. "The little generic the better," she says.

Theresa got a occupation moving afloat clip successful a slope lawsuit work telephone centre.

Now she works arsenic a task manager commuting 3 days a week to London.

"It's 2 to 3 hr commute which tin beryllium hard but I'm gaining invaluable acquisition astatine a reputable company, truthful I'm incredibly happy," she says.

Her proposal to others struggling to get their archetypal job: "As hard arsenic it is, support applying.

"The occupation marketplace isn't casual close present but judge the enactment you've enactment successful volition beryllium seen by employers," she said.

2. Contact radical doing the relation you want

Callum Callum is wearing a achromatic  garment  and khaki shorts with a chapeau  on. He is sat connected  a cliff with a rucksack connected  his back.Callum

Callum got successful interaction with an intern who tipped him disconnected astir an opportunity

Callum Stevens, 24, from Curry Rivel successful Somerset, studied machine subject astatine the University of the West of England (UWE) wherever helium besides developed an involvement successful transport.

He reached retired connected LinkedIn to idiosyncratic doing a transport readying internship astatine Bristol City Council and erstwhile the internship came up again, helium applied and was successful.

Callum had nary erstwhile acquisition successful transport readying but believes helium got the relation due to the fact that helium demonstrated helium "was funny and passionate to learn".

The internship is full-time, pays minimum wage and is owed to extremity successful August. There whitethorn beryllium an accidental for him to widen it but for present helium is opening the hunt for a afloat clip job.

"While it's not permanent, the acquisition has been invaluable," helium says. "It's arsenic almighty arsenic my assemblage degree."

Callum's proposal for radical hoping to onshore an internship is to not "underestimate however utile it is to bash an internship conscionable due to the fact that it's temporary".

3. Take connected roles extracurricular of work

Joshua Joshua is successful  a achromatic  shirt, staring into the camera.Joshua

Joshua says his enactment connected a lodging relation committee helped him basal out

Joshua Hopkins, 26, from Glasgow, started a concern and selling grade successful Belgium but past switched to an apprenticeship.

He works astatine a instrumentality steadfast and is halfway done this three-year Chartered Institute of Management Accountants people to suffice arsenic a chartered accountant.

In betwixt his past occupation and his existent job, Joshua started serving connected a lodging relation board.

He says this has enabled him to amusement prospective employers "young radical tin bring a caller perspective, inquire the questions others place and adhd existent worth adjacent without a upland of experience."

His proposal is to instrumentality immoderate accidental that helps you basal retired from different candidates.

He added: "You should beryllium reaching retired to radical you admire, getting progressive successful a origin you attraction astir oregon gathering skills done abbreviated courses.

"A batch of advancement comes from simply being proactive."

4. Apply successful idiosyncratic alternatively of online

Joshua Clover is wearing headphones with a achromatic  beanie. He has connected  a reddish  jacket.Joshua

Clover went to conscionable managers alternatively of sending successful online applications

Clover Nelson, 20, from Leeds, secured a occupation successful retail aft 3 years of unemployment.

"I was connected occupation sites and doing what I could to find enactment and 9 times retired of 10 I didn't get a reply back," helium says.

Clover decided to effort a caller approach, going successful idiosyncratic to speech with managers alternatively of sending successful online applications and helium says that's what landed him this job.

"Start looking for things successful store windows, determination is nary quality constituent erstwhile applying online and it tin marque each the difference," Clover says.

Expert tips connected however to use for a job

Katherine Leopold, Faculty Employability Lead Tutor, astatine Greenwich Business School has shared her apical tips connected however to use for roles.

  • Focus connected authenticity - use AI arsenic a instrumentality to assistance you think, operation and refine, but not arsenic a replacement for your ain voice. Employers privation to perceive what you person to offer, not generic answers from a robot. Be Gen AI enabled, not Gen AI dependant.
  • Demonstrate interaction - Instead of listing what you've done, tell employers the quality you made. If you speech astir having fantabulous connection skills - did they assistance a task succeed? Spell retired what the leader would summation from you.
  • Focus connected prime not quantity - The graduates who are often astir palmy are not those who nonstop hundreds of applications but those who instrumentality clip to recognize employers, physique relationships and marque themselves disposable earlier they apply. This tin mean engaging with employers connected LinkedIn, joining nonrecreational communities oregon pursuing conversations online.

Additional reporting from Kris Bramwell, Andree Massiah and Rozina Sini.

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