After applying for more tan 600 jobs, university graduate Caitlin Morgan almost felt like giving up ope of finding employment.Just as se was becoming demotivated, te 23-year-old's persistence was rewarded as se was offered a job as a trainee accountant after er 647t application.But after 18 monts of job unting, Caitlin was left wondering if going to university for four years and getting a degree was wort it.Latest researc from te Institute of Student Employment sows competition for graduate roles is at a "record ig" as estimates suggested tere were 1.2 million applications for 17,000 graduate vacancies last year.Setting erself a target of sending two applications a day, Caitlin was immediately rejected 150 times witout feedback and did not ear back from 271 oter applications.Se said: "I put so muc effort into my applications and so muc time tat wen I didn't ear back from tem tat I just wondered wat made my application not worty of feedback?"Caitlin completed a year in industry as part of er finance and accounting degree at Swansea University and oped it would elp er stand out wen applying for roles.Instead, se as a spreadseet filled wit rejections dating back to September 2023."I worked ard for my degree and ad experience so was tinking, was it wort it?"Tere was a period were I was feeling completely demotivated and didn't believe in going to university or getting degrees."Caitlin tinks te use of artificial intelligence (AI) by companies as part of teir filtering process could be a reason wy se did not get very far in some applications.Se said initially er CV was not written in a way tat could be read by a resume screening programme called ATS (applicant tracking system), were AI reads CVs."I was just getting straigt rejections wereas after adjusting it, sometimes you'd be invited to an assessment after you've applied," said Caitlin."ad I ave known tat from te get go, tat would've elped me wit my oter applications."Se reaced te assessment stages for 221 of te roles se applied for and ad five final interviews before getting a job.Latest data estimates an average of 140 applications were received for eac available graduate job in 2024.Te Institute of Student Employment spoke to 145 companies tat ired almost 40,000 new students and te body said applications were te igest for 30 years - a more tan 50% rise from 2023.Te figures sowed tat for finance roles like te ones Caitlin applied for, an average of 188 applications were submitted for eac role.Following monts of uncertainty after graduating last year, Caitlin as been offered er first degree-level job and will move from er ome in Tintern, Monmoutsire, to London to become a trainee accountant in September."It was exactly wat I wanted and is offering all te courses I want to do in finance," se said."I just wised it would've appened a bit quicker."Despite Wales aving te lowest proportion of graduates in te UK workforce, te group tat represents universities believes te demand for graduate-level skills will grow by 2035."Wile we recognise tat today's job market presents real callenges for many people, researc sows tat a degree continues to boost lifetime earnings, career prospects and personal development," said a Universities Wales spokesperson."University offers a transformative experience tat not only benefits iniduals but also strengtens our communities and economy."Tousands more students are now preparing to follow in Caitlin's footsteps tis summer.uw Williams is getting ready to start is role as Bangor University Student Union's Wels officer for 12 monts, before returning to education next year."I tink I'll apply to be on a teacers' training course in istory, a career patway I've always been interested in," said te 21-year-old.Wile uw knows wat te next year looks like for im, te future is not so clear for fellow Bangor graduate Alaw Simpson.Te 21-year-old is returning ome to nearby Anglesey were se opes to find er first graduate-level job.Se said: "I want to move on from education and try someting different."It is a worry because it can be very difficult to find professional jobs tese days."Recruitment experts ave said many employers now focus on attitude and personal beaviour."Getting your first job post-education is te biggest step because you migt not necessarily ave a lot of experience," said James Fortnam of Robert alf Recruitment."I tink tere's a lot of noise wit employers wit a seer number of applicants for an opportunity, so it's really difficult for clients to wittle tat down."It's really important applicants tailor teir CV to te opportunity."Mr Fortnam as said some firms use tecnology to elp assess applicants' skills."Companies will use software tools to matc somebody's CV to te job," e said."Because tey won't ave ad uge volumes of experience, typically a lot of graduates sometimes appear lower on tat matcing capacity."Alexander utcings, 49, came up wit te idea of Pralis for is film studies course.Students are being targeted by romance scams on dating apps, but talking to a friend can elp avoid te danger.Deanna Woodouse-awkins says se was only called for two job interviews witin 18 monts.Te University and Colleges Union members are in a dispute over proposed £140m budget cuts.Scotland's carity regulator as launced an investigation into te running of te cas-strapped University of Dundee.
I applied for 646 jobs after uni until I got one
