I've submitted 10 applications and never heard back from anyone, what am I doing wrong?

General Resume and Interview Tips
1

I just graduated and I keep applying for jobs but I never get invited for an interview. My cover letter lists my skills and my resume shares my experiences, where am I going wrong here?

2

Hey James!

A bit hard to make specific recommendations because I don’t have too much information but as some general advice on your job search:

  1. Keep applying! I think I submitted close to 20 applications just to get 2-3 interviews when I first started out. Considering applying for less popular opportunities for a higher chance of getting an interview
  2. Make sure you have a strong resume and cover letter. A bit hard to gauge this without being able to view yours, but generally just “listing skills and sharing experiences” isn’t enough to build a strong resume. You need to make sure your resume and CL are tailored to the company with all your main points being concise and well structured. There is a plethora of online resources to learn how to write a strong resume and CL so I recommend checking those out before applying

Best of luck!!

1 Like
3

Just adding on here… other than your resume, the timing of submission matters as well. Depending on the industry, generally you want to try get an application in 2-3 weeks before the deadline.

Here’s why:

  1. Firms often mark applications on a rolling basis - Even established larger firms with large graduate intakes mark applications on a rolling basis, which means interview slots may be filled up before all the apps are submitted. This is commonly the case with the tech industry, where applicants might be progressing through later stages of recruitment before other applicants have even been invited to the psychometric

  2. Some firms don’t read resumes after a certain date. Particularly common in banking, it is highly unlikely for someone to get an interview if they submit their resume within a week of the deadline. This is because all the firms are competing with each other to secure the top talent, which means they all give out interview offers at the same time usually the week after applications close. This means recruiters don’t have enough time to even get to your resume before the interviews begin.

There are obviously some edge cases, and numerous other factors are at play here. Referrals can bump a resume up, and sometimes if you have a really impressive resume sometimes you hear stories of applications submitted week of deadline getting interview offers. This is also super industry specific, mainly banking and tech, and in some cases smaller firms as well.

Obviously take the time to ensure that your application is strong and proofread, but if you are able to submit your application earlier, defs go for it!

1 Like