'I applied for 647 jobs after uni until I got one'

After applying for more than 600 jobs, university graduate Caitlin Morgan almost felt like giving up hope of finding employment.

Just as she was becoming demotivated, the 23-year-old's persistence was rewarded as she was offered a job as a trainee accountant after her 647th application.

But after 18 months of job hunting, Caitlin was left wondering if going to university for four years and getting a degree was worth it.

Latest research from the Institute of Student Employment shows competition for graduate roles is at a "record high" as estimates suggested there were 1.2 million applications for 17,000 graduate vacancies last year.

Setting herself a target of sending two applications a day, Caitlin was immediately rejected 150 times without feedback and did not hear back from 271 other applications.

She said: "I put so much effort into my applications and so much time that when I didn't hear back from them that I just wondered what made my application not worthy of feedback?"

Caitlin completed a year in industry as part of her finance and accounting degree at Swansea University and hoped it would help her stand out when applying for roles.

Instead, she has a spreadsheet filled with rejections dating back to September 2023.

"I worked hard for my degree and had experience so was thinking, was it worth it?

"There was a period where I was feeling completely demotivated and didn't believe in going to university or getting degrees."

Caitlin thinks the use of artificial intelligence (AI) by companies as part of their filtering process could be a reason why she did not get very far in some applications.

She said initially her CV was not written in a way that could be read by a resume screening programme called ATS (applicant tracking system), where AI reads CVs.

"I was just getting straight rejections whereas after adjusting it, sometimes you'd be invited to an assessment after you've applied," said Caitlin.

"Had I have known that from the get go, that would've helped me with my other applications."

She reached the assessment stages for 221 of the roles she applied for and had five final interviews before getting a job.

Latest data estimates an average of 140 applications were received for each available graduate job in 2024.

The Institute of Student Employment spoke to 145 companies that hired almost 40,000 new students and the body said applications were the highest for 30 years - a more than 50% rise from 2023.

The figures showed that for finance roles like the ones Caitlin applied for, an average of 188 applications were submitted for each role.

Following months of uncertainty after graduating last year, Caitlin has been offered her first degree-level job and will move from her home in Tintern, Monmouthshire, to London to become a trainee accountant in September.

"It was exactly what I wanted and is offering all the courses I want to do in finance," she said.

"I just wished it would've happened a bit quicker."

Despite Wales having the lowest proportion of graduates in the UK workforce, the group that represents universities believes the demand for graduate-level skills will grow by 2035.

"While we recognise that today's job market presents real challenges for many people, research shows that a degree continues to boost lifetime earnings, career prospects and personal development," said a Universities Wales spokesperson.

"University offers a transformative experience that not only benefits individuals but also strengthens our communities and economy."

Thousands more students are now preparing to follow in Caitlin's footsteps this summer.

Huw Williams is getting ready to start his role as Bangor University Student Union's Welsh officer for 12 months, before returning to education next year.

"I think I'll apply to be on a teachers' training course in history, a career pathway I've always been interested in," said the 21-year-old.

While Huw knows what the next year looks like for him, the future is not so clear for fellow Bangor graduate Alaw Simpson.

The 21-year-old is returning home to nearby Anglesey where she hopes to find her first graduate-level job.

She said: "I want to move on from education and try something different.

"It is a worry because it can be very difficult to find professional jobs these days."

Recruitment experts have said many employers now focus on attitude and personal behaviour.

"Getting your first job post-education is the biggest step because you might not necessarily have a lot of experience," said James Fortnam of Robert Half Recruitment.

"I think there's a lot of noise with employers with a sheer number of applicants for an opportunity, so it's really difficult for clients to whittle that down.

"It's really important applicants tailor their CV to the opportunity."

Mr Fortnam has said some firms use technology to help assess applicants' skills.

"Companies will use software tools to match somebody's CV to the job," he said.

"Because they won't have had huge volumes of experience, typically a lot of graduates sometimes appear lower on that matching capacity."