From rejections to first interviews: a recent graduate

Chloe finished an economics degree with a 2:1, bar work on weekends, and a dissertation on regional employment data. She applied to twenty graduate schemes in six weeks and received automated rejections or silence. The problem was not the degree — it was a one-page CV that listed module names and job titles without a single measurable outcome.

The starting point

Her summary read “motivated graduate seeking opportunities.” Experience section: “Bar staff, High Street pub” with no bullets. Education: twelve module titles. ATS filters for analyst programmes searched for Excel, stakeholder communication, and commercial awareness — none appeared in parseable form.

What changed

Using structured feedback (including Cvaluate-style job-description comparison), Chloe:

• Rewrote the summary to name graduate analyst roles and cite dissertation tools (R, Excel)
• Turned bar work into two bullets on cash reconciliation and training new starters
• Expanded a university consultancy project into scope, team size, and client outcome
• Added a skills line grounded in evidence, not adjectives

Before: BSc Economics modules including Macroeconomics, Econometrics.

After: Dissertation: regional employment shifts (2019–2024) using ONS data in R and Excel; presented findings to faculty panel.

What happened next

Over the following month she applied to fewer roles but tailored each CV. She secured two first-round interviews — not an offer guarantee, but a shift from zero traction. Chloe still prepared separately for assessment centres and networking; the CV change only addressed the screening bottleneck.

For similar advice, see our graduate CV guide and how to write a CV. When you are ready, run your graduate CV through Cvaluate against a real job description.