Rejection From A Graduate Job Interview – A Worthwhile Lesson

Chances are at some point you will have to face some sort of rejection from a graduate recruiter, but it is how you deal with this rejection that sets you up for your interviews for future graduate jobs. Criticism can be a good source of useful information, as long as you can take it on board and learn from it.


If you receive, or do at some point in the future, a rejection from a job application always ask for feedback. It doesn’t matter what stage of the process you are rejected at, always request the reasons behind their decision. Once you have this do not let it negatively affect you and your motivation, instead use it as an excellent means of improving. Now that you know what your stumbling block was you can set actions in place to resolve it, whether it is something on your CV, your attire or perhaps even something you said during an interview. Criticism can definitely be a worthwhile lesson, just make sure you take the good from the bad and move forward.

Be Aware Of Graduate Jobs All Year Round

A common misunderstanding amongst people these days is that graduate jobs are seasonal. This isn’t the case, a large amount of graduate recruiters have a continual year round recruitment process.


Graduates need to remain vigilant the whole year round for opportunities that match their skills and interests. If you don’t have a job offer after the initial August/September intake do not panic or let your motivation and confidence take a hit. There is no seasonal slow-down and we have been and will carry on listing new graduate jobs every day. The mistake most people make is giving up because they haven’t snagged one of the early recruiting graduate schemes. These are just one of your options for roles after university, so do some more research, consider direct entry roles and keep the applications going, there are plenty more opportunities available to you!

Know The Market Of Your Potential Graduate Job

A lot of people these days are sold stories on which graduate jobs are glamorous, which industries and sectors are the big money earners and which markets are the most stable. However, how much do you really know about the market of the role you have a graduate interview for?


Having an in depth opinion of the industry shows you know what you are talking about, truly know what the job entails and are passionate about it. Graduate recruiters don’t want to hire someone who wants to get into the industry simply because they know people who have said it’s good or they’ve heard about the success of others. Interviewers will be looking for graduates who can tell them what they like about the industry, recount its history and give an opinion on where they think it will be in 5 years time. It is also important to get an idea of the market too so that you know who the competitors are and what the market position is for the company you’re interviewing with. Being able to comment on such factors, or possibly even compliment, sets you in motion to establish common ground and build good rapport.

Stand Out In The Eyes Of Graduate Recruiters

Always doing extensive research on the company you have your graduate interview with is a given and we’re sure you do it but so does 99% of your competition for graduate jobs. So how do you set yourself apart from the rest?

The answer is research. You may have done loads, but there’s one thing the majority of candidates forget; the person who is going your graduate interview. We have such a broad range of networking mediums at our disposal these days that it is incredibly easy to do some effective research into your interviewer. When being offered an interview always ask who it will be with, if not already told, and make a note of the name and their job position within the company. Take advantage of resources such as LinkedIn to find out more about this person; what have they done in the past? What do they enjoy in their spare time? Etc. Try and find a common interest, such as sport or subjects studied, and use this to your advantage in the interview to strike up interesting conversation. Such an approach will instantly build rapport and make you memorable.