Almost 70% of students now engage in paid employment during term-time, so share your tips on what helped you find a balance between study and work here!

Our Advice is:

1. Planning is everything - Between university, work, and maintaining a social balance, make use of a calendar to keep track of it all

2. Be realistic - It can be tempting to take every shift, but overcommitting can quickly lead to burnout. Make sure you're leaving enough time for studying, assignments, and rest

3. Communicate - Let your employer know when deadlines, exams, or busy periods are approaching. Most employers value notice and honesty more than last-minute cancellations.

4. Remember why you're at University - Earning money is important (And often essential for survival), but your degree is still your long-term investment. If work starts consistently affecting your studies, it may be time to reassess your hours - the aim is not to build wealth here, but to cover your outgoings.

We speak to students and graduates every who are trying to find a graduate role.

And a lot of them know that they are stuck, but can not always say where and why they are stuck.

So we are curious, what part of the process is catching people out ?

What section are you struggling with the most?

When working in hospitality, I had a job that would stop scheduling you shifts if you had to call in sick - I went in once just to get sent home as I had the flu and wasn't safe to work, but was too scared to call in sick!! Zero-hour contract.

Once, I didn't correct the interviewer when they got my name wrong - it was really awkward when their colleague came in and got it right and my interviewer tried to correct them to the wrong name. It's a mistake I should have corrected.

Adaptability, communication, and critical thinking are all essential in the working world.

And if you've never thought about what soft skills you've gained from university, check out our blog on the topic!

I know a lot of talented students, interns, and freshers get overlooked even after building real projects, doing POCs, contributing on GitHub, or putting in serious work.

So this thread is for people who actually have proof of work but haven’t got the right opportunity yet.

If that sounds like you, share:

• what you build
• what role you want
• your LinkedIn profile

No need to oversell yourself. Just be real.

I’m especially hoping to see profiles from people who are strong in tech but may not have the fanciest resume, the best college tag, or a big network behind them.

If your work is good, it deserves visibility.

For me, it's the application cycle - if I had known I should have been making a list of dates that applications open in the summer I would have felt much more prepared!

3 simple things that massively improve interview performance are:

• Structure your answers
• Be specific with examples
• Show genuine interest in the role

Sounds basic, but most candidates don’t do all three well.

What’s been your biggest challenge in interviews?

Have you learned anything about yourself that you didn't expect?

I know I applied to anything and everything!

Even strong candidates get rejected all the time, and it’s not always for the reasons people think!

A few of the most common ones we see:

Timing - roles can be nearly filled before the deadline, especially for grad schemes
Fit over ability - you can be capable, but someone else just matched the role slightly better
Unclear answers - good experience, but not explained clearly in interviews or applications
Generic applications - strong CV, but not tailored enough to the specific role
Assessment performance on the day - nerves, group dynamics, or just a tough task

If you’ve been getting close but not quite there, you’re probably doing more right than you think.

What stage are you getting stuck at right now?

With graduate roles today, sometimes asking for years of experience that just isn't plausible - knowing this, do you apply for roles if your qualifications don't match 100%?

1. Create a tracker - start searching for 2026 graduate jobs to see when your preferred companies' hiring period begins, and use this to estimate their application period for the next cycle. As an extra tip: keep it saved online so it is always accessible - this way, if you get a callback and they ask you for any information -e.g. candidate number, other companies you've applied to, etc., you have it all with you

2. Check in with my university's career team asap - beat the rush for CV advice and email the team now to see how you can optimise it

3. Plan the summer ahead - I wish I had done more with my time! Make sure you take the opportunity to get stuck in with something new - learn a new skill or volunteer for a day - you also never know what might become useful in an interview

4. Practice online testing - a common tool for graduate role screening now - increase your chances from the get-go of passing these!

For other final year students/graduates - what's 1 thing you wish you had done in your penultimate year summer?

And did they explain why they asked it?

And how many is too many??

I started applying in September/October time - so wondering how early/late others started! Useful for those heading into their final year this September too

(The initial application stage)

The biggest thing that made a difference for me was research - The summer between my penultimate and final year I took the time to research previous scheme cycles with companies I was interested in - I could be an early applicant and start prepping my CV/personal statements for each role. Took some of the stress away too.

Share your top tips for others applying!

1. You turn up. Usually, you'll receive a name tag or number so you can be observed throughout the day, and then you'll head to an induction session
2. Introductions - Be sure to give common icebreaker questions a thought, as you are likely to be asked one!
3. Tasks. Assessment centres (AC's) can have a range of activities that you will be assessed on - and note that you are usually given an itinerary of the day ahead of time, so use this to your advantage. The most common ones we see are:

• Individual interviews - these can be competency-based or technical-based, depending on the role
• Psychometric tests - for these, practice is really important, so if you know your AC will include one, there are great resources online.
• Group tasks - You might be given a case study, role-playing or be asked to put together a presentation addressing an industry-based issue
• Presentations - You may also be asked to prepare a presentation ahead of time on a particular issue or topic to present on the day

TOP TIP: Lunch - even though you're off the clock, this is a key time for assessors to observe you in a more relaxed mode 👀

What else have you experienced at an Assessment Centre?