“Employers just don’t have respect for their future candidates”: UK Graduates report ‘heartbreaking’ job market
Sadie Kendall investigates the tumultuous process of applying for graduate jobs.
Image Credit: Wikimedia
“I think coming out of university, especially Russell Group universities, you’re sort of fed this subliminal idea before you even apply. You are set up with an image of what your life is going to be like post-graduation, and it just is not like that at all, I mean, from my perspective.
It’s not like I expected employers to be queuing up outside my door begging to offer me a job, but at the very minimum, I expected some respect within my job search.”
Malini Sachdeva-Masson graduated from the University of Cambridge in the summer of 2024 with a BA in Social and Political Sciences. Predominantly searching for jobs within the charity sector and adjacent industries, Malini applied to over 100 jobs over a 6-month period after graduation before finding a role.
“I applied to nearly 100 jobs, and my success rate is 1%. My interview rate was probably about 10%. Probably the majority of them, I didn’t even hear back.
When you find that small percentage of jobs where you actually feel like this actually aligns with me and I want to do this, then you make your application, go into an interview, and then get another rejection – it truly breaks your heart.”
Malini’s story does not appear unique. An online call-out by The Guardian in August 2024 detailed there were dozens of recent university graduates reporting struggles in the UK job market, particularly highlighting ‘ghosting’ by employers, even after extensive, multiple stage hiring processes. Graduate schemes in particular have been highlighted for being intensely competitive and as having long hiring processes, including several stages.
When Malini began to document the process on TikTok, rising to over 17.2K followers and 1.2 million likes by the end of 2024, she was surprised by the traction her videos received, saying the attention her videos gained highlighted how widespread the issue was amongst fellow graduates.
“I get so many messages, like, so many, but I can’t reply to them all, because it would just take me ages […] People are really frustrated. I think that there’s a sort of added level of shock factor, because I’m an Oxbridge grad. But I think people are very frustrated with the way that things are.”
Comments on just one of Malini’s videos read:
“I’m a recent graduate and I really resonate with you. It’s a very draining period.”
“When employers don’t even let you know you haven’t got the job, they just ghost you. I feel it’s extremely unprofessional.”
Figures from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) indicate a rise in general youth unemployment. From September to November 2024 it was reported there 14.5% of 16 to 24-year-olds were unemployed, up from 12.5% the previous year.
Statistically, graduates are still more likely to be in employment than non-graduates. However, figures from the Office for National Statistics for 2023 detailed that many graduates end up going into ‘non-graduate’ work only. Of UK graduates aged 21-30 last year, just 60.4% were in “high-skilled” work, while 26.4% of this group were in medium or low-skilled employment and 5.5% unemployed. Something echoed by graduates like Malini:
“There’s obviously nothing wrong with it, but people who have gone to Russell Group Universities are coming out and having to work in a supermarket, or work retail jobs, again, not that there’s anything wrong with that. But the point is that you’ve made a three-year investment into yourself, and you’re not reaping the rewards of your investment.”
“Statistically, yes, the figures mean that you’re going to earn more than your non-degree counterparts, that is still a thing, but we’ve kind of come back around to the point where employees don’t really care about education if you don’t have the experience to back it up.”
Indeed’s UK jobs and hiring trends report released in December 2024 suggests there was a 23.7% decline in UK job postings in 2024, the largest decline amongst Australia, Canada, France, Germany and the US.
Increased usage of AI has also been cited as changing the job market substantially, through the use of AI tools aiding recruiters, but also individuals using AI to speed up the application process. This has been thought to increase the number of applicants for each role.
Malini detailed what she perceived as an overall reliance on AI within the recruitment process:
“Technology can be so, so great, but candidates are responding to an AI written job description with an AI written cover letter to then receive an AI written rejection letter immediately back, like, I just don’t feel like that’s a good way to be seeking out people like it just seems counterintuitive.”
“Someone commented and said to me, ‘Oh, you only applied to 97 jobs in four months. That’s ridiculous. You could do that in a week.’ [with AI]. Then people were sort of arguing with this person in the comments, asking what kind of quality applications are they if you are doing 100 a week?”
Georgia Greer, Head of Insights, from the Institute of Student Employers said:
“There’s no doubting that the current job market can be tough for graduates. There’s been a big jump in applications per vacancy as some students use AI to apply and growth in vacancies has slowed down. That said, it’s important to remember that employers remain committed to graduates, the market isn’t shrinking and opportunities are still out there.”
The Institute of Student Employers recommends to “spend more time on fewer applications, focusing on jobs you really want and are suited to” and that “relying too heavily on AI can lead to candidates coming across as less authentic, make sure your application genuinely reflects who you are and what you can do.” This was also echoed by the University of Leeds careers service, who acknowledged application processes were often lengthy, but taking time to tailor applications would lead to greater understanding of the role at interview.
The impact of AI, alongside a decline in job postings, has been cited as explaining the record-breaking 59% increase in applicants per graduate job from 2023 to 2024 with an average of 140 applicants per graduate job, according to the 2024 Student Recruitment Survey by the Institute of Student Employers.
Malini particularly highlights how the emphasis on experience is something that university students should be aware of. However, Malini also said she was ‘proactive’ at university, having achieved an internship and society positions, but still experienced ‘ghosting’ for many of the applications she submitted. “It feels like, why have I done all of this to then be met with a market and employers who don’t respect their candidates?”
In December 2024, Malini landed a job within the charity sector. She notes the respect she received during the hiring process, in comparison to other applications, is what ultimately secured her the job:
“The reason why I even got the job that I did is because I applied for a job at that same company, but they had given me such detailed feedback for the previous role and had built such a good relationship with me in those like sessions, that they were able to then defer me on to another position.”
“It meant that I had a good taste in my mouth about that company. I felt like they were investing in me, even if I wasn’t someone that’s on their payroll yet, and that’s valuable. I think they don’t realize that.”
Reflecting on her six-month period of job searching, Malini detailed the significant mental toll of the application process, as well as the need to avoid taking rejection and ‘ghosting’ from employers personally. She also encouraged utilising support from friends or family, or even in Malini’s case, social media.
“Your value doesn’t come from employment status. You don’t need to draw too much from it, because employers don’t know you.
What I would say has helped me the most, is having a place, whether it’s social media, or your family and friends, to be able to vent and talk about it and express your frustrations.”
In regard to documenting her experience on TikTok, Malini highlighted how working on something personal alongside the job application process was ‘empowering’, saying “I think in a moment of being so much in uncertainty with the job market, having something that was 100% mine and felt really empowering.”
Malini particularly encouraged students to make the most out of their time at university, including extracurricular activities, networking, societies and just “getting involved with as much as you can” in order to gain confidence in your own abilities. “I think it’s difficult if you really did do nothing at university other than study, cause then you do come out on the back foot.”
Charlie Ball, Head of Labour Market Intelligence at Jisc similarly encouraged students to make the most of support available at university:
“This summer’s graduate labour market is likely to be a little more challenging than the jobs markets for the last few years, although probably not by a lot. University staff at the careers service are ready for it (and many of the more experienced members have helped students through worse), so make use of them while they’re available.”
He also noted that “the city of Leeds has one of the UK’s strongest graduate jobs markets and even in difficult years, literally thousands of graduates start their career there.”
The University of Leeds careers service also told students to make the most of their university careers services, even if you have no idea where to start when looking for jobs. Tom Davies, Graduate Employability Officer at the University of Leeds, emphasised that many universities, including the University of Leeds, offer specific support for graduates.
At the University of Leeds, support ranges from appointments to think about career options, events and workshops, support with specific applications and mock interviews. The University of Leeds careers service even detailed one case where career support was given to an individual fifteen-years after graduating from the university.
The careers team also emphasised it’s not unusual for the post-graduation period to be a stressful time, but taking small steps to get to where you want to be, particularly during university, can help ease post-graduation anxiety.
Jane Campbell, Head of Student Careers at The University of Leeds added:
“While there are some challenges out there, our students and graduates are in a great position to do well. We have an excellent reputation with employers who actively want to engage with and recruit our students and graduates. Leeds University was the fourth most targeted university by the leading graduate employers in 2023/24 (https://www.highfliers.co.uk/).
We know it is hard applying for jobs, but we offer comprehensive support to students and graduates through all stages of career planning, from deciding what types of roles to consider to application support. We encourage students and graduates to get in touch.”
Words by Sadie Kendall
