Internships or part-time jobs can be particularly useful when you are asked to provide an example of a time when you demonstrated strong commercial awareness. Even the most routine summer job can show an employer how you react under pressure, deal with people and solve problems. Work experience, IT-related or not, is always a good source to draw upon. The examples you use don’t have to come just from your academic experiences. What you’ve done in the past is usually a good indicator of how you will perform in the workplace, so use real-life examples and experiences when responding to competency-based questions that ask you to discuss when you used a particular skill, rather than making general statements about yourself (eg ‘I am highly organised’). Look at the questions and make sure you understand exactly what they mean. Moreover, each employer has different expectations and may place greater or lesser importance on different aspects of a competency or skill. It may seem easier, but it also makes it easier to miss the point of the question, or leave in another employer’s name. The questions may seem similar from form to form but there can be subtle differences, so avoid cutting and pasting in responses from other applications. For example, you might want to highlight a technology that is particularly important to the organisation and outline how you are enjoying using it in your final-year project or explain how your work experience has helped you confirm that you want to work in the company’s particular area of business. Instead, it wants you to show that you understand its business and the graduate job you are applying for, and link these to your own interests or experiences.

Want you to parrot back facts from its website about how great it is. Tailor each application to the employerĪ seemingly simple question might be ‘What attracts you to applying for a graduate position within IBM?’ or ‘Why do you want to work at FIS?’. Prepare your long answers in a Word document so that you can more easily review and spell-check your responses.Ģ. Print off the application form so you can read it properly without the temptation to start typing.

To read up on individual graduate employers with technology positions. These typically include communication skills (written and verbal), organisation and planning skills, teamworking ability, etc, which are examples of Most graduate IT employers will also have specific core competencies they seek. Check your skills and qualifications match the requirements for the position or the graduate programme. Do some groundwork before you start typing and schedule in some blocks of undisturbed time to work on your responses and submit your form.īefore you start, make sure you understand the job or graduate scheme you are applying for and what the organisation does. Online applications take time and preparation, so don’t try to rattle them off in breaks between lectures. Don’t risk giving the impression that you are slapdash or that you won’t be able to communicate clearly with clients or customers. If written English isn’t your strong point, consider drafting in help. Recruiters judge online applications not only on evidence that you meet their requirements, but also on the quality of your writing: think clear, concise answers and good grammar. When you work online, it’s easy to slip into being informal and a bit too casual. A well written application is a good indicator of your ability to present a clear message.

Slapdash graduate