Before You Hit Apply: 4 Things Every Grad Must Do First

Hi everyone,

After two intense months navigating the graduate job recruitment season in Australia back in 2021, I received offers from NAB, FDM Group, Thoughtworks, and PwC. I was also waiting on the final round result from Westpac. But along with those wins came plenty of rejections from other companies too.

That’s why today, I want to share a few key lessons I learned throughout the entire application journey - things I wish I had known before I started applying. If I had, I’m sure my success rate would’ve been much higher.

Let’s dive right in! 💪🏻💪🏻

⏰ When Should You Apply?

Each year, there are typically two main recruitment periods for graduate roles in Australia:

• Round 1: January to March

• Round 2: June to September

Some companies only recruit once a year, usually around March–April (e.g., NAB, Commbank, etc.).

That’s why it’s important to prepare your CV/resume in advance, so you’re ready to apply as soon as applications open. Many students are in their final semester during this time, and with study pressure building up, it’s easy to forget application deadlines. I highly recommend noting down the opening dates for the companies you're targeting.

In my case, I finished studying in early July and ended up missing a few of my top-choice companies — partly because I wasn’t aware of the two main recruitment rounds at the time. Definitely a lesson learned!

✏️ What Should You Prepare Before Applying?

👉🏻 Create an Excel tracker to stay organised. Set up columns like:

• Job Title

• Company

• Location

• Application Link

• Status

• Notes

Once you start applying to multiple roles, having everything in one place makes it much easier to track your progress and follow up if needed.

I browsed job listings across platforms like LinkedIn, Seek, GradConnection, etc. Whenever I came across a role that looked like a good fit, I added it to my tracker along with the application deadline, so I wouldn’t miss out.

👉🏻 Job Application Email: Use a Professional Personal Email

Most companies prefer you use a personal email rather than a university one, as uni emails often get filtered into spam folders. Make sure your email address looks professional - ideally something based on your real name (e.g., firstname.lastname@gmail.com). In my case, I’d been using the same personal email for years, and it was already flooded with messages from all sorts of places. It became hard to manage and easy to miss important emails from recruiters. So, I decided to create a brand-new email account just for job applications. It helped keep everything organised, and I could easily track all employer communications in one inbox.

👉🏻 Transcript & Portfolio: Why They Matter

All the companies I applied to required an academic transcript, and some even included questions like:

• “Is your WAM (Weighted Average Mark) above 65?”

• “Select your WAM range (Credit/Distinction/High Distinction)”

So while your grades don’t define your entire application, it’s still important to maintain a decent academic record to stay competitive. In addition, many application forms ask for your social media links, personal websites, or other URLs. This is where having a portfolio can really set you apart.

A personal website or portfolio gives recruiters a deeper look into your skills and passion for the field. For example:

• Tech/Data roles: Link your GitHub

• Data visualisation: Share your Tableau Public

• Design roles: Add your Behance profile

If you’re still studying, I highly recommend starting to build and update your portfolio early by showcasing your personal or academic projects. It’s a great way to demonstrate your capabilities beyond your resume.

👉🏻 Build a Strong LinkedIn Profile

I applied to a lot of roles directly through LinkedIn, especially using the Easy Apply feature - which basically sends your LinkedIn profile and resume straight to the recruiter. That’s why having a professional, well-structured LinkedIn profile is so important.

Ideally, start building your profile while you're still in university. Keep it updated with your education, internships, part-time jobs, and even any certifications or online courses you complete. Sharing your learnings and achievements on LinkedIn also helps build your personal brand.

That wraps up the key lessons I learned after going through an entire graduate job application season. If you have any questions or want to share your own experiences, feel free to leave a comment - I’d love to hear from you!

See you in the next post, where I’ll be reviewing the graduate job hiring process in Australia in more detail. 👋🏻