Graduated? Welcome to the Hunger Games of Work.
Entry-level roles have crashed
The average grad job now attracts north of 140 applicants. (The Guardian, Adzuna, ise.org.uk)
The real story
Yes, AI is eating the low-hanging roles, but the bigger villain is an economy that funnels talent into bloated, low-growth industries - finance, property, insurance - while starving everything else. Automated rejection emails are just the smoke; the fire is a wealth gap that pushes graduates to fight over ever-fewer “brand-name” roles. Meanwhile, 60% of UK jobs sit inside small and midsize firms most grads never bother to email. (GOV.UK)
My core insight
Skip the faceless corporates and start where you’re needed. My first “career” duties? Apart from designing for micro and SMBs, moving and assembling office furniture, collecting lunch orders etc. taught me more about clients, cash-flow and diplomacy than any corporate ‘employee onboarding’ deck ever could. I heard each and every phone conversation of the owner of the studio. We had personal visits to business owners, first-level feedback. Small companies let you see the whole chessboard - and they still answer the phone like humans.
Right now, every vacancy triggers an algorithmic land-rush: hundreds of ChatGPT-polished CVs hit the same portal. The deluge doesn’t just raise the bar - it hides you behind it. Algorithms skim for keywords, rank familiarity, and toss out anything that looks even slightly off-spec. Great candidates disappear in the noise.
So flip the script. warm introductions, alumni emails, informal coffees, communities - these are the side doors. A single personal referral can shortcut months of online form-filling because hiring managers trust recommendations far more.
The algorithms don’t patrol: small, under-the-radar companies, local meet-ups, hackathons, industry newsletters.
Job boards are now the lowest Tesco shelf of talent acquisition. Do not rely solely on them.
Invest:
in real connections
in crafting small proofs of value
in starting conversations where your personality decides your fate
How to hunt smart in 2025
Fish in the quiet ponds. SME hiring isn’t automated to death. A tailored email to a founder often beats 100 ATS portals.
Learn the tools (prompt ChatGPT, auto-summarise reports) but write the final copy yourself.
Prototype experience fast. Freelance, volunteer, build a one-week project - anything that proves you can ship. Portfolios cut through keyword screens.
Network. One warm intro jumps the algorithmic queue. Set a target of two new chats a week.
Mind the money, not the title. A low salary role where you run projects beats a better paying corporate brand-scheme where you’re PowerPoint-polishing for two years! Growth > glamour.
In practice (three-month plan)
Week 1-2: Skill Audit Identify 3 AI-adjacent tools your target sector uses. Learn the basics via YouTube.
Week 3-4: Portfolio piece Ship a mini-project (dashboard, social campaign, user-research notes). Publish on LinkedIn, plus the channels you think your targets are
Week 5-6: SME outreach Email 20 founders/managers with a one-paragraph pitch + your project link.
Week 7-8: Referrals Ask every alum/professional you know for one person they can intro you to.
Week 9-12: Iterate Refine pitch based on feedback, repeat outreach, track conversion.
Finally
Graduating into a downturn isn’t a death sentence. It’s a filter. Those who act like owners - using AI, chasing real problems, and knocking on doors that aren’t even advertised - will sprint ahead while everyone else waits for HR to email back. Choose momentum over permission.
Good luck. You only need one “yes.”