With thousands of students graduating every year, how can you stand out among the many applications received by employers? This year is even tougher with a depressed employment market looming and many had complained that getting the first job is an uphill task indeed. Bear in mind, some employers also use what might be called pre-selection by marketing in order to deselect vast number of students and graduates before the application procedure has even begun. Not a very comforting thought indeed.

Is there a strategy graduates can adopt to get the first job? Before you begin, why not take a look at the following?

Apply to as many employers as you possibly can

The recruiters will think this is a bad idea because they hate the filtering process. However, our advice is not that you apply for every available job but those that match your qualification. For example, a finance graduate should never apply for a civil engineering position, but we would advise that the finance graduate not to look at job opportunities in the banking or financial industry alone. It is always a good idea to draft out a number of career goals. There will be a number of very different jobs you could do equally well and the strategy of limiting yourself to one career goal is therefore a poor one. So, don’t apply only for your perfect or ideal job because more often than not, you don’t land yourself in one. So, the best thing to do is to apply to a large number of employers, targeting at a number of different career goals, and moving between a range of industries and sectors.

Treat every application seriously

Send as many applications as possible does not mean you fire off hundreds of more or less identical applications in all directions. The same rule applies – every application must be targeted, well-thought out and of quality. You must be able to visualize yourself explaining the reason of applying for the job should you be short listed for an interview. If you can’t do that, probably the job is not for you to apply in the first place. And take the trouble to keep track of your applications. Many graduates failed the prescreening stage when the recruiter called them and they answer, “Did I apply for that job? I can’t remember I did that.”

Never underestimate the less popular employers

Some employers are more popular by virtue of their businesses that are more consumer-driven or their status being listed companies. You see them in billboards, TV commercials, newspapers and etc but that does not mean they are the best employers in town. Some employers may also give a misleading impression of the number of vacancies they actually have available. They managed to pull in thousands and thousands of applications while only having a few dozen vacancies to fill. The ratio created of applicants to vacancies can be well over 50-to-1. Why not target at some less popular employers where you have a better chance of success? Since this will be your first job, you need all the experience you can get. A less popular employer can give you that equal exposure too. Spend some time in researching the various types of companies available and don’t limit to the famous few alone.

Attend career fairs and exhibitions

Getting information about the company is easier when you attend career fairs or even non job-related exhibitions. Take a look at the people that are at the booths. Ask yourself whether you would make a connection with any one of them. If you make the right impression, you can even get some inside tips on the company’s recruitment process.

It’s a waste of time applying a job without meeting their minimum qualification

There is no point applying for a job that you will be automatically deselected. However, if you are serious about the company, the only way round this is to find somebody in the organization that is prepared to look at your application regardless. If they are participating in a career fair, you can make your case in person.