padgrad is a free career platform for UK graduates. It matches jobs to your degree, generates AI-powered CV checks and cover letters, and sends daily personalised job digests matched to your field of study.

Yes. You get 10 free credits on sign-up to use on AI CV checks and cover letters. All other tools — job matching, budgeting, application tracking, rejection logging — are free with no credit card required.

How does the AI CV Checker work?

Upload your CV and paste a job description. The AI analyses your CV against the role requirements, gives you an ATS compatibility score out of 100, and tells you exactly what keywords and formatting changes to make — helping you pass automated screening systems used by UK graduate recruiters.

How many jobs should I apply for as a graduate?

UK graduates typically need to send between 20 and 50 applications to land a role, with top graduate schemes receiving an average of 58 applications per vacancy. Focus on quality over quantity — tailor each CV and cover letter to the role rather than spamming the same application everywhere.

How long does it take to get a graduate job in the UK?

Most UK graduates take between 3 and 6 months to land their first graduate role, though it varies by sector. Consulting, tech, and investment banking tend to have faster hiring cycles. The civil service fast stream and larger graduate schemes can take 4-6 months from application to offer.

What is the average graduate salary in the UK for 2026?

The median graduate salary in the UK for 2026 is around £28,000-£32,000 depending on sector. Investment banking, law, and tech pay the highest (£35,000+), while public sector and charity roles typically start lower (£24,000-£27,000). Regional salaries average 10-20% lower outside London.

How do I write a graduate CV with no work experience?

Focus on transferable skills from your degree — research projects, group assignments, presentations, and coursework. Include volunteering, society memberships, part-time jobs, and any placements or internships. Use Padgrad's CV Builder to structure your CV for ATS systems, then run it through the AI CV Checker to see how it scores.

How are jobs matched to my degree on padgrad?

We scrape thousands of UK graduate jobs daily and match them to over 300 specific degree fields. Whether you studied Biology, Law, Engineering, Psychology, or History — we only show you roles that fit your subject area and send them straight to your daily digest.

Do graduate schemes pay well?

Graduate schemes in the UK typically pay between £25,000 and £35,000 in the first year, with some industries paying significantly more. Law firms and investment banks often start at £45,000-£55,000. Most schemes also offer benefits like bonuses, pension contributions, and professional qualification sponsorship.

How many applications does it take to get a graduate job?

Research from High Fliers shows the UK's top employers receive an average of 58 applications per graduate vacancy. Most successful graduates send 20-40 tailored applications before receiving an offer. Track every application using Padgrad's Application Tracker to spot which types of roles you progress furthest in.

Can I apply for graduate jobs before I graduate?

Yes — most large graduate schemes open applications in September and October for roles starting the following September, so you should apply in your final year. Smaller companies and direct-entry roles tend to hire closer to the start date. Padgrad's daily job digest includes both graduate schemes and entry-level roles you can apply for straight away.

What should a graduate CV include?

A strong graduate CV should include: your degree with predicted or achieved grade, relevant modules and dissertation topic, transferable skills (research, teamwork, communication), part-time work or volunteering, technical skills and software proficiency, and a personal profile. Most recruiters spend under 10 seconds scanning a CV — use Padgrad's AI CV Checker to make sure yours passes the six-second test.

The Complete Graduate Job Application Checklist: What to Do Before You Click Submit

A practical pre-submission checklist for UK graduates — tailor your CV, check it with AI, write targeted cover letters, and track every application in under 15 minutes.

TL;DR

Don't spam-apply. A single well-prepared application beats 50 rushed ones every time.
Use a checklist before every submission — tailor your CV, check it against the job description, write a targeted cover letter, and log everything.
Padgrad's free tools cover every step: CV Builder, AI CV Checker, AI Cover Letter, Application Tracker, and Rejection Log.
Your first 10 credits are free — enough for 10 CV checks and 50 cover letters.

Why You Need a Pre-Submission Checklist

Most graduate applications fail not because you're unqualified, but because you're rushing. You spot a role, tweak the CV for three minutes, paste a generic cover letter, and hit submit. Graduate recruiters spend an average of 7.4 seconds scanning a CV — they can tell immediately if you tailored it or not.

The fix isn't more time. It's a repeatable system. Here's your pre-submission checklist, designed for under 15 minutes per application.

Step 1: Build Your Master CV

Before you tailor anything, you need a strong foundation. Start with Padgrad's CV Builder — it's completely free and designed specifically for UK graduates.

What to include:

Personal details — name, phone, email, LinkedIn URL, and location. No photo, no date of birth.
Education — university, degree title, predicted/achieved grade, graduation year. Place this first for graduate roles.
Work experience — 3-5 bullet points per role, focused on achievements not responsibilities. Use numbers where possible.
Skills — relevant technical and soft skills. Match these to the job description.
Extra-curricular — only if they demonstrate transferable skills (leadership, teamwork, communication).

The CV Builder structures everything for you, so you don't end up with inconsistent formatting or missing sections. Once your master CV is saved, you can generate tailored versions for each role.

Step 2: Tailor and Check with AI

Here's where the system gets powerful. Before you submit to any role:

Copy the job description into the AI CV Checker alongside your CV. It'll tell you which keywords are missing, which sections need strengthening, and how well your experience matches the role.
Adjust your CV based on the feedback. Add missing keywords from the job description. Rephrase bullet points to use the same language the employer uses.
Run it again until the match score is strong. Each CV check costs 1 credit — your first 10 are free, and you earn more by engaging with the platform.

This alone can double your interview rate. Most graduates skip this step — that's exactly why doing it gives you an edge.

Step 3: Write a Targeted Cover Letter

Don't write a new cover letter from scratch every time. Use the AI Cover Letter tool:

Paste in the job description and your tailored CV
The AI generates a draft tailored to that specific role
Read it through, add your voice, and personalise the opening paragraph
Each cover letter costs just 0.2 credits — you can generate 50 from your first 10 credits

The goal isn't to automate your personality away. It's to make sure every cover letter addresses the role requirements specifically, without you having to stare at a blank page for 20 minutes.

Step 4: Review Everything Before Submission

Before you click that submit button, run through this quick checklist:

✓ CV tailored — Does it use keywords from the job description? Is your experience ordered by relevance?
✓ Cover letter personalised — Did you replace the generic opening with something specific to this company?
✓ Spelling and grammar — Read it out loud. Better yet, paste it into a plain text editor to spot formatting issues.
✓ File format — PDF unless otherwise specified. Your beautifully formatted Word doc will look different on a recruiter's screen.
✓ All questions answered — If there's an application form, did you fill every section?

Step 5: Log It and Move On

Once you've submitted, log the application immediately in the Application Tracker. Record the role, company, date, and any follow-up actions. If a rejection comes through? Log it in the Rejection Log and note what stage you reached. Over time, patterns emerge — maybe your CV is strong but interviews are where you drop off. That tells you exactly where to focus next.

If you're invited to an assessment centre, don't panic. Preparation is the key — check out our graduate assessment centre tips guide to learn what to expect and how to pass every exercise.

Step 6: Keep Your Finances in Check

The job hunt can be expensive — travel to interviews, new clothes, printing. And if you're graduating soon, you'll need to budget for the transition from student life to graduate income. The Budget Calculator helps you estimate your take-home pay and plan your spending from day one.

How Padgrad Credits Work

Everything on Padgrad is designed to be accessible. You get 10 free credits when you sign up — no payment needed. Each CV Check costs 1 credit, and each Cover Letter costs 0.2 credits. The CV Builder, Application Tracker, Budget Calculator, and Rejection Log are all completely free. So your first 10 credits cover 10 full CV checks and 50 cover letters — enough for dozens of applications. Need more? Top up via the credits page.

Your 15-Minute Application System

Here's the condensed version — your actual pre-submit workflow:

Minute	Action
0-3	Tailor your master CV for the role
3-5	Run it through the AI CV Checker and fix gaps
5-8	Generate and personalise a cover letter with AI Cover Letter
8-12	Final review and submit
12-15	Log the application in the Application Tracker

The Bottom Line

The graduates who land roles aren't the ones with the most impressive degrees. They're the ones who are organised, consistent, and willing to do the extra 10 minutes of preparation that everyone else skips. Padgrad gives you the tools. The system is free. Now it's your turn.

Create your free account →