padgrad is a free career platform for 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 graduate recruiters.

How many jobs should I apply for as a graduate?

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?

Most 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. Larger graduate schemes can take 4-6 months from application to offer.

What is the average graduate salary for 2026?

Graduate salaries vary widely by country, sector and region. Investment banking, law and tech tend to pay the highest, while public sector and charity roles typically start lower. Salaries in major cities usually sit above the national average — check local salary guides for figures relevant to your market.

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 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 typically pay a competitive starting salary, with some industries paying significantly more. Law firms and investment banks often pay the most. Most schemes also offer benefits like bonuses, pension contributions, and professional qualification sponsorship — check each employer's offer for the specifics.

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

Research shows 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 6-12 months before the role starts, 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.

Email etiquette at work shapes how colleagues see you. Master clear subject lines, polite tone and fast replies that make you look professional from day one.

Email Etiquette at Work: Tips Every New Graduate Needs

Email etiquette at work is how you write clear, polite emails that people actually read and answer. Your first job brings a steady stream of messages from managers, teammates and clients. The way you handle them shapes how people see you. Good email habits make you look organised and reliable. Sloppy ones get noticed for the wrong reasons. This guide gives you simple, practical rules you can use from your first day.

TL;DR

Email etiquette at work shapes how colleagues and managers judge you.
Use a clear subject line, a polite greeting and a short message that puts the ask first.
Reply within one working day, even if the reply is "I will come back to you on Friday."
Read every email once before you send it. Check the name, the attachment and the tone.

Why Email Etiquette at Work Matters

Emails are the written record of your work. A clear email makes you look clear. A rushed email makes you look careless. Your manager forwards your messages to their manager. Clients judge your whole company by one sloppy note.

Emails also last. A careless sentence can be quoted back to you weeks later. That is why the small rules in this guide matter more than they seem.

Email is one part of workplace communication. If you want to grow the other parts too, our presentation skills guide covers speaking with confidence in meetings.

Start with a Clear Subject Line

The subject line decides whether someone opens your email today or leaves it for later. Write what the email is about in a few words.

Good examples: "Question about the sales report" or "Meeting moved to Tuesday afternoon."
Weak examples such as "Hello" or "Quick question" give the reader no clue.
Change the subject when the topic changes. Old subjects confuse people.
For urgent emails, say so calmly: "Please review by Friday" beats "URGENT" in capital letters.

Greet People Properly

Open with the person's name. If you know them well, "Hi Tom" works. For the first email to someone new, "Dear Ms Njoroge" is safer. When you are not sure which name to use, copy the name they sign with.

If the email goes to a whole team, "Hi team" or "Dear all" is fine. The greeting is not just politeness. It tells the reader who the email is for.

Keep the Body Short

Short emails get answers. Long emails get put off. Aim for a few sentences, not a wall of text.

Put the ask or the question near the start.
Write about one topic per email. Start a new email for a new topic.
Split long lists into bullet points.
If your email runs long, offer to talk instead: "It may be easier to walk through this together."

Watch Your Tone

Tone is hard to read in text. Write the way you would speak in a meeting: polite, calm and direct. If you feel angry, wait an hour before you send.

Read the email aloud. If it sounds rude when spoken, it sounds rude when written. Rewrite it.

Do	Don't
Do say please when you ask for something.	Don't bark one-word orders like "Send file."
Do ask one clear question per email.	Don't hide the question at the end of a long story.
Do keep jokes for people you know well.	Don't use sarcasm with clients or senior leaders.
Do use exclamation marks rarely.	Don't type in all capital letters, which reads as shouting.

Reply Within One Working Day

Aim to reply within one working day. People do not expect an instant answer, but they do expect an answer. If a full reply will take time, send a short note: "I will look into this and reply by Friday."

When you are away, set an out-of-office message. Say when you will be back and who to contact.

Use reply all only when everyone on the list needs to know. A "Thanks" sent to fifty people is noise, not kindness.

The same timing rules apply while you hunt for jobs. Learn how to follow up after an interview without sounding pushy.

Check Before You Send

Most email mistakes are easy to avoid with one extra minute.

Add the recipient last, after you finish writing. This stops emails that fly out too early.
Check that the attachment is the right file and that it is actually attached.
Check the person's name is spelled correctly. A wrong name kills trust fast.
Assume someone else could read the email. Never gossip about a colleague or criticise your manager in writing.

Sign Off Like a Professional

Close with a simple sign-off. "Best regards" and "Kind regards" work for most work emails. "Thanks" works when you ask for something. Match the formality of the person you write to.

Add a short signature with your name, job title, company and phone number. Keep it to four lines.

Use a professional email address as well. If your address still has a nickname from school, set up a new one with your name. Recruiters and clients trust a name, not a joke.

The Bottom Line

Email etiquette at work is not about being stiff. It is about being clear, kind and quick. Colleagues trust people who reply well. Managers notice them. Clients stay calm with them.

Start with the subject line. Greet the person. Keep it short. Mind the tone. Reply on time. Check before you send. Sign off cleanly. Do that every day and you will look like a professional from week one.

Strong email habits will serve you from your first day. Padgrad helps you land that first job: check your CV with our free CV checker, write a cover letter that stands out, and get fresh graduate jobs sent to you daily when you create a free account.

By Ori