How to get a graduate job in the UK
Canary Wharf from Greenwich Park, April. Photograph: The wub, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped
Choose three sectors, learn when each one hires, and apply in the autumn before you finish. Twelve steps, in the order the UK hiring calendar sets them.
Steps 1 to 3: choose three sectors, not ten
Three sectors is enough to be serious about each one, and few enough to finish the applications. This plan, part of Start here, puts the twelve steps of the UK graduate hunt in the order the hiring calendar sets.
Step 1: choose three sectors by the work
Ten sectors means ten calendars and ten sets of tests. Careers has guides to banking, consulting, the Big 4, law and tech, with each firm’s stages and dates.
Step 2: learn when each sector hires
Large employers recruit up to a year ahead, starting early in the autumn term, as LSE Careers (opens info.lse.ac.uk) puts it.
The Season
- Graduate scheme applications From August 2026 to January 2027 Most open September or October, banks from August; many deadlines fall in November and December.
- Spring weeks and insight programmes September 2026 to January 2027 For first-years, and second-years on four-year courses; most applications fall in autumn, programmes run around Easter.
- Summer internship applications (summer 2027) From August 2026 to January 2027 For penultimate-year students; many review applications as they arrive and close early.
- Assessment centre season November 2026 to April 2027 First rounds follow deadlines; final assessment days run from November into spring.
- Graduate visa lengths A Graduate visa applied for on or before 31 December 2026 usually lasts 2 years. For applications made on or after 1 January 2027, it is scheduled to last 18 months.
Undergraduates have an earlier door: bank spring weeks, which the spring weeks calendar lists with their closing dates.
York’s careers service calls September to December the peak time to apply. For a master’s student, that is the first term of the course.
Prepare early: most schemes open as early as August and close in October or November (your course begins in early September).
More on the autumn deadlinesLess on the autumn deadlines
Beyond the banks, many employers set deadlines in November and December, and the University of York’s careers service expects Big Four schemes to close by December or January. Lancaster University Management School notes that bank spring weeks take applications in September and October of the first year, so an undergraduate’s calendar starts a full year before a master’s student’s.
Step 3: date your own window
Your visa sets the other end of the calendar. For a Graduate visa, you apply from inside the UK before your Student visa ends, once your university has told the Home Office you have finished your course.
Your UK job-hunt plan turns the month your course ends into a dated list.
More on how long the visa lastsLess on how long the visa lasts
A Graduate visa applied for on or before 31 December 2026 usually lasts 2 years. For applications made on or after 1 January 2027, it is scheduled to last 18 months. After a PhD it lasts 3 years.
If your course ends this autumn, the date you apply may change how long your visa lasts. The plan shows when to apply, when to interview, and when your Graduate visa months begin.
Steps 4 to 6: shortlist, CV and visa line
A shortlist is the employers you will actually apply to. It starts with one question: can this employer hire you once your Graduate visa ends?
Step 4: shortlist employers that can hire you
A Skilled Worker visa needs a job offer from an employer with an A-rated sponsor licence. Check each name on the Home Office register of licensed sponsors (opens gov.uk) first.
121,996 employers held a Skilled Worker licence on the register of 5 October 2026
More on using the registerLess on using the register
Search the register by the employer’s legal name, which is often not the brand on its careers page. Note the town beside each entry, because a large employer can hold its licence under a parent company or a different office. A shortlist you can finish in a term beats a long list you abandon in November: a dozen employers across your three sectors, each one checked, is a serious autumn’s work.
Checking every employer's licence by hand gets slow by the tenth application. In the Visavi app, each job comes from a licensed sponsor or from an advert that says it sponsors, and any advert that says it will not sponsor is left out.
Step 5: write a two-page UK CV
The 2 page reverse chronological CV is the most common style of CV for the UK and is suitable for most situations.
Banks often expect one page, so check first. The UK CV format page takes a CV apart line by line, with a template.
Step 6: put your visa status in one line
Name the visa you hold or will apply for, and its end date, in your CV’s heading. Your visa status on a UK CV has three worked examples.
More on what goes on the pageLess on what goes on the page
Manchester’s careers service suggests the heading or contact details; answer every form’s version of the question for your own case. Leave out your photograph and date of birth, and if your schooling was outside the UK, say what your grades are equivalent to here. Employers ask about your visa so they know whether they will need to sponsor you, Warwick’s careers service explains, and PwC’s application asks which visa you would need, if you need one.
Steps 7 and 8: apply early, pass the screens
Apply as soon as your application is good, because many programmes read applications as they arrive and close when they have enough.
Step 7: apply early, in batches
| Employer and programme | How applications close |
|---|---|
| Goldman Sachs, summer analyst | Reviewed on a rolling basis |
| Deloitte | Closes early when volume is very high |
| Barclays, one 2027 summer internship | 31 October 2026, and possibly sooner |
| Google, 2027 London software engineering internship | Applications by 23 October 2026 |
Some operate a rolling recruitment process, assessing applications in batches.
Even employers with no deadline, targetjobs notes, still expect most of their applications by Christmas.
140 applications per graduate vacancy at ISE employer members, 2024 to 2025
Treat a deadline as the last day, not the target, and use the graduate scheme calendar to see which rounds close first.
More on the competitionLess on the competition
Competition is heavy. Over the 2024 to 2025 cycle, graduate hiring at members of the Institute of Student Employers fell by 8%, across a survey of 155 member employers. With fewer places and many applications for each, the early application is the one read with the most room left on the scheme. Send yours in weekly batches from October.
Step 8: prepare for tests and recorded interviews
Most large employers screen before you meet anyone: York expects tests and video interviews from December to February.
| Stage at KPMG | What happens |
|---|---|
| Online assessments | Two, sent automatically after you apply |
| Video interview | Recorded, before any meeting |
| Launch Pad | A half-day event in person |
| Offer | Within two working days of a successful Launch Pad |
Most video-based assessments include between five and eight questions.
HireVue says you can usually try a practice question first: use it to check your light and sound.
More on recorded interviewsLess on recorded interviews
PwC’s early-careers process includes an on-demand video interview: questions appear on screen, your answers are recorded, and an assessor reviews them later. York also lists phone interviews in the same season. Treat each recorded answer as a short spoken version of a CV line: the situation, what you did, and what came of it.
Steps 9 and 10: assessment days and direct entry
The assessment day is usually the last round before an offer, in late winter and spring. Video interviews and HireVue covers the round before it.
Step 9: rehearse the assessment day
Prospects describes assessment centres as often the final stage for large graduate recruiters. Expect group discussions, case studies, in-tray exercises, presentations and an interview.
| Round | When, for deadlines in November and December |
|---|---|
| First rounds | January and February |
| Assessment centres | March and April |
| Offers | April to June |
targetjobs (opens targetjobs.co.uk) gives this pattern. Inside a UK assessment centre sets out the day hour by hour.
UK interviewers listen for a structure: Glasgow’s careers service teaches the STAR technique. The unwritten rules of British interviews shows it at work.
More on the final stageLess on the final stage
Prospects says an assessment centre can last anything from an afternoon to two days. At Deloitte, the final stage for graduates is in person, at the office linked to your application: a discussion of a topic you have prepared, then a skills and motivation interview. Glasgow also warns against overusing “we”: they want to know what you did.
Step 10: keep direct-entry roles in view
Graduate schemes make up a small proportion of graduate jobs
The rest are direct-entry roles, advertised throughout the year and filled closer to the start date. Match your CV to each advert line by line.
If the scheme season passes without an offer, this is where the hunt continues. Graduate job sites, compared shows where each kind of role is listed.
More on direct entryLess on direct entry
A direct-entry job is usually a named role with a start date rather than a rotation. Softwire, a London software firm, plans graduate intakes in March, June, September and November 2027. Cambridge Consultants sets no deadline for its graduate software engineers and closes the advert once the role is filled. Some schemes also reopen in May and June with unfilled places.
Steps 11 and 12: internships, offers and the switch
An internship is often a graduate scheme’s first round, and an offer starts your next visa, not the end of the hunt.
Step 11: treat an internship as a first round
LSE Careers says large companies often use internships to find permanent hires.
Most of our graduate programme places will be filled by people who have successfully completed a Summer Internship with us
Law works the same way: a Linklaters vacation scheme ends with a final interview for a training contract. Winning a training contract sets out that route; the summer internships calendar lists the rest.
More on internships at the banksLess on internships at the banks
Barclays tells its 2027 summer interns, who must be in their penultimate year, that they will be considered for its 2028 graduate programme. That makes a penultimate-year internship the most direct route into a bank’s graduate intake, and it is why the internship deadlines in the autumn matter as much as the scheme deadlines.
Step 12: accept, then plan the switch
An offer brings a start date and a reply date; plan both against your visa end date, and test the salary before you accept.
£33,400, the Skilled Worker salary floor for a new entrant
A Graduate visa cannot be extended, but you may switch to a Skilled Worker visa from inside the UK. Graduate pay, against the visa bar sets each sector’s starting salary beside it.
More on new entrants and early startsLess on new entrants and early starts
That floor compares with £41,700 for other applicants. If you are on a Graduate visa, or were in the last 2 years, you count as a new entrant for the salary rules. The going rate for the job’s occupation code applies too. If you are still studying when the offer comes, note that a degree-level student with a valid Skilled Worker application may start that job before the course ends.
If your search is already running on a Graduate visa, job hunting on a Graduate visa plans the months you have, phase by phase.
This week
- Pick three sectors and read the Careers guide for each one
- Note three closing dates from the graduate scheme calendar
- Make your dated plan from the month your course ends
- Check your first five employers on the Home Office register of licensed sponsors
- Book a CV appointment with your university careers service
Sources
- GOV.UK: When to apply for a Graduate visa You must apply before your Student visa or Tier 4 (General) student visa expires. Checked
- GOV.UK: Sponsor rating needed SW 5.3. The sponsor must be listed as A-rated on the Home Office’s register of licensed sponsors, unless the applicant was last granted permission as a Skilled Worker and is applying to continue working for the same sponsor as in their last permission. Checked
- GOV.UK: Register of licensed sponsors: workers This document lists Worker and Temporary Worker sponsors. Checked
- GOV.UK: Skilled Worker new-entrant salary floor You can be paid 70% of your job’s standard going rate if your salary will be at least £33,400 per year and one of the following applies: Checked
- GOV.UK: Switching from a Graduate visa to Skilled Worker You cannot extend your Graduate visa. However, you may be able to switch to a different visa, for example a Skilled Worker visa. Checked
- GOV.UK: Skilled Worker general salary threshold You’ll usually need to be paid the ‘standard’ salary rate of at least £41,700 per year, or the ‘going rate’ for your job, whichever is higher. Checked
- GOV.UK: Who counts as a new entrant you’re currently in the UK on a Graduate visa (or you have been in the last 2 years, and a Graduate or visit visa was your most recent visa) Checked
- GOV.UK: Starting a sponsored job before the course ends ST 26.6. A Student who makes a valid application for permission to stay under the Skilled Worker, or Graduate route, may start employment in a full-time permanent vacancy either up to 3 months prior to the course completion date (for the Skilled Worker route) or once they have successfully completed their course of study (for the Graduate route), provided all of the following apply: Checked
- GOV.UK: Graduate visa length (applications on or before 31 December 2026) 2 years if you apply on or before 31 December 2026 Checked
- GOV.UK: Graduate visa length (applications on or after 1 January 2027) 18 months if you apply on or after 1 January 2027 Checked
- GOV.UK: Graduate visa length after a PhD or other doctorate If you have a PhD or other doctoral qualification, it will last for 3 years. Checked
- LSE Careers, London School of Economics: The graduate job market (LSE Careers) Graduate schemes are competitive, and employers typically recruit up to one-year ahead, starting early in Autumn Term, and sometimes over the summer, so it's important to check their deadlines and processes.Widely advertised by large employers, they actually make up only a small proportion of graduate jobs.You will also find there is more flexibility on when to apply for graduate jobs; opportunities will tend to be advertised throughout the year, recruitment will often take place closer to the time of hire so you might find the overall process less pressured and appreciate more time to prepare. Read
- Institute of Student Employers: Apprenticeships rise as graduate vacancies drop 8% (Student Recruitment Survey 2025 launch, 15 October 2025) Go back two decades to 2002/3, and employers received an average of 38 applications per graduate vacancy. By 2022/3 that figure had more than doubled to 86 per vacancy and for the last two years has been at 140 per vacancy. Competition for roles in retail, FMCG and tourism were the highest at 290 applications for every graduate role.Over the last year's student recruitment cycle, 2024 to 2025, it analyses data from 155 ISE employer members who recruited over 31,000 student hires from more than 1.8 million applications. Read
- Institute of Student Employers: 5 trends you need to know from ISE's Recruitment Survey 2025 (22 October 2025) Graduate hiring has fallen by 8% year-on-year, yet school and college leaver hiring increased by 8%. Read
- LSE Careers: Graduate job market Graduate schemes are competitive, and employers typically recruit up to one-year ahead, starting early in Autumn Term, and sometimes over the summer, so it’s important to check their deadlines and processes.You will also find there is more flexibility on when to apply for graduate jobs; opportunities will tend to be advertised throughout the year, recruitment will often take place closer to the time of hireInternships can vary from a few weeks to a year, and they are often used by large companies to identify candidates for permanent roles. Read
- LSE Careers: Looking ahead: careers and professional development (offer holder presentation, 4 June 2025) Recruitment Timeframes August to January Graduate schemes open, some fixed date, some rolling Formal internship schemes open including parliamentary internships October to April Assessments & offers Traineeship applications June to September Internships, grad schemes begin Smaller organisations in public and private sector hire throughout the year Read
- targetjobs: When to apply for graduate jobs Most employers offering formal graduate programmes open for applications in September/October, with a view to graduates starting work the following September/October. ... Applications for graduate schemes in investment banking often open in August and close as early as October.Many employers set application deadlines in November and December. ... Some employers do not set a deadline and keep their graduate programmes ‘open’ all year or have ‘ongoing recruitment’, but they still expect to receive most of their applications by Christmas.Those recruiters who set deadlines in November and December typically hold first-round interviews and assessments in January and February. Assessment centres are usually held in March and April and job offers made in April, May and June.By the spring and summer, typically only the less popular schemes in the less popular locations tend to still have vacancies; more popular programmes will have been filled. Read
- Deloitte UK: Early Careers Application We have lots of roles available within different business areas at Deloitte, with different opening and closing dates for applications, depending on the programmes and locations. However, we do close applications early when we get a very high volume of submissions, so we recommend applying as early as possible. Read
- Goldman Sachs: 2027 Summer Analyst Programme (EMEA) The Summer Analyst role is for candidates currently pursuing a Bachelors or Masters university degree and in their penultimate or final year of study. We review applications on a rolling basis and encourage you to apply as soon as you are ready. Read
- Barclays: 2027 Marketing Analyst Summer Internship Programme London The closing date for applications is 31 October 2026. Please note that this vacancy may close ahead of the advertised date due to application volumes, and we therefore recommend submitting your application as early as possible. ... To be considered for this opportunity, you must be in your penultimate year of university. You must be graduating in 2028. ... Please also note that, during your summer internship, you will be considered for a place on our 2028 graduate programme. Read
- University of Manchester Careers Service: Step 1: Creating your CV The 2 page reverse chronological CV is the most common style of CV for the UK and is suitable for most situations. Read
- University of Oxford Careers Service: CVs Some employers (e.g. investment banks) expect just one page, so check beforehand Read
- Prospects (Jisc): How to write a CV Your date of birth is irrelevant and unless you're applying for an acting or modelling job you don't need to include a photograph. Read
- University of Manchester Careers Service: Talking to employers about your visa Include your visa status on your CV. You can typically add this information to the heading or your contact details section. Mention the type of visa you hold (or are eligible to apply for), its expiration date, and any relevant work restrictions if applicable. Read
- University of Warwick Careers: Job applications (international students) Answer responsibly: It’s your duty to respond truthfully and adapt responses to match your personal situation.The questions are asked by employers to ascertain whether they will need to sponsor you, how many hours or for how long you will be able to work with them without requiring sponsorship. Read
- KPMG UK: Application process (graduate) After submitting your application, you will be automatically invited to complete two online assessments. ... If you are successful at Stage 2, you may be invited to our Video Interview. ... If you are successful at Stage 3, you will be invited to attend the final stage of the recruitment process: Launch Pad, an in-person, half day event.The dates of our Launch Pad events can be found below: Tuesday 17th November 2026: London Oval ... Wednesday 5th May 2027: Leeds New Dock Hall ... If successful you will have your job offer within 2 working days! Read
- PwC UK: Assessment and selection process (Early Careers) The next stage of our assessment and selection process is an on-demand video interview which will be conducted virtually via the SHL platform. You’ll be presented with a series of questions on the screen and asked to describe your experience. Instead of having an interviewer, your answers will be recorded and reviewed afterwards by one of our assessors.provide us with details on the type of visa you require if you require visa sponsorship Read
- Prospects (Jisc): Assessment centres Hosted over anything from an afternoon to two days, assessment centres are often the final stage of the selection process for large graduate recruiters. ... You will work both individually and as part of a group on a variety of exercises, including: case studies, group discussions, in-tray exercises, presentations, psychometric tests, role play, social events, written tests. Read
- University of Glasgow Careers: The STAR technique The STAR technique is a way to structure your answers to competency based questions in either an interview or an application form. This is when an employer asks you to demonstrate a particular skill by providing an example from your previous experience.This should make up the main body of your response and remember if you are discussing working in the team don’t overuse “we” they want to know what you did. Read
- Aberdeen Group: Careers contacts and FAQs Most of our graduate programme places will be filled by people who have successfully completed a Summer Internship with us, however, be sure to check whether we have opportunities available as we may well have vacancies to fill. Read
- LSE Department of Finance: Careers advice (MSc Finance and Economics offer holders) Prepare early: most schemes open as early as August and close in October or November (your course begins in early September). Read
- Lancaster University Management School Careers: Investment banking spring weeks They generally take place during the Easter break in your first spring term. They, therefore, require applications in September and October in your first year at university! Note: Only first-year students can apply unless you are on a four-year course, where second-year students can also apply. ... Some schemes will open in July and August! Read
- University of York Careers and Placements: Recruitment time frames September to December: The peak time to apply for graduate schemes. ... December to February: Initial sifting of applications by online tests, video or phone interviews. Some schemes are still open. Some operate a rolling recruitment process, assessing applications in batches. It is best to apply as soon as possible as they may close when they have enough good applicantsMay to June: Some schemes may re-open if they have unfilled vacancies. ... Schemes with the "Big Four" professional services companies are likely to close by December/January Read
- University of Manchester Careers Service: CVs for international students You will need to explain your education and grades if you did not do your pre-university education in the UK. What is it equvalent to in the UK educational system? Read
- Google: Software Engineering, Site Reliability Engineering BS/MS Intern, 2027 (London) Please complete your application before 23rd October 2026. We encourage you to apply as early as possible as we review applications on a rolling basis. ... Currently enrolled in your penultimate/final year of education. Read
- Deloitte UK: Early Careers Assessment If you're applying for a Graduate, Entry Level Apprentice, Industrial Placement or BrightStart Apprentice role, your final stage assessment will take place in person at the Deloitte office linked to your application. ... The Final Stage Assessment is split into two exercises*: A discussion about your topic preparation with one of our assessors. ... A skills and motivation interview where we’ll ask some questions to learn more about your alignment with the capabilities we look for at Deloitte. Read
- Softwire: Graduate Consultant Software Engineer 2027 Entry-level developers may join at various points throughout the year, please see our open role pages for details. ... Start dates: We are anticipating intakes in March, June, September and November 2027. Read
- HireVue: FAQ for candidates In a video-based assessment, you’ll be presented with a question, either written or in video form, and be given several minutes to respond to each question. Most video-based assessments include between five and eight questions. Read
- HireVue: Interview tips Most on-demand interviews ask you to give your answer in just a few minutes. It’s helpful to think about how you will illustrate your skills clearly in that timeframe, and to practice them out loud. You’ll even have the opportunity to do a practice question. Read
- Cambridge Consultants (advert on Gradcracker): Graduate Software Engineer (2027 start) There is no deadline for this role, as we recruit on a rolling basis. Once the position is filled, we will close the advert. ... Successful candidates can join us between May to October 2027. Read
- Linklaters: Vacation Schemes Our Spring and Summer Vacation Schemes are the best route to securing a Training Contract with us. ... Final Training Contract interview: At the end of the scheme, you’ll have a guaranteed interview for a Training Contract with a Partner and Managing Associate. ... Closing Date 03/12/2026 Read
- Piper Sandler: Spring weeks and insight programmes For those that are successful on the Spring Week programme, you may receive an offer to be fast-tracked for a 2028 summer internship. Applicants should be either in the first year of a three-year degree or the second year of a four-year degree, graduating in 2029. ... Applications open from midday on Tuesday 1 December 2026. ... The confirmed dates for Spring Week are April 2027. Read
- LSE Department of Finance: Summer internship applications (summer 2027) They are paid positions, and in many cases can lead to an offer of a full-time position by the employer. These are offered by most investment banks, strategy consulting firms, and other financial and tech institutions. The application process is similar to that for full time positions, although deadlines are usually later in the autumn or January Read
- University of Warwick: Degree results Postgraduate Taught Students (awards only), Friday 26th June 2026 ... Undergraduate Finalist students, Thursday 9th July 2026 Read
- University of Kent: Degree results Exam results for finalists and Year In students will be published throughout the day on KentVision, Monday 20 July. Read
- White & Case: Law vacation scheme applications We recruit the majority of our London trainees (on average 80 percent) from our vacation schemes, with up to 25 participants in each intake. ... Spring vacation scheme 5 to 16 April 2027 Who can apply? penultimate-year and final-year law students, final-year non-law students, and graduates from any discipline. When can I apply 24 September 2026 to 6 December 2026 Summer vacation scheme 28 June to 9 July 2027 Read
- Greenberg Traurig: Training contract applications (direct) Apply: September to November 2026 ... Applications for our 2029 training contract are now open. To apply, please click here. Applications will close on Monday 30th November 2026 at 23:59. ... We do not run vacation schemes. Applications for our training contracts are direct only. Read
This page is about the UK job hunt and is not immigration advice. For your own situation, speak to a regulated immigration adviser or an immigration solicitor, and check the current rules on gov.uk.
Change log
- First published.
Read next
- Your UK job-hunt plan, dated Your job hunt, dated month by month from your course end
- When graduate schemes open for 2027When graduate schemes open for 2027 Opening and closing dates for 2027 entry, employer by employer
- ApplicationsThe UK CV format, for international students Two pages, no photograph: an annotated example and a template
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Pictures on this page
- The Cloisters, University of Glasgow Photograph: Atreides83, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped
- Queen Square, Bristol, plane trees in spring sun Photograph: Colin Park, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0, cropped
