‘The less generic the better’: job seekers share tips that landed their first roles

Theresa Blair, 24, from Birmingham, spent eight months sending off hundreds of job applications after graduating from Aston University in 2025 with a pharmacy masters. She rarely heard back. ‘I realised I was sending very generic CVs to recruiters and that was making it harder to stand out from other applicants,’ she says. She began tailoring her CV for each job, reading into each company’s values and referencing them in her applications. ‘I’ve learnt that you should state the skills you’ve gained because of doing certain roles and explain how that makes you a suitable candidate,’ she says. She applied for fewer jobs but spent more time on each one. ‘The less generic the better,’ she says. She got a job working full time in a bank customer service call centre, and now works as a project manager commuting three days a week to London. ‘It’s two to three hour commute which can be difficult but I’m gaining valuable experience at a reputable company, so I’m incredibly happy,’ she says. Her advice to others: ‘As hard as it is, keep applying. The job market isn’t easy right now but believe the work you’ve put in will be seen by employers.’ Callum Stevens, 24, from Curry Rivel in Somerset, studied computer science at the University of the West of England (UWE) and developed an interest in transport. He reached out on LinkedIn to someone doing a transport planning internship at Bristol City Council. When the internship came up again, he applied and was successful, despite having no previous experience in transport planning. He believes he got the role because he demonstrated he ‘was interested and passionate to learn’. The internship is full-time, pays minimum wage, and ends in August. There may be an opportunity to extend it, but for now he is beginning the search for a full-time job. ‘While it’s not permanent, the experience has been invaluable,’ he says. ‘It’s as powerful as my university degree.’ His advice: don’t ‘underestimate how useful it is to do an internship just because it’s temporary’.