Graduate job search playbook — a 12-week hunt that scales
Treat your search like a project: targets, weekly output, and feedback loops — not endless scrolling.
Job hunting is a numbers game only if the numbers measure quality touches, not random applies.
Graduate searches fail when they are reactive: upload one CV, apply broadly, wait, panic, repeat. A playbook sets weekly inputs (roles researched, conversations, tailored applications) and outputs (interviews, offers) so you can adjust tactics instead of mood.
Twelve weeks is a realistic horizon for many grad cycles — long enough for networking to compound, short enough to keep urgency.
Weeks 1–2: foundation
Finalise a one-page master resume and LinkedIn that match. Upload to DocuResume, fix first-upload feedback, and list ten target employers (mix of dream, realistic, and safety). Define two lanes (e.g. data analyst vs data engineer) so tailoring stays focused.
Set a match-score floor — only deep-tailor roles above it unless you have a warm referral.
Weeks 3–8: volume with quality
Weekly quota: three tailored applications, five saved roles, one informational conversation or alumni message. Monday: pick roles from the matched feed. Mid-week: tailor top match, export PDF, autofill, mark applied in pipeline.
Track every stage. When silence hits week four, change one variable — summary headline, project order, or employer tier — instead of rewriting everything.
Weeks 9–12: interviews and offers
Shift time from applications to prep: behavioural stories, company research, questions for interviewers. Use the same profile bullets you submitted — interviewers will probe them.
Compare offers on role, learning, commute, and pay transparency — not logo alone. Record outcomes in your pipeline for the next search cycle.