Selecting graduate vacancies how selective should I be

On the one hand we have candidates taking a highly selective stance insisting that the chosen graduate vacancies meet strict criteria and refusing to entertain anything else, and on the other, those who will apply for anything! There are merits to both approaches, but in our experience as recruiters the factor that many candidates fail to account for is the impact of being 'on the shelf' in the eyes of a potential employer for any period of time.

It's human nature, if you see something for sale such as a house or a car for an extended period, one quickly begins to assume there's something wrong with it. It's logical assumption that over time people will have looked at such offerings, and if it's still for sale, they must have turned the opportunity down. Exactly the same principle applies in recruitment. In our sector, pharmaceuticals, we often see entire sales teams made redundant, say 60 people people at a time. We expect the really hot people to get snapped up with a few weeks. By month two a couple of good ones will be left after initial efforts have fallen through. By month 3, the assumption is that those remaining are the weakest.

The same principles should be considered when considering which graduate vacancies to apply for and how selective to be. When you graduate, you may have plans to sit back and relax for a while, or perhaps you've set your sites high on your dream job, even if it takes a long time to get it. But beware, the longer gap you leave form finishing your studies to gaining employment, you may be effective your ability to get on the ladder.

There are exceptions, for example those going travelling or with some other project delaying pursuing graduate vacancies, perhaps a project to renovate a house. The point here is that delays can be acceptable, but make sure you have a plausible and acceptable excuse. In most cases, my advice, and it is only my opinion, is to get some form of employment within a short time span. If it's not your ideal job, try and get something which will allow you to develop at least 'some' relevant skills towards it, while you look for it.

To provide an example, take graduate medical sales jobs. These can be highly competitive. Consider a graduate who leaves university and immediately accepts a tele sales role whilst continuing to look for medical sales roles. If this candidate finds a suitable vacancy after 3 months and applies alongside another who has refused to take a tele sales or other 'lesser' role, the candidate who has had the 3 months in tele sales is far more likely to get the medical sales role, all other things being equal.

In summary, if you want to be picky about the sort of graduate vacancies you will apply to, my advice would be to get 'a' job whilst you are looking. The more relevant your temporary job is to the one you would really like, the greater your chances of success.