How GBS helps you secure your first break

From CV clinics to mock interviews, GBS's Employability Team supports students and career changers at every stage. Learn how real students turned study into their first big break.

Getting a degree is one thing. Getting hired is another. According to the Institute of Student Employers' 2024 Student Recruitment Survey, UK employers received more than 1.2 million applications for just under 17,000 graduate vacancies, with the average employer seeing 140 applications per role. That is a 59% increase on the previous year and the highest number recorded since ISE began collecting data in 1991. 

If you are a recent graduate applying for your first role, a working adult looking to pivot from your current career, a parent re-entering the workforce or a career changer starting over in a new field, those numbers can feel like a wall. They do not have to be. What separates a strong application from one that gets lost is not always experience. It is preparation, presentation and knowing how to make your case. 

That is where Global Banking School (GBS) employability support comes in. The careers teams at GBS work directly with students throughout their studies to help them build the skills, confidence and professional profiles that employers are actually looking for. 

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Key takeaways

  • UK employers received over 1.2 million applications for fewer than 17,000 graduate roles in 2024.
  • GBS career support is available from day one of your studies, not just when you are about to graduate.
  • CV clinics, mock interviews and networking events are all included as part of studying at GBS.
  • Whether you are a career changer, a working parent or a recent school leaver, career support for students at GBS works around your schedule.
  • Real GBS students have used career support to land project manager roles, build start-ups and find industry connections they could not find alone.
  • An employment gap or a career change is not a barrier. It is something your careers officer at GBS can help you navigate with confidence.

Understanding the UK job market in 2026

Understanding the market you want to work in is the first step towards building a distinguished professional profile. In 2024, 87.6% of graduates in England were in employment, compared to just 68% of non-graduates, so a qualification genuinely matters. But a degree on its own will not carry you across the finish line.

Studies show that graduates take an average of 5.6 months to secure a role after finishing their studies. For mature learners, caregivers and career changers, the gap can stretch further without a clear plan in place. Most students are not held back by a lack of skills. They are held back by:

  • A CV that does not clearly communicate what they can do.
  • No practice with competency-based or structured interviews.
  • Limited professional networks in their target industry.
  • Uncertainty about how to position a career change or employment gap.

These are not fixed barriers. They are the gaps that career support for students is specifically designed to close.

What GBS employability support looks like

Career support for students at GBS is not a one-time resource. It is an ongoing service built into life as a GBS student, available from the day you enrol. Support includes:

  • CV workshops for GBS students: One-to-one sessions tailored to your counsellor to customise your CV for your sector. Tips on how to present your experience and skills in a language that lands with employers.
  • Mock interview preparation: Practising real formats, including competency-based questions, so nothing in the actual interview catches you off guard.
  • Networking events for students in the UK: Connecting you with employers and industry professionals at the right stage of your journey.
  • Job readiness: Sessions covering applications, professional presence and what employers genuinely look for beyond qualifications.
  • LinkedIn profile support: Brush up on the latest updates to polish your online presence and ensure it works for you, not against you.

The purpose of every session is to make you employer-ready before you graduate , not after.

Real student achievements

Real student achievements

Numbers tell one part of the story. People tell the rest. The GBS student community includes individuals from diverse professional backgrounds who successfully secured their first major breaks through consistent preparation .

Mircea Marian Sarb’s construction journey

Mircea Marian Sarb came to GBS with over two decades in the construction sector. He enrolled in our construction management programme with a specific goal: to move into a project manager role. His experience was real and substantial. But his CV was unable to communicate the idea to the right employers. He had never prepared for the kind of structured, competency-based interviews used by UK corporate employers.

He connected with GBS Careers Officer Shelley Hughes in November 2025. Together, they rebuilt his CV and LinkedIn profile to align with the construction industry's expectations. Shelley also prepared him for assessment centres and helped him articulate his project management track record in the format that hiring panels actually assess.

Mircea secured a project manager role with a reputable construction firm. His next goal is MCIOB (Chartered Institute of Building) accreditation, and he now has a plan to achieve it.

“Working with Shelley and the GBS careers team was a turning point in my academic and professional journey. Shelley didn't just help me fix my CV; she helped me find the confidence to showcase my true potential to employers. I started this journey with a dream and with her dedicated support, I am stepping into the construction industry with a solid career path ahead of me.” - Mircea Marian Sarb, a construction management student at GBS.

Mircea's story is a good example of the career support for students at GBS and how you can improve your employability skills .

Janos Bucur’s entrepreneurial journey

Not every student's first break means a job offer. For Janos Bucur, it meant building something from scratch.

One year into running a start-up travel agency, Janos was finding that entrepreneurship can be isolating. Ideas without feedback. Plans without a sounding board. Through the GBS Enterprise Hub, he began connecting with fellow GBS students: Artur Alechnowicz, who had been actively seeking an investment opportunity; Brittany Parkinson, whose specialism is Caribbean visa documentation; and Milan Kovac, who helps clients create personalised wall art experiences.

None of these connections happened by accident. They happened because Janos showed up, shared what he was building, and was open to what came back. The Enterprise Hub is designed for exactly that. Whether you are recording short content for social media, brainstorming with fellow entrepreneurs, or looking for a collaborator or co-founder, the Hub gives you a community inside GBS that pushes your ideas forward.

Student career services at GBS

GBS students are not a single type of person. Some are recent school leavers. Others are working full-time alongside their studies, raising children, returning to education after years away or navigating the UK job market as international students. The GBS student career services are built to work around real life, not the other way around.

If you are unsure which support is available online or how to access it around your commitments, contact us. Our team will walk you through it directly.

Your first break rarely comes in a single moment. It comes from a well-written CV, a confident interview, the right connections at the right time and the knowledge that you are genuinely prepared. GBS is set up to help you build all of them. Explore employability support at GBS to see the full range of services available and start your journey today.

FAQs about employability support to secure your first break

No. Employability support at GBS is available from the moment you enrol. Starting early will give you more time to build your CV, attend employability workshops and develop the professional profile that employers will be looking at when you graduate. 

Yes. Career changers are a significant part of the GBS student body, and the careers and employability team has specific experience helping students move into new industries. The focus is on identifying your transferable skills and presenting them in a way that makes sense to employers outside your previous field. 

Career and employment gaps are more common than most people think and employers are used to seeing them. Your careers officer can help you address any gaps in your CV and during interviews honestly and confidently, without them becoming a barrier.

The Enterprise Hub is a GBS space for students who are building businesses, freelancing or developing entrepreneurial projects alongside their studies. It offers workspace, community, peer connections and the kind of practical collaboration that can help early-stage ideas find real momentum.

No. All employability support, workshops, individual sessions and networking events are fully included as part of your studies at GBS. 

All our courses/classes are subject to availability.