Your career toolkit: CV, interview and networking tips from GBS experts

CV tips for students: What UK employers look for in your CV 

With the number of applications for a single role reaching hundreds and thousands, most UK employers no longer read every CV they receive. CVs are first reviewed by applicant tracking systems (ATS) and artificial intelligence (AI) based screening tools, particularly for entry-level and graduate roles. This means to build a strong CV: 

• • It must be understood by screening tools. 
  • It must convince a human reader that you are right for the role. 

How CVs are screened by AI tools 

Automated screening tools are designed to match CVs to role requirements. They do not assess potential or intent, only relevance. To pass this stage, your CV needs to: 

• • Use role-aligned keywords naturally so your experience matches the job description, such as job titles, skills and responsibilities, without copying it word-for-word. 
  • Follow a clear, standard structure, avoiding layouts that ATS tools struggle to read. Keep your headings simple, use chronological experience, and maintain a consistent formatting style. 
  • Avoid overly designed layouts, such as graphics, tables and complex formatting that prevent information from being read correctly by screening tools. 
  • State experience clearly as tools look for explicit evidence of skills and experience. Avoid hints or implied responsibilities as they are often missed. 

Passing this stage does not guarantee an interview, but failing it can mean your CV is never seen. 

How employers analyse CVs 

Once your CV reaches a recruiter or hiring manager, the focus shifts from matching to judgment. Employers want to quickly understand whether you fit the role and can contribute effectively. Typically, they look for: 

• • Clear relevance to the role: How your experience connects directly to what they hire for, especially for career changers. 
  • Evidence of impact: Outcomes, responsibility and decision-making skills instead of lengthy task lists. 
  • Transferable skills: Communication, problem-solving, teamwork and decision-making skills and how you apply them. 

As competition increases, this career toolkit for students can be the difference between being shortlisted and being overlooked. These practical CV tips for students, such as small changes in structure, wording and focus, can significantly improve outcomes. 

Interview tips: What to expect 

Once your CV has cleared initial screening, the interview stage begins. It is here that employers will test your skills. Interviews are typically structured. Interviewers want to understand how you think, how you work with others and how you approach real situations. The following interview tips will help you understand how interviews actually work and avoid common pitfalls.  

How interviews typically work 

Most interviews follow a clear but conversational structure. You may be speaking to a hiring manager, a recruiter or a small panel. You can usually expect: 

• • Competency-based questions: These focus on how you have handled situations in the past, such as managing pressure, resolving conflict or working in a team. 
  • Scenario or judgement-based questions: Employers may ask how you would respond to a situation to understand your reasoning. 
  • Follow-up questions: Interviewers often ask you to clarify or expand. Take this as a positive sign, not a challenge. 

What UK employers really assess 

In an interview, beyond technical knowledge, employers are listening to how you explain your thinking. They typically assess: 

• • Communication and clarity: Can you explain your experience clearly without overcomplicating it? 
  • Decision-making and judgement: Do you show awareness of context, responsibility and consequences? 
  • Self-awareness: Can you reflect on challenges honestly and explain what you learned? 
  • Professional confidence: Are you answering confidently and calmly without overselling or underselling? 

How to answer interview questions 

One of the most common challenges for candidates is finding the right balance. In interviews: 

• • Avoid exaggerated claims or dramatic language. 
  • Focus on what you did, why you did it and what changed as a result. 
  • Acknowledge collaboration rather than taking sole credit. 
  • Be specific, but concise. 

These techniques form a key part of interview preparation for graduates. Using simple structures, such as briefly outlining the situation, your action, and the outcome, will help you keep your answers focused and relevant. 

Networking tips: How it works in the UK 

Most people confuse networking with introducing yourself as a job seeker to a potential recruiter. It is about building familiarity over time rather than asking directly for opportunities. It is a quiet practice, where you form professional connections through shared spaces, conversations and follow-ups rather than formal pitches. Networking in the UK often happens in subtle ways. It might look like: 

• • Conversations before or after a class, workshop or event. 
  • Asking a colleague or tutor about their career path. 
  • Participating actively in group projects or discussions. 
  • Following up after a career or employer event. 
  • Staying in touch with someone you have already met in a professional setting. 

Networking is less about asking for opportunities and more about being remembered as engaged, curious and professional. 

How students and career changers can start networking 

You do not need an existing professional network to build connections. You can start with the spaces you already have access to. You can add the following networking tips to your career toolkit for students. It can help you build your own professional connections: 

• • Classes and group work: Show up prepared and contribute thoughtfully to form natural connections. 
  • Tutors and academic staff: Ask informed questions about industry or career routes. 
  • Careers and employer events: Start conversations to build a foundation without recruitment pressure. 
  • Peers and alumni: Become part of the professional circle around you by striking up conversations about the course, career pathways, mutual interests or hobbies. 

Remember, networking builds gradually. One conversation often leads to another. Adding these networking tips to your career toolkit for students will help you build long-term professional confidence. 

How to use online platforms for networking 

Platforms such as LinkedIn, Upwork, Discord and Slack are widely used to form professional connections. But they are only effective if you engage with others, not just focus on posting regularly. You can share your views on posts through comments and reactions. Remember to: 

• • Keep messages polite, specific and professional. 
  • Reference how you know the person or where you connected. 
  • Avoid immediately asking for roles or referrals. 
  • Treat online networking as an extension of real conversations. 

Preparing early for the UK job market in 2026 

With competition increasing and hiring processes becoming more selective, early preparation can help you reduce uncertainty and build momentum so that you are in control of your next step. 

Get your CV and documents ready 

Your CV should not be written only when you are ready to apply. It should be reviewed and improved over time. Early preparation will allow you to: 

• • Identify gaps in experience or clarity. 
  • Strengthen your ability to communicate transferable skills. 
  • Adapt your CV for different roles without rewriting it completely. 
  • Gather evidence and examples while they are still fresh. 

How GBS helps you build employability skills 

When students ask whether a course includes field trips, placements or practical activities, what they are really asking is whether it will help them perform better in CV screening, interviews and professional conversations on the job market. At Global Banking School (GBS), our career-focused programmes help improve employability for graduates from the first day of study. 

Learning you can use in CVs and interviews 

GBS courses focus on applied learning that reflects how work actually happens. Through case studies, group projects and presentations, students practise the skills they later need to explain clearly to employers, from decision-making and collaboration to communication and problem-solving. These experiences help you turn learning into examples you can confidently use on CVs and interviews. 

Practical experience that builds confidence 

Work placements, internships and volunteering are positioned as opportunities to apply learning and build confidence, not as guaranteed outcomes. They help you understand workplace expectations, practise professional communication and develop clear examples you can discuss in applications and interviews. The focus remains on what you learn and how you articulate it, not just where you worked. 

Career support to progress 

Alongside academic study, structured career support helps students refine CVs, prepare for interviews and practise networking. Employer events and initiatives such as the Employability Award support reflection, confidence-building and professional readiness, reinforcing the skills employers look for. 

In a competitive UK job market, the right career toolkit for students can help you present your skills clearly, perform confidently in interviews and build professional connections over time. By focusing on practical CV tips, realistic interview preparation and everyday networking strategies, this guide supports graduate career preparation at every stage. Whether you are entering the workforce, changing direction or preparing for future roles, you can move forward with purpose rather than pressure. 

Explore GBS courses to start your journey with career-focused learning.