About OffLadder · 6 min read
I just graduated and don't know what to apply for. Can OffLadder help?
Try a few jobs before you apply for any. OffLadder gives graduates jobs worth trying, a piece of the real work, and open roles once one holds up.
The short answer
Yes. Instead of applying widely and hoping, try a few kinds of job first. OffLadder starts with an honest read of you; add a CV or portfolio link and it also names jobs worth trying. With a free account, Laddie lines up a small piece of the real work for each, so you apply to jobs you've already had a go at. Once one holds up, it shows open roles and helps with your CV.
Key takeaways
- Applying to everything is slow and teaches you little; trying the work first narrows the list.
- Add a CV or portfolio link and your first read names jobs worth trying.
- Each job comes with 15 minutes of the real work, and an hour-long brief once you want a bigger test.
- Once a direction holds up, OffLadder CV shapes your CV for each post without adding anything.
- Your degree subject is one input, not a limit; most graduate jobs take any subject.
On this pageWhy try before you apply?
Why try before you apply?
Most graduates know a handful of job titles and apply to those. An hour of the real work tells you more than a job advert does, and it gives you something specific to say in a cover letter and an interview. That's evidence an employer can ask about.
How OffLadder works for graduates
- Answer four quick questions, starting with where you are now. Add a CV or portfolio link if you have one.
- See Laddie's first read of you. With a CV or link, it names two jobs worth trying.
- With a free account, mark each job and Laddie lines up a piece of the work to try.
- For the one that holds up, take an hour on a realistic brief. One session a week is free.
- Then look at open roles, and shape your CV for each post with OffLadder CV.
What to do this week, with or without us
- Write three things from your degree or part-time work that you lost track of time doing.
- For each, find one job where people do that most days.
- Do a 15-minute version of one task from that job, and write two sentences about it.
- Message one person in that job and ask what a normal Tuesday looks like.
Questions people ask
- How many jobs should I apply for as a graduate?
- Fewer, better-aimed applications usually beat a high count. Pick one or two kinds of job you've tested, and tailor each application to the post. If you're applying to more than ten a week and hearing nothing, change the target or the CV before you change the number.
- What if I don't have a CV yet?
- You can start without one. Your first read is built from four quick answers. When you're ready, a graduate CV built around projects, part-time work and volunteering is enough to begin tailoring.
- Does it matter what I studied?
- Less than most graduates expect. Many graduate jobs accept any subject, and what you did during your degree, in projects, part-time work and societies, often says more. Some routes do require a subject or a professional qualification, so check the entry route before you rule yourself in or out.
- Does it cost anything?
- A free account includes your read and directions, every experiment, 5 Laddie messages a day and 3 CV tailorings a week. Membership, $9 a month or $79 a year, removes the limits, with a 7-day free trial first.
Exercises are practice, not evidence of career fit or a qualification. How to read our guides and report a correction.
Sources
- Pricing: free account, membership and the trial · OffLadder
- OffLadder CV: what it checks, tailors and fills · OffLadder
How this page is written
Sources support the factual background, not a guarantee that an exercise predicts career fit. Fictional practice material is labelled. Dates record content updates; no independent expert review is implied. More about OffLadder.