In a competitive job market, knowing what employers truly value can make all the difference. To help students and early-career professionals gain clarity and confidence in their applications, Adam Tomkinson sat down with Brian Sinclair, Early Careers Talent Acquisition Manager at a global insurance business.

With more than 18 years of recruitment experience across multiple industries and regions, Brian brings an unbiased, insider perspective on how to stand out in the hiring process.

This webinar offered practical, no-nonsense advice on writing stronger applications, presenting yourself authentically, and navigating the job market with purpose. Below, we break down the essential lessons Brian shared.

Understand Yourself and Your Goals

Before rushing into job applications or rewriting your CV, Brian emphasised the importance of self-awareness. Understanding yourself sets the foundation for everything that follows.

Ask yourself:

  • What are your natural strengths – detail focus, problem-solving, people skills?
  • What environments do you thrive in, and why?
  • What kind of company culture will suit you?

Clarity about these things helps you target roles that genuinely fit – not just ones that look impressive on paper. It’s also one of the easiest ways to differentiate yourself in interviews and applications as these questions will naturally come up. If you are already aligned with the why – it is much easier to communicate with clarity.

Tailoring Your Application – What Employers Want to See

A standout application is one that feels relevant and intentional. Your CV should tell a consistent, credible story about who you are.

Brian recommends:

  • Matching your CV and cover letter to the job description
  • Reflecting the organisation’s own language and values (looking at their mission statement or about us page can do wonders). For example, if they say “client-centric”, don’t write “customer-focused”.
  • Highlighting the skills that matter most to the role, and provide examples
  • Show a clear thread: your academics, experience, societies, and interests should point in the same general direction. Employers look for patterns: “Does this person know what they want?”

AI tools can support this process, but only when used responsibly. They can help you polish your writing and structure your CV, but they shouldn’t invent experience or use language you can’t confidently explain in an interview.

Tailoring Your Application – What Employers Do Not Want to See

Lack of focus or constant job-hopping

If your experience looks scattered, show that there is context:

  • You needed a part-time job
  • It was seasonal
  • It was stepping-stone experience

What employers don’t want is someone who looks unsure of their path and likely to leave quickly.

Arrogance or poor attitudes

  • You can teach skills – you cannot teach attitude.

If you’ve picked up bad habits in previous workplaces (e.g., poor communication, lack of collaboration), fix them before applying.

The Core of Every Application: The What, The How, and The Why

Brian highlighted three things every employer looks for:

The What – Your Skills and Knowledge

  • Can you actually do the job?

This includes your academic background, technical skills, and experience.

The How – Your Behaviours and Working Style

  • How do you operate?
  • Do you collaborate effectively?
  • Are you analytical, creative, calm under pressure?

Many early-career roles aren’t about being the finished product – it’s about showing your potential and how you work.

The Why – Your Motivation

This is often the make-or-break factor in interviews.

  • Why this company?
  • Why this role?
  • What have you learned from your research?

If you can’t answer this convincingly, employers may assume you just want any job, but not their job.

How to Present a Mix of Work Experience

Many students worry that working across unrelated industries looks unfocused.

Brian’s advice:

It’s fine – if you explain the story

If your experience looks varied, tell employers:

  • Why you took each job
  • What transferable skills you gained
  • What the thread is connecting them

Skills like communication, teamwork, problem-solving and customer interaction apply across almost every industry.

Use simple, non-technical language

  • Avoid jargon from part-time roles.
  • Translate everything into clear, everyday business language.

How International Students Can Stand Out

One of the most common questions during the webinar came from international students wanting to know: how do we differentiate ourselves?

Brian was clear: many international students undersell themselves.

Your life experience is an advantage

Moving countries – new culture, new systems, new language – requires:

  • Resilience
  • Adaptability
  • Independence
  • Problem-solving
  • Cross-cultural communication

These are extremely valuable workplace skills. Highlight them. Don’t bury them.

Speak about the transition

Employers want to know:

  • How you adapted
  • What challenges you overcame
  • What skills you gained
  • What perspective you bring

Don’t forget your languages

In many UK companies, language skills are a huge asset – especially in global teams. Many employees would love to have an employee with the ability to communicate across cross-cultural teams.

Network Strategically on LinkedIn

Networking doesn’t mean asking strangers for favours, it means seeking insight.

Students often message recruiters directly, but Brian emphasised that recruiters are not the decision-makers.

Instead, reach out to people doing the jobs you want.

Brian suggests connecting with:

  • People already working in the roles you’re interested in
  • Those who share your academic background
  • Individuals within your target companies

The right way to message someone

  • Don’t ask for a favour (“Can you read my CV?”).
  • Instead, say:

“Your role sounds really interesting. Would you be open to a 5-minute chat about what you do and what skills are important in your team?”

Ask for short conversations about their day-to-day work, the skills that matter, and what they wish they’d known when they started. This low-pressure approach helps you learn, build relationships, and get noticed naturally.

If you speak to a couple of people, you will learn industry language, understand real job expectations and improve how you describe yourself in a low stakes environment.

To Sum Up: Show Direction, Show Motivation, Show Yourself

Throughout the session, Brian highlighted a theme that resonates across industries: authenticity wins. The strongest candidates are those who truly understand why they want the role, can articulate their strengths clearly, and take the time to tailor each application.

Brian emphasised that the most impressive candidates – international or UK-based – are those who:

  • Demonstrate self-awareness
  • Make thoughtful career choices
  • Show clear motivation for a role
  • Reflect on their experiences
  • Communicate honestly and confidently

The UK job market is competitive, but with a strong understanding of who you are and what employers value, you’ll be far better equipped to navigate it successfully.

Here at Global Career Advantage, we have a range of highly tailored services that can help you get into your next role efficiently, quickly and stress free. Reach out to us to discuss our CV review and writing service, or how we can assist you with your interview preparations.