Five mistakes UK graduates make when applying for jobs in Dubai, Singapore and Sydney

Every year, a large number of highly qualified UK graduates apply for roles in Dubai, Singapore and Sydney and don't get past the first round. The frustrating truth is that the reasons are almost always the same, and almost always avoidable.

These are not failures of qualification or intelligence. They are failures of preparation, framing, and understanding of what international hiring actually looks like. Here are the five we see most often.

Mistake 1: treating an international application like a domestic one with a different location

The most common and most damaging mistake. A cover letter written for Goldman Sachs London, lightly edited to say "Dubai" instead of "London," tells an interviewer immediately that the candidate has not thought seriously about the move.

International applications require international context. That means:

• A cover letter that demonstrates genuine knowledge of the target market, not just the firm
• Understanding why the Dubai/Singapore/Sydney office of a firm is different from its London equivalent
• A CV formatted to local expectations (see below, as international CVs differ from UK graduate CVs)
• A motivation story specific to the city and region, not generic "international experience" language

A good test: could your cover letter have been submitted to the London office with the city name changed? If yes, it is not good enough for an international application.