Over the last two years there has been a 130 per cent increase in response to vacancies, with employers receiving an average of 120 applications for each job advertised, says recruitment site Studentgems.com.

Due to the rise in applications, the short-listing process has more than doubled, with an average of ten candidates being interviewed for each position.

Sue Harrison, co-founder of the site, says: ‘With jobs being lost across the UK, passing the interview process is becoming much more challenging; the candidate really must “wow” the employer in order to stand out against other applicants.

Of the 872 businesses surveyed, 61 per cent say they are more likely to hire an applicant based on relevant experience than qualifications.