Why hire you over other graduates, relocation and bonds, a first salary with nothing to anchor on, and explaining gaps.
5 questions in Early Careers, Internships & Graduate Hiring.
Explain a gap year or repeated year in three sentences: what happened, what you did or changed, and the evidence that it is behind you. Keep it brief and honest, match your transcripts, and stop. Over-justifying an education gap is what turns an ordinary fact into a concern.
A graduate's career goals answer should describe a learning path, not a title: what you want to be competent at after the first year, what you want to own by year three, and which direction you have not decided yet and how you will decide. Honest uncertainty scores better than a promotion timetable.
Do not compare yourself to people you have never met. Pick two or three things the role needs, give one piece of evidence for each from your projects, work or study, and end with why this role fits you. Evidence the panel can check beats adjectives every other graduate also uses.
Anchor on market data for the role and city, not on a past salary you do not have. First check whether the offer is a fixed graduate rate or a band. A fixed rate rarely moves, so ask about start date, location or relocation help. A band can move with one polite, evidence-based ask.
Give a conditional yes where you mean it, ask for the specifics before you commit, and say no now to anything you cannot do. For a service agreement, ask for the duration, the repayment amount and what triggers it, and read the contract before signing. A yes you later retract costs more than an honest no.