What employers look for?
Employers are looking for evidence that shows you can deal with the responsibilities and challenges of the role. Don’t feel that you have to stick with providing evidence from paid employment. Examples from your education, work experience, community work, and extra-curricular activities can be just as good provided the skills, knowledge and experiences you are describing are applicable to the selection criteria.
It’s also very important to note that employers prioritise certain criteria. These are called ‘essential criteria’. Many employers will simply not consider you if you cannot answer all of the selection criteria which are considered “essential” to the role. With ‘desirable criteria’, it is not necessary for you to meet all of them, but your chances of being short-listed are better if you do. Where there are several applicants who meet the essential criteria for a position (which is often the case in graduate recruitment), the selection panel will short-list candidates for interview on the basis of how well they meet both the essential and desirable criteria.