Differentiate before graduating: pick one industrial-engineering specialisation with shortage dynamics (production optimisation, supply-chain analytics) and make the thesis plus student projects point at it.

Move the network signal off zero — secure two named references from supervisors and build a visible professional profile; 'invisible with nobody to vouch' is the single cheapest fix on this card.

Target the graduate programme of a top-decile industrial employer rather than staying by default — first-employer quality compounds for a decade and is the biggest controllable variable at this stage.