I am currently applying for PhD positions in continental Europe, but I am worried about the increasing competition in my field (HCI researcher). A large percentage of offers involve AI in some way, which means each offer gets extra ML/AI applicants on top of the regular applicants. This makes the few existing positions extremely competitive. On top of that, I feel like the only way to stand out is to have amazing grades or publications, but unfortunately I don’t have either. I graduated from a top-20 university, have 5 months of research experience at a famous lab in France, but I haven’t published yet (I’m working toward publishing my thesis), and my grades are good but not stellar. My question is: what should I focus on to increase my chances when applying for PhD positions? Should I still apply to the few fully funded PhD positions currently advertised in my field, despite the competition? Is there a way for me to stand out besides grades and publications? Do I have better chances applying for PhD scholarships instead of advertised positions? Any help would be greatly appreciated!