How to escape post-graduate unemployment

You’ve graduated from University with a respectable degree, and you’re celebrating by spending the last of you student loan on a few own-brand supermarket ciders. ‘Here’s to freedom!’ you slur, imagining how this will all change when you start your 9-5 grad job... But it doesn’t happen. You’re thrown into reality by the harsh competition of the job market, and you feel so low. One graduate says ‘I’ve graduated with a 2:1 and don’t feel any better off! Friends who didn’t go to university are earning way more than me with a ton of experience. I just have debt.’

Of course this isn’t true of every graduate, and in no way am I against university (I am a recent graduate myself!) but I know a lot of people who can not find work related to their degree, or can not find work at all. Here’s what you should do to ensure maximum potential in your search..

Polish up that CV

The first thing you should do is take a look at your CV, and update where necessary. University can gain you a whole host of transferable skills:

-          Working in a team. No doubt you will have had a few group projects during your course, and so you’ll have knowledge of having to distribute work between members, sharing responsibilities, and communicating effectively.

-          Keeping to deadlines is something you should be very familiar with. Universities usually have harsh penalties for late work!

-          You will have gained valuable research and analysis skills whilst writing essays (in particular your dissertation!)

-          Subject specific skills and specialist knowledge of the field.

Take advantage

Most universities offer careers guidance and other useful services, so be sure to make the most of these whilst you can! You could be introduced to people valuable in the future, attend careers fairs, and receive CV writing help and interview tips. You can also use this time to ask your tutors if they would be happy to provide a reference for you if you’re lacking work experience.

Up your experience

Hopefully you’ll have gained some work experience whilst at University, but if not there’s still time! Whilst searching for a job, try volunteering part-time. There are a variety of roles you can gain experience in, and by doing this you’re showing an employer that you’re not the type of person who can just sit around and wait for things to happen! There are hundreds of opportunities on http://www.do-it.org.uk/ .  There are always opportunities with Essential, too (meaning you can make a bit of cash whilst you get your experience!) Contact a branch.

Network like crazy

Sometimes finding work can be a case of who you know, rather than what you know. If you have a LinkedIn account, add everyone you know. Everyone you’ve worked with, everyone you’ve been to school with, family and friends. Join groups related to work you’re interested in as these often feature job vacancies  in the industry. However, if you don’t have a LinkedIn... get one!

Mid Life career crisis? How to change things up.

 

If you've spent the last 20 years plodding along in a career that never felt 100% right then you're probably wondering if this is how you'll spend the next 20. No one wants to feel as though they're stuck in an inescapable loop, but chances are you've already accepted it.

So what can you do in this situation?

- Dig out your CV, or write one if you don't have one. Take a look at your strengths, skills and experiences - could you apply these elsewhere? Do you have transferable skills? 

Really think about what you'd like to do, and then mold your CV around this - highlight applicable skills and talk more in-depth about related experiences.

- Search for jobs, upload you CV to job boards and sign up to agencies. Grasp any opportunity you can if it means getting your foot in the door of a job you would be passionate about.

Try these job boards:

www.easymatcher.com

www.reed.co.uk

www.indeed.co.uk

www.monster.co.uk

www.careerbuilder.co.uk

There are so many more, easily discoverable by typing ' Upload CV' into your search engine.

- Network like crazy. Get yourself a LinkedIn profile if you don't already have one, and find all your past colleagues. Assuming you've worked with a fair amount of people in your time, you should be able to build a fairly substantial network. From this, advertise yourself. Let people know you're available, and try to get yourself in the social circles of those who work for companies which interest you. Many recruiters use LinkedIn to headhunt, so make yourself availble.

If you're living in South Yorkshire or the Midlands, why not give us a call. We're always looking for enthusiastic, work-ready candidates so find a branch near you.

Is the jobcentre failing Britain, or are we failing ourselves?

 

At least 430,000 individuals have been claiming Job seekers allowance for 12 months or more, according to the Telegraph. 

The Job centre is being blamed for focussing too much on statistics over who they're removing from the benefits system rather than who they're getting in to work. Working in this way of course will mean that the quality of work provided through the centre will not be of utmost importance. The BBC report that 'Key criticisms include not helping to update CVs and concentrating on getting people any job instead of the right one.'

One candidate working through Essential commented 'I was made to apply for around 40 jobs a fortnight. When I complained that there were not 40 new jobs available each fortnight which corresponded to my experiences and qualifications, my money was stopped. When I did get an interview, the times clashed with my fortnightly sign on - I rang to ask to reschedule due to a job interview, and was declined. I decided to ditch the job centre, go to the interview and got the job.' 

This example shows that the interests of the job centre workers clearly were not in this candidate securing work, rather that their procedures were carried out as planned. The candidate noted that 'I was treated the same as those who can't be bothered to work, even though I'm trying'. Many believe that the centre is not doing enough to engage with businesses or to cater for individual needs of job seekers - something definitely backed up by our candidate feedback.

Let us know about your experiences with the Job Centre, good or bad by commenting below! And if you want to work through an agency that really cares about your needs, find your local Essential branch here. 

Sources: Telegraph, BBC