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Why cant i find a job !

Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
This is getting to me now, I left university 2 months ago, and I still cant get a job. All my friends left uni and walked into jobs. Im thinking there must be something wrong with me :banghead:

Has anybody else had to wait before getting a job since leaving uni. I must have applied for around 200 jobs but apart from 1 interview I haven’t heard anything (not even a rejection letter)

The stress of not being able to get a job is really putting me under pressure. Im living back with the parents which is a nightmare and I need to move out soon! Also I have a 10k loan which I took out at university and have to pay this back, unfortunately Im the only person that knows about this loan.

Who ever said education is the key to success ? :no:

:thumb:

Comments

  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Where have you looked? Is the field you want to work in popular?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Have you signed up to any agencies??

    OK so temp work is a bit crap but i know at least one person who temping work lead to a much better job - one ended up workign for a bank and living in switzerland for 5 years and earning loads of money so its not all bad.

    But also most people i know took around 6months to 2 years to find a proper job after uni so I wouldnt' give up hope just yet!
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I'm trying to get into public affairs/ public relations.

    I have signed up for so many agencies I have lost count. I just need any job so I can get away from home and take my life off pause.

    I wish i had never took a loan out, otherwise I could have went traveling or camp america.

    :D
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Lots of my friends are still job hunting, having finished university in June as well.

    For PR you generally need lots of work experience and may find you need to do some unpaid work to get started.
  • littlemissylittlemissy Posts: 9,972 Supreme Poster
    I finished university in June and didn't walk into a job. A lot of my friends were in similar boats. I have since signed up with a supply agency and am getting a bit of work through them.

    I feel that the key to getting places with agencies is to keep on at them. They see people every day and sign people up all the time that they forget who is who and files can easily get forgotten. Phone up the agencies, ask how your application process is going, ask if there is any work coming up etc etc. Do it weekly so that they can't fob you off and eventually will get fed up of you asking that they will eventually find something.

    In the meantime, if money is tight then do something a bit mundane like stacking shelves for a bit but keep on looking and harrassing and phoning and applying.

    It sucks big eggs but you will get somewhere. This is what I keep telling myself ...
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    My boyfriend finished a degree in computer science 2 years ago and still cannot get a job. He's carried on doing his part time job in a supermarket to pay the bills. He really wants to get into IT but nobody will give him the time of day cos he has no work experience...despite the qualification that has got him £16,000 of debt....:mad:
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I finished my PGCE (teaching post grad) in July. It felt like all my friends just walked into the first job they went for. I was turned down at 6 interviews. I went on job seekers and slumped into a depression. It was an incredibly nbad period of my life. I couldn't understand why i was always second for the jobs. I'm a good teacher, i'm highly qualified and i'm quite confident in interviews, yet nothing came my way. I was poor and miserable! Then the other week i had a phone call from a school i was interviewed at. They had a new position and remembered me! It's only part time, but i'm teaching year 2 and with the other half a week i'll be working for an agency.

    I believe everything happens for a reason. I honestly think that if i'd walked into a job, like all my friends i wouldn't appreciate it as much as i do this one. sometimes in life it's necessary to go through tough times so that we can learn to appreciate the good times! Hold in there! Make the very best impression you can at interviews and if you get rejected ask for feedback and thank them. They may just remember you when a new position opens up!
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Come to Iceland! Our unemployment rate is pretty much less than zero! I want more days off but can't because the place I work at is understaffed. Same with ton of other companies.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I've only finally got a permemant job and i've been lookign since last summer. until this job i hadn't even got an interview, so just keep at it and do temp work to help start clearing debt , sign up to agencies and ring up regularly asking about work.
  • **helen****helen** Deactivated Posts: 9,235 Supreme Poster
    Hi Lost Soul,
    I'm sorry to hear you haven't had much luck on the job front since leaving uni. It's worth bearing in mind that it's not unusual for graduates to be looking for a job that they consider 'career' orientated for at least six months. But please don't let this dis-hearten you too much. It's the perseverence that will make a difference and having a degree, although you might feel isn't much, will actually boost your chances. It didn't take me too long to realise that The first 'proper job' I had in media, other than volunary work/placements, could be done by someone who didn't have a degree. However, my employer openly admitted that he wouldn't have employed someone who didn't have a degree as the competition is so fierce - it was the same across the company.

    Are you doing any kind of work at all? It's a really good idea to at least do some part-time work just to get a bit of money and potentially meet some new people to boost your social life since returning home. While doing part-time work you could think about volunteering/work experience to boost your PR related skills - this is what will differentiate you between the other hundreds of candidates who will be applying for jobs in the PR field.

    You may also want to consider the following information from the Prospects website:
    Potential candidates will need to show evidence of the following:

    good communication, interpersonal and business writing skills;
    drive, competence and a willingness to learn;
    project management, time management and the ability to multi-task effectively;
    creativity, initiative, an enquiring and analytical mind, and an ongoing interest in current affairs;
    persuasiveness, resilience and confidence;
    technical knowledge and experience, particularly if you are considering entry into a specialist area of PR (a biochemist, for example, might join a company or consultancy specialising in healthcare products).
    Some of the larger consultancies offer graduate training schemes in PR. All will be highly competitive. See the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) website for details.

    Joining a consultancy or in-house PR department in a junior role, such as publicity assistant or information officer, might be a good starting point; since many PR departments and consultancies are small and not rigidly structured, there are likely to be many opportunities for junior staff, who demonstrate the right mix of ability and commitment, to develop their career from this level. Entry as a secretary or administrator has also been known to lead to professional opportunities.

    Volunteering is a useful way of gaining experience, as is getting involved in organising university events and writing for university newspapers - keep a record of anything you have organised or written.

    With the competition that exists for jobs in this field, it is essential to look beyond the surface (the glamorous image) to discover the pressures as well as the satisfactions of a career in PR, and decide whether you are suited to this career.
    (from here)

    This info might help you update your CV, or try and make your job applications stand out from the rest. Also, sme companies take a lot longer to recruit than others and you might just get a call from a company that you've completely forgotten about.

    Obviously, I've no idea where you're from, but here's an example of the kinds of PR volunteering opportunities that are out there. You're bound to find others by doing a search on do-it.org.uk.

    You may also find some of the articles on TheSite's graduate section helpful.

    All the best :)
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Humpth

    Hey All,

    I sympathise with Lost Soul, I graduated in June/July with a good degree and I don't have a job. July felt pretty awful, I didn't know what to do, I didn't know how to fill in application forms, I didn't even know what I *could* do!

    I'm not thaaat much better off now, but I feel a lot better. I applied for a "graduate placement" with an organisation in Birmingham, it sounds fancy, but it's not in the slightest, basicly means "come work for free." However, I've been "work experiencing" for about 2 and a half months now, my confidence is higher, even though I still don't really know what to do. I have absolutely loads of new things to put on my cv/application forms and I'm no longer afraid of the work place...

    Doing work experience stops you going crazy in your room and is far more useful. Everyone at work thinks I'm a little crazy for working for free, but it's a tough world out there as we all know...

    I'm applying for jobs, I have decided vaguely where I want to work, which helps, my work experience has helped me to work this out. People at the office are really supportive and have been helping me with application forms.

    I think I will probably start temping soon to get some money in. In July, people turned me away as I had no experience, hopefully this time I will be more cocky and confident, oh and I actually have some experience... With any luck, I should be able to get *something*.

    I think we do just have to remember that it takes time, we've just got to make sure that we use time usefully and don't spiral into depression, so many other people are going through it.

    OK, sorry, I went on, I hope this is helpful to whoever reads it.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Cheers for the advice folks. I would love to do some voultary work as I know this would boost my confidence and help me in so many ways.

    But whilst at university to survive financially I ended up taking a huge loan out. Now I have to make the repayments every month. So I need to get a job and earning a good wage just to pay this f!ck*ng loan off !

    If anybody is reading this for advice: Dont get a credit card - there the root of all evil :) Seriously thought think carefully first or you will get burned later.

    Cheers for the help and the positive stories people.

    :thumb:
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    my brother graduated about 3 years ago now and still hasnt got a job within the line of work his degree was to do with! he got a crappy temping job, and has moved up the ranks now in a top job!! so it can take you places and you can get noticed :)
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