Tom Hunt reminds us that, beyond the easy bubble of university life, it's a tough world out there.
So, it’s been years of hard partying, long hours spent procrastinating and the occasional bit of well-thought-out academic work. What comes next? Well, it all just stops and suddenly you’re a postgraduate, removed from the bubble of university life and one among many looking for a job, a career, or merely something to do.
For those leaving university this year, you may be wondering what exactly to expect. Bluntly put, it won’t be easy. A few weeks ago, the latest unemployment figures showed 2.67 million people out of work or full-time education, but this writer knows plenty of people on unpaid internships and part-time jobs of as little as six hours per week who are “employed” and thus not included in this number. Competition is, therefore, intense.
The route to your first full-time job is not a straight-forward one. There are internships, applications, assessments, interviews and screening checks to get through, contacts to be made, countless letters, e-mails and forms sent off and plenty of pressure needs to be applied at all times on employers. Only then can you avoid being completely ignored.
This includes part-time jobs, too. Recently, a part-time role offering a slim twenty hours a week at a well-known retailer at which the writer works saw over 100 applications. The majority held degrees and many were internal applicants, simply looking to increase their hours. When so little is available, your initial approach should be towards current or former employers, perhaps jobs held at university or even before. These businesses know you and familiarity makes you more employable. It is not uncommon to find a team of graduates working under a younger manager who opted not to go to university.
Once based in a role, however and with an income secured, no matter how modest, you can begin to concentrate on something more substantial. You will need an income in order to look for a job. Job hunting is, after all, an expensive business. When the call comes – and it will – a time and date will be set and you will be expected to meet it, wherever it may be. Usually, applicants are invited to an assessment day and only those who prove successful, to an interview at a later date. The more jobs you apply for, the more places you have to be which builds up to a lot of peak-time train tickets or petrol money. If possible, make use of friends or relatives living nearby, with whom you can spend the night before a big interview. As well as being cheaper, this also reduces the pressure on your shoulders, putting you in a better frame of mind on the day.
A large number of internships also process candidates in this way, at least formally. It is always worth asking the companies you want to work for whether they have any opportunities for interns. They are more likely to take an interest in you if you contact them first. Sometimes, you may be redirected but occasionally, they will find you an opening. Take it. There is no better way to make contacts in industries that suit you and even if no job is guaranteed at the end, if you impress you will have valuable new friends looking out for you.
Most importantly, however, prepare for an indefinite period of silence. Bear in mind that even people who graduated as far back as 2008 are still waiting, so do not expect a job straight out of your studies. Emails will be sent into the ether, letters will be left unanswered and applications will remain largely unresponsive. Keep going. Every now and again something will pop up and your CV will benefit. With so many people looking for work, it’s not surprising that employers can’t get back to every candidate. The best approach is to keep applying, never putting too much hope in any single application.
Ultimately, you will most likely have to work for free for a period in order to construct a career and there will be scores of forms to trawl through to get there. So, lap up the last weeks of university life and be prepared for a long wait. It is tough out here.