What Do I Do Now? :(

DonGotti

I graduated from a good university 2 years ago with good grades. I've been job hunting since but couldn't find anything. Then in July 2005 I applied for a job with the Met Police and I was contacted in November stating that provided all the security checks went fine I would be offered a job. I was so happy as it meant I could begin provding a comfortable life for myself and my parents and I (stupidly) stopped job hunting.

They messed me about quite a bit and tooks ages obtaining references and completing the checks. Finally in March they contacted me stating that they are satisfied with my character and will now submit my details so that I could be posted at a police station.

I kept calling them every few weeks and they assured me a job offer would definitely come, it was just a matter of time. However today I spoke to another individual and they claimed there was a possibility that no vacancies would be available.

I am so shocked and feel so worthless. I was constantly reassured that a job offer would soon come and now this. I've been telling everyone that I will soon be starting a new job as that's the first thing people would ask when they met me. I have no idea what to do as all prospective employers will want to know what I've been doing for the past two years, and I wouldn't know what to say. All the decent jobs I'm looking to go for (finance/public sector) require experience which I don't have, and I'm completely stuck and feel depressed.

I feel I completely wasted my time working so hard in my education.

Fran

***Boardguide comment***

Hi,

I'm moving your thread to the Student board where you might get more replies, I hope that's ok.

Sillychuckie

You get a good degree, from a good uni, and in 2 years, can't find a job?
I'm sorry, but you must be doing something severely wrong.
What was your course?
Are your applications good? Have you had anyone look over them? The job people at your uni (careers guidance) should still be able to help you even though it has been 2 years since graduation.
Are you being too picky?

There are plenty of jobs out there. Even with poor grades from a poor uni, people get decent jobs. Why do you think you are having such a difficult time? Could you aim lower and work your way up?
You'll need to aim lower to get the experience. Perhaps as a graduate, you could apply to positions usually offered to students on industrial placement (gap years)?
You should only expect to earn about 10-15k, but give it a year and then you are in a wonderful position.

davelewis

I graduated with a 2:1 a few years ago and ended up in the Civil service as an entry Admin Assistant level. Worked my way up and got promoted twice. Have since left, returned to Uni and am now doing a law conversion course to train as a solicitor.

It is really hard to get a good job. Unfortunatley a good degree isn't enough to get a great job and you will have to start pretty much at the bottom of the ladder. However you should be considered for promotion earlier and have better prospects in the long term.

Stick with the job hunting, something will come up. And even if you get a poor job to start with - you are gaining valuable experience which will really help you in the future.

Good luck.

viru.doshi

Sorry to hear that the MET messed you around, I would still try to politely apply some pressure to whoever your contacts were at the MET about getting a job.

It might be worth considering signing up with a temping agency for jobs relevant to your skills. The mood and view of temp's in professional industries is slowly changing and i believe its a good way to get quick experience in (hopefully) a wide range of areas.

I agree with SillyChuckie, a good application and CV are very important, try to get them looked at by some one in the know.

Good Luck! Hope things work out!

filigree_2

viru.doshi wrote:

It might be worth considering signing up with a temping agency for jobs relevant to your skills.

I'd go further than that and say sign up to temp agencies and take any job you can get. Employers don't like to see big gaps on CVs without a convincing explanation. If you can't find paid work then consider voluntary positions - it convinces potential employers that you are a hard worker even if you've had some bad luck in the job hunting.

I spotted your other thread, another suggestion I would make is not to spam your CV too widely without considering the needs of that particular employer. I received a CV from someone whose main thrust was their excellent engineering skills - and the vacancy was for a library assistant! OK, that example is a bit extreme but employers will be more impressed if the CV makes it clear that you have done your research and tailored your presentation to appeal to them directly.

DonGotti

My CV is good and I've had it checked out by various people. I am currently working for my local council on a sessional basis, but it's not related to my degree or my career aspirations. Furthermore there are no fixed hours.

The biggest problem is lack of experience in the financial field. I'm looking for roles in Compliance and it's not a area where employers are willing to offer work experience. So how do they expect me to obtain experience?

I'm really disappointed with the Met's procedures...they even made me sign a form saying that I will accept any job offer from them. Hence I stopped job hunting. They also must have spent a lot of money carrying out the advanced security checks so I don't understand what's happening. I'm still holding out for a position with them as it relates to my degree and is intellectually challenging.

In the mean time, which agencies are good for temping jobs? A job in data entry or admin for a financial institution would be great.