Uni graduate...new to job seeking.

lexilex

I graduated from Uni in July, and have been applying for jobs daily ever since but I am having no look at all. I've had one face-to-face interview, and one telephone interview but have heard nothing back from either company.

I have been lucky enough to work each summer for the same company during uni, and they took me on again this summer. However, the work is only temporary and comes to an end in the next couple of weeks. After then I am completely lost not to mention skint.

As a student, I obviously didn't pay any tax or national insurance on my earnings over the summer as I did not earn enough. Because of this I am concerned that I will not be entitled to job seekers allowance. I am wondering if anyone can advise on this? I am new to this, and really hoped I would have got a job by now, but it appears all my hard work at Uni was a waste of time .

Also, if anyone could give me any advise as to what to do next it would be very much appreciated. I am so down at the minute, and wondering why I bothered going to university in the first place.

Sorry to winge, I know many are in the same boat, and hope these people may have experience that can help me.

Thanks

dmg24

Who do you live with, and do you have capital over £6,000/ £16,000?

I know the job market is tough at the moment, but you really should have started looking for work a year ago. Hopefully something will turn up soon - have you looked at Christmas retail vacancies?

Stardust

A lot of high street shops are getting ready to advertise Xmas jobs, ive put my CV in or filled out an application form for 6 places this week alone.

lexilex

dmg24 wrote: »

Who do you live with, and do you have capital over £6,000/ £16,000?

I know the job market is tough at the moment, but you really should have started looking for work a year ago. Hopefully something will turn up soon - have you looked at Christmas retail vacancies?

Thanks for your reply. To answer your questions, I live with parents, and no...

Naively I thought having a degree would make things easier, Uni friends have walked in to jobs, but obviously I was wrong.

I've been applying for anything and everything, my target has been at least 2 applications a day and has been since graduating, although I was applying for jobs before that too. I have been looking since January, but apart from graduate schemes (most of which want experience which I don't have) they were all immediate start roles which obviously I couldn't do at the time.

lexilex

Stardust wrote: »

A lot of high street shops are getting ready to advertise Xmas jobs, ive put my CV in or filled out an application form for 6 places this week alone.

Thanks for replying.

Yes I've seen them when doing the daily job searches and have applied for places such as Boots etc. Couldn't believe them advertising for christmas already... the thought of christmas + jobless make me feel sick :embarasse

dmg24

You should be eligible for Income Based JSA, or Conts Based JSA if you have paid sufficient NI Conts in tax years 07/08 and 08/09 (unlikely if you have only worked over the summer, but they are both the same amount so it shouldn't be an issue). Apply as soon as you finish your temp work, as they will not backdate without good reason.

lexilex

dmg24 wrote: »

You should be eligible for Income Based JSA, or Conts Based JSA if you have paid sufficient NI Conts in tax years 07/08 and 08/09 (unlikely if you have only worked over the summer, but they are both the same amount so it shouldn't be an issue). Apply as soon as you finish your temp work, as they will not backdate without good reason.

Thank you very much for that information. Hopefully it will not come to it but at least I know it is there if needed. I know nothing about it and was concerned it would be means tested and based on parents income as student grants have been.

[Deleted User]

Have you contacted the Uni you attended to help you with Job searching techniques, job applications and CV tailoring, and interview skills?
They should still help you as you are a recent graduate.

If you don't have a lot of experience workwise they will help you write a skill based CV.

Have you considered doing an internship, or charity work in an area that interests you to get some experience until a paying job comes along. You should still be entitled to JSA doing this, so long as you are prepared to drop it if a paying job comes up (and you are still actively looking for a paying job).

What's your degree in?

Stardust

lexilex wrote: »

Thanks for replying.

Yes I've seen them when doing the daily job searches and have applied for places such as Boots etc. Couldn't believe them advertising for christmas already... the thought of christmas + jobless make me feel sick :embarasse

Have a naughty hug :grouphug: I know just the boat your in. Things have been so tight over the last 4 Christmases because all my loan went on my course and there wasn't time between studying to get a Xmas job.

There is a light somewhere :j

lexilex

Domino9 wrote: »

Have you contacted the Uni you attended to help you with Job searching techniques, job applications and CV tailoring, and interview skills?
They should still help you as you are a recent graduate.

If you don't have a lot of experience workwise they will help you write a skill based CV.

Have you considered doing an internship, or charity work in an area that interests you to get some experience until a paying job comes along. You should still be entitled to JSA doing this, so long as you are prepared to drop it if a paying job comes up (and you are still actively looking for a paying job).

What's your degree in?

I haven't contacted the careers service at Uni directly, but will definitely be visiting once my temp job comes to an end as I am working during the hours they are open and obviously can't afford to lose any money at the minute.

I have contacted a few places in the past week through the voluntary website (is it do-it? or something like that). If I cannot get a job I will have to do something, there is no way I would cope stuck in all day/every day. I would go mad!! Also, I applied for the police specials back in March and my training for that starts in November.

Degree is in Psychology, 2.1. Not that it seems to make ANY difference whatsoever. A girl I went to school with left school at 16 and hasn't really worked since applied for one of the roles I applied for (the one I had a telephone interview for) and got the job. Funnily enough her friend happens to be close to the manager of the company... Must be some truth in the saying it's not what you know but who you know!

[Deleted User]

I do agree there is definately some truth in "who you know" sometimes - is there any way that you can use this to your advantage? Personal friends and contacts? Parents friends? Uni. lecturers? (they may know of research associate or admin posts coming up in the department if nothing else) etc etc.

Also, if your current job is winding up in a few weeks, start registering online for temping agencies, you will probably only get basic admin. and data entry jobs etc at first unless you have experience, but it's better than nothing. And if a company likes you and you fit in well they will often keep you on for longer contracts. But I'd start registering now as it can often take a few weeks for the registration process, and they will want to interview you and probably test your computer skills (many of the ones I've done in the past have been in the evening, so might be able to get the ball rolling quickly).

And as mentioed above, on your day off, hand your CV into the high street chains for Christmas temping jobs that they'll be begining to sort out now - I know you'd probably hope to have a longer term job in place by then - but better to have something like this in place and not need it, than the other way around.

If you are wanting to stay in the psychology field you should check out www.nhsjobs.uk - assistant psyc. jobs often require extensive amounts of experience and post-grad study, but there are other jobs that would be related, or give you related experience - Health Care Assistant, mental health worker (they often advertise trainee positions), well-being practitioners ec etc - again if you don't have work experience in the area, put trainee in the search bar and you can sift through them.

Hope that helps - what is the field or fields you would most like to work in?

EDIT: If you are wanting to ultimately go down the clinical psychology route, research experience is also looked on favourably. Best place for these jobs to be advertisied is www.jobs.ac.uk