Need advice.. finding it hard to get a job after degree :(

lady_fuschia

To be fair, it does take a while. A lot of people apply for hundreds of jobs before getting anything. Remember there are thousands of other graduates competing with him right now - it may not even be that he's doing anything wrong - it's just that the employers can't physically interview (or employ) all of the huge number of graduates that apply all at once. He may find as time goes on he starts to have more success as the competition shrinks. In the meantime I strongly suggest he gets some form of full time work - even if it's in a shop or as a data entry clerk, it looks better on his record.
It is definetly, very early days though.
He might want to visit his careers service just to get a bit of advice - admittedly a lot of what they give you has a lot in common with a chocolate teapot, but he will be able to find information from local employers etc which may be useful.

melancholly

it might be worth askind some of the emplyers for feedback as to why he didn't get the job - probably only the ones who sent a letter though! the worst they can do is ignore the request and it might get a bit of helpful info.

lynzpower

I dont know a huge amount about the course itself, however, I would imagine that the field is competitive ( my oH did sound engineering course, not a degree mind)

has he used his skills in an employed or voluntary capacity? it might be worth digging about and finding some volunteering to do eg hospital radio/ youth groups/ older peoples music clubs/theatre groups to bed in his knowledge and skillls if he hasnt already. If it wasnt for volunteering Id have never got off the starting block.

the_devil_made_me_do_it

Lady Fuschia- I've been telling him the same thing, that there are going to be a lot of graduates in the same boat applying for the same jobs.

Melancholly - manyh jobs state that they will not give feedback unless candidates have reached the interview stage, others won't give feedback full stop. They should offer it really, but I guess employers can do what they want.

Lynzpower- he was doing regualr volunteer work at a local recording studio, he only stopped it when he reached his final year. He couldn't manage the heavy uni workload as well as volunteer + to add to it, he was travelling nearly 2 hrs to Uni and 2 hrs back home at least 3 times a week. It was getting to the stage were he couldn't make volunteer work due to the time he was getting home.

si1503

He has got a good degree. So what?

Means absolutely nothing when it comes to getting a job. It does mean you can apply for a LOT more good jobs, but its not what qualifications you have, its what you do with them.

Employers don't care how educated someone is these days, as long as you meet the minimum academic requirements for the role, you're past that hurdle. The rest comes down to a number of factors, one obvious one already mentioned is related/industry experience, others include the persons skills (proven), such as initative, communication, team working etc.. all employers want to see this and see proof of it, also things like commerical awareness are now looked for, and general traits that break-the-mould.

Bottom line, there is more to getting a job then having a good degree, if your friend wants it bad enough he'll find something.

3plus1

Well, the graduate milkround is pretty much over. The time to apply for graduate jobs is round about September/October, and after that, the number of jobs going starts to dwindle rapidly.

Actually, it sounds to me like your OH is overqualified if he's applying for jobs suitable for school leavers with only A-levels. That might be his problem right there. It's a mistake to apply for jobs out of your league, but it's equally impossible to land a job, when you apply for one below your station. The recruiter will realise you don't really want it and pass you over.

What sort of jobs is he applying for?

I'd be happy to look over one of his failed applications for you, if you like, and point out anything glaringly bad. Some people have a style of putting themselves across that really does them no favours, and even if they're suitable for the job, they just don't manage to sell themself well enough to get any interest. Having filled out what seems like a billion applications, a squillion telephone interviews, online tests and a handful of one-to-one interviews and assessment centres, I like to think I'm pretty good at playing the graduate game now. (Oh, and I did land myself a job after all that. )

Plus, sometimes recruiters do just take an irrational dislike to people. They are human, after all.

I think you need to give us a rough idea of what sort of jobs your OH is going for before we can give any other advice.

I will point out though, that jobs directly related to your OH's degree are few and far between, and not brilliantly paid. But if he's looking for a more general grad job (i.e. "management"), I should be able to offer some pointers?

black-saturn

You might want to read this thread I started a month or so ago here:

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=488424

the_devil_made_me_do_it

si1503 - i never said a degree was the be all and all, and I'm not saying someone with a degree is automatically suitable and right for the job.

3plus1 I certainly pass on the message that Sept/Oct is a better time to apply for graduate jobs.

He's been applying to theatres in the area and has put a number of applications into the Police for jobs and training. He's also been applying for jobs at local colleges and unis. These sectors are not beyond reach I wouldn't say for a graduate or otherwise.

black-saturn

It's difficult to get jobs in the theatre field though. Perhaps starting voluntary for a back street theatre will help?

the_devil_made_me_do_it

black-saturn wrote: »

It's difficult to get jobs in the theatre field though. Perhaps starting voluntary for a back street theatre will help?

He's done that Black-Saturn. He worked in a small charity funded music venue for abouit 4 yrs. He only quit there because of final year degree commitiments.

It also comes to a point that a person can't afford to do voluntary work forever. He desires and needs a steady wage. We live in the North East so I know that puts limitations on someone finding a job.