Finding it very difficult to find a job - nearly 26yo graduate with little experience

sevva888

IAmWales wrote: »

The Balfour Beatty stuff does come across as BS. If I received that I'd assume the candidate had copied his manager's LinkedIn profile.

sevva, what have you been doing to fill your time, hopefully some voluntary work? Have you applied for graduate schemes?

It was only me and the manager on the team and he was managing a much bigger supplier. Yeah, thats the problem, since Balfours refuse to give me a reference the person reading the cv would assume I am lying. Which tbh, is pretty !!!!ed up. I am actually considering taking legal action.

I have been matched betting to fill my time, and applying for graduate jobs. I made 7k since March last year so I didn't need to go and sign for JSA, I have been living at home.

sevva888

dawyldthing wrote: »

Id second agency work. Some do get you into good roles. Try cv library too

Thanks it seems like my best chance since I don't think grad employers will believe that my Balfour Beatty achievements are real.

dawyldthing

The other thing you could do is just put the basic things you did in each job like what processes you've used, things you did (did you use a switchboard/ excel/ word etc) as that's what a lot of employers look for

marlot

Have you thought about volunteering - there must be citizens advice type place who would appreciate your law degree?

You need to be able to show that you can stick at something for at least a couple of years.

FBaby

What kind work are you looking for? It seems a waste of a law degree not to try to get started on the ladder to a career.

You need to get an idea of what you want to do, and then try very hard to get some experience in that field, even as volunteer, in addition to part-time or full-time work if required. Look at schemes available, approach local organisations/firms directly and ask about experience, even if one day. Best way is networking, so get to know people who can direct you.

Then start thinking about how you are going to explain your previous 4 years. Don't lie, don't make things up, but try to turn it in a way that looks plausible and not negative. You've studied law, surely that's a skill you've acquired in your studies!

xapprenticex

sevva888 wrote: »

It was only me and the manager on the team and he was managing a much bigger supplier. Yeah, thats the problem, since Balfours refuse to give me a reference the person reading the cv would assume I am lying. Which tbh, is pretty !!!!ed up. I am actually considering taking legal action.

I have been matched betting to fill my time, and applying for graduate jobs. I made 7k since March last year so I didn't need to go and sign for JSA, I have been living at home.

Legal action for not giving a reference? Maybe its better they dont give one because it clearly wouldn't be very positive and I doubt they would support what your CV says.

If you want to get a warehouse job you will need to make a very basic CV though.

getmore4less

Quote removed by Forum Team

this could be just over 3 or upto 5 months.

I think this is a big problem as it currently sits.

there is a lot there to believe for such a short period and opens up the real question why are you not still there if you were that good.

I would tone this down for the CV and reserve the I am the greatest for the interview where you can expand on a selected basis to target the position.

you need some credible story of why you lost that job, the timescales suggest and issue during probation that were enough to not want them to keep you even though you were brilliant.

start with trying to convince people here why you were not retained,
the truth and the story.


For lower level jobs the CV needs tailoring as as it stands it shouts will move on as soon as anything better comes up.

lincroft1710

sevva888 wrote: »

Balfours refuse to give me a reference the person reading the cv would assume I am lying. Which tbh, is pretty !!!!ed up. I am actually considering taking legal action.

A law graduate considering taking legal action against a company for which he only worked for 4 months over 15 months ago, because they refuse to give him a reference? Seems some basic facets of employment law didn't play a big part in the syllabus.

sevva888

getmore4less wrote: »

this could be just over 3 or upto 5 months.

I think this is a big problem as it currently sits.

there is a lot there to believe for such a short period and opens up the real question why are you not still there if you were that good.


I would tone this down for the CV and reserve the I am the greatest for the interview where you can expand on a selected basis to target the position.

you need some credible story of why you lost that job, the timescales suggest and issue during probation that were enough to not want them to keep you even though you were brilliant.

start with trying to convince people here why you were not retained,
the truth and the story.


For lower level jobs the CV needs tailoring as as it stands it shouts will move on as soon as anything better comes up.

Because I fell out with a manager of another team and that was enough to get me sacked because she escalated the dispute to my director. That is what I will tell them at interviews because it is the truth. I would even provide them the names and contact details of the people I negotiated with (the suppliers) as proof. I was empowered by the director to own that project.

In light of this, then it is the decision of the graduate employer (for a similar role) to decide if I am worth the risk.

sevva888

lincroft1710 wrote: »

A law graduate considering taking legal action against a company for which he only worked for 4 months over 15 months ago, because they refuse to give him a reference? Seems some basic facets of employment law didn't play a big part in the syllabus.

No. Not for that reason. That is a surefire way to lose.