Paying to find young person a first job

[mothersdaywoe]

Has anyone tried this, its not expensive £500 for coaching, CV analysis, career advice BUT no guarantee of employment at the end.
Its been a year now, DC is depressed and failing further and further behind

This is great advice. As a former niche sector leader, I helped people into good careers by introducing them to the right people when they showed an interest and networked enthusiastically. Many industries have conferences, trade fairs, launches, award ceremonies etc etc. Key players there are often off the leash a bit and more approachable to talk to people who show an interest (and have done some homework). As the saying goes: get up, dress up and show up.

You could be right and they are paying for the time rather than an outcome, The reviews are good though, like anything isn’t it?
£500 could be spent badly in a rubbish Airbnb

It is, we are a couple of a steps behind that and I think she’ll get to that stage, at the moment We’re not brushing our teeth in the morning so we’re a little bit away from that

Ah ok. It sounded as if you were saying I was attacking things like equity and unconscious bias, which I wasn’t. it’s the corporate system that I find issue with.

As so often, and with so many things that start out as brilliant, desperately needed ideas, they quickly get turned on their head (and often misunderstood) by companies. And the immediate reaction so often seems to be to view it as a risk rather than an opportunity.

Something like unconscious bias, I think, is really important to teach people about, especially those who are going to be doing things like job interviews. But then accountability and so the potential for litigation and reputational damage takes hold in an institution and so rather than improving a process and opening things up, they shut things down with so much red tape and fear that it becomes an exercise in futility. And that ultimately damages everyone involved.

So something like unconscious bias turns from, ‘employ the best person for the job irrespective of the fact that they may not match your own background and outlook’ (e.g. stop only employing white public school Oxbridge educated men in city jobs), to a tick box exercise designed to squeeze people into even smaller - if now slightly different - boxes (e.g. has this person done virtually the same job before and did they say the right number of key words at the right time?) that now resembles something more like a winter olympic sport during which participants must complete certain jumps.

My initial reaction to that is that needing hand holding in that way would be noticeable as a negative.
At networking events there’s usually a talk and then mingling. It’s not uncommon be there alone. I can only speak for law events but people will usually spot those on their own and speak to them. Lots of older people do genuinely care and want to help yp enter professions. I recall a young woman so nervous she was shaking and people were very kind.
My dd popped in to speak to her camp director at a camp recruiting fair recently. She was telling dd she hadn’t hired anyone in previous city as hotel had let parents in and parents were speaking for the yp. She also said the hirers look at line outside and notice those not stood with their mum/dad.

@mothersdaywoe , you aren't coming across very well. I appreciate your frustration but maybe you'd have been better off posting in Work.

I'm really interested in who they are - I could probably tell you whther they are qualified to offer this service.

I’d encourage you to name change and post for specific advice in career and geographical area you are based. Lots of women on here in professional jobs who recruit and happy to share knowledge.

In the nicest possible way, this post reads as though it's about you, ChillyB.

• *In twenty years' time, I'm sure OP's DD may be where you are today. Just at the moment, I feel she's aat the stage of needing to acquire some kind of skills not putting practical skills into practice. The difficulty is that someone is needed to teach her the skills and nobody seems to be available..

Whilst that is a very kind offer, it’s not what I’m looking for. If I had the time and energy and inclination to do this myself or if my daughter had the mental capacity to do this herself, I would never have been considering paying a coach.

Is there any way you can give a broad idea of what sector she is trying to advance in?

Totally understand why you dont want to share exactly what she doesn't want to do but could you share the general area? For example, if she's interested in theatre/ tv then don't go for the coaching. There are loads of courses and 99% dont lead anywhere. If she's interested in civil service then working with someone who can go through STAR and discuss where she has gaps and a plan on how to get them may be useful. If it's law or finance then maybe someone with more information can contribute.

In case it hasn't been mentioned, newer charities such as foodbanks often have less red tape than older, more established charities. The one I help out doesn't require committing to a set period and gets lots of young volunteers who seem to really enjoy it. I'm sure some of them are there for CV building purposes. Like other charities - foodbanks come in all shapes and sizes so you and your daughter might want to check that it's a good fit.

If you can afford to pay £500, why not to try? Coaching might give her confidence boost and different perspective on approaching the job market.

Science, She has managed to get stuck in a lab role as a result of the industry placement which confirmed she’s absolutely not suited to working in an Laboratory.

When she’s not self-medicating, she’s actually usually a very bubbly bright chatty happy person that needs to be around people

Let me give you an example. I was chairing a presentation by an industry leader. They were (gently) mobbed by several distinguished attenders at the end. A student came up to me and was really interested but couldn't get noticed. I asked their name, then went to the front to - ostensibly - check with the leader if they were OK to carry on with the 'meet and greet' for a bit. Then I pretended to spot the student, called them over and said 'Hey, you must meet so-and-so'. Another time I introduced an enthusiastic job-hunter to a conference presenter. They were heading off to dinner with a government minister, and invited them along! It's not always the case, but the people who are where you want to be are often very interested in nurturing who is coming up behind them.

It would be helpful if you could because then people would be able to give tailored advice as to where she may find routes in.

The paid for CV thing isn't probably going to help unless that person has definite sector specific advice. I wouldn't rely on then giving her contacts. Most firms will guide people to their recruitment process these days even if a contact asks them!

The aim of the legislation was to promote equal opportunity as in practice certain industries [fashion was a prime one] relied heavily on exploitative lengthy 1 yr+ unpaid internships. In practice it meant that individuals without family money to support them were unable to take advantage.

The same principle applies for an internship of any duration but asking for work shadowing opportunities may lead to short term paid "internships' covering peak holiday periods for example.

This thread might be better off on the work boards, where OP might get the answers she wants and feel less inclined to snap at posters who in fairness are trying to help based on very little information.

I would spend the money, personally. If nothing else, a session with a careers coach should inspire OP's DD to keep trying. I know a year is a long time to be looking, but the graduate job market is dire right now and you have to keep being tenacious and proactive. The coach could look at how she's applied for jobs so far to identify any gaps in her approach and boost her confidence.

But try to find someone that a peer has already used, rather than some rando on LinkedIn looking for a quick pay day.

The coach has a one-to-one meeting with the individual to fact fine I guess and see where they are, They can build her up to that and put her in front of the right people at the right time I’m hoping
I don’t interpret this as the literally going in with her holding her hand sitting with her while she’s at these networking events. But if they can just push her through the door that feels worthwhile

Are they a sector specialist?
Are they qualified to offer in depth career guidance ( which is what it seems she needs)

What qualifications would you expect to see?
And no, they aren’t sector specific but again I think that’s fine on the basis that they’re signed posting rather than promising. If you do my course you will get X. It’s more of a coaching company that give them the tools to fish for themselves
Which I would prefer over somebody coming over to her and saying there’s your fish
That seems a short term solution

Yes, or maybe you could spend the £500 on, say, two conference passes for a sector event and go with her in support. The right event could put you in a room with dozens of potential employers.

Thanks for responding. I will re-read a bit later and respond :-)

Again, though that’s not going to be helpful to her if she sits in the corner refusing to speak to anybody, we’re just not at that stage yet.