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

Thinking about recent graduate applications and interviews I’ve been involved with maybe there is a value in paid service for some graduates who perhaps don’t have adults to guide them or won’t listen to them.
Basics like if job description states English and maths C or above essential you need to put that on your application or you go in the rejection pile. Check cv for grammar and spelling mistakes.
If advert says contact x for an informal discussion use it, most don’t.
Turn up on time and be pleasant to everyone - don’t be rude to admin person walking you to room.
Brush hair and wear smart clean clothes.
If on teams have a decent background and sit up don’t lie on sofa.
Practice your answers for common questions. A question about team work shouldn’t come as a shock.
How to ask for feedback, don’t send snotty entitled emails.
The above I’ve come across with recent graduates so maybe there is a value in courses stating the obvious as I would see it.

@mothersdaywoe , I didn't think or say that you were criticising me or another poster. I was commenting on you seeming to not want to be helped.

She needs to find ANY job to get out there into the big wide world and show commitment, flexibility, reliability and energy. To build contacts, networks and prove herself.

A career won’t just drop into her lap. They won’t come looking for her.
Currently, what does she bring to a team except inexperience.

Tell her if she has the aptitude and application, “cream rises to the top”

Too many uni bods thinking they are above it all. They have this wonderful degree and they are done, that they are owed a living.
The hard work doesn’t stop when they’ve achieved a degree.

Some of us here have children (or ourselves) that do claim UC and use the job centre. It's not the poor house. If she has mental health problems she may be classed as Low Capacity for Work and not have to jump through their hoops.
It's awful at the moment OP , 1 in 8 16 to 25 year olds are NEET. If you can afford it, and you are also addressing her MH, the job coach might be worth a shot.

I think there may be a disconnect in the original question and the help you're looking for. Initially it seemed to be about paying for a coach to secure your daughter a graduate job. You have had a lot of good advice in that regard. However, it seems that the more pressing issue is giving your daughter confidence and support as she's in a bad mental health state?

While I agree with many posters that these coaching schemes aren't always the best way to actually secure a job, if what she needs is confidence, gentle support, a safe space to talk things through and a more personal approach than what she would get at the job centre then I actually think coaching is a good choice. I would temper expectations she will get a job out of it but if you're looking for a positive way to start the journey and you have the money then go for it.

The warning I will give is I had a relative with poor mental health. They were adamant it was all because they didn't have a job and became depressed. Through a lot support we got them an amazing job. However, the foundation wasn't there. They still had work to do on their mental health. They couldn't manage it and ended up having to jump before they were pushed. It was far, far worse for their mental health.

In the end they needed time away, therapy, working on medication and getting themselves into a healthy place before they could commit to a job. It was hard for them as there's shame with not working but ultimately it was the right thing and they have a brilliant career.

If they are self medicating and at risk of harming themselves, are they in a place to start a career?

Absolutely, you’re right. And she’s not expecting to walk in as head of R&D for Pfizer day one.
But I do think the structure and the routine would contribute towards moving her forward.

Even the structure and routine of working with the coach.

I have paid a cv writer before and it was honestly transformative. I have also had career coaching and mentoring during my working life and again, was really beneficial.
Thr way I got my first job after uni was networking though, attending industry events and talking to people.
I reckon a combo of all three would be very helpful for anyone.
Editing to add I also did some free work experience which built confidence and knowledge of the actual work. Even short two or three weeks just to get a bit of an u derstanding of working in the field. I had something tangible to say in interviews.

I have personal experience of this. A young person I know was given this coaching and actually the professional did it pro bono as the youngster had been ill. It was a game changer and the next job application was successful.

Most Restaurants are crying out for staff, I know that might be too lowly for university graduates that have no hope of getting a job in the field they studied. I could go out now and get a job by the end of the day. The money might not be great but it’s better than scrounging on benefits and at least you have something to put on your CV. It’s great for confidence building as well. I never understand people saying they can’t find work when what they mean is they can’t find their perfect job so will claim instead. ( waiting to be vilified but I really don’t care )

Agreed, I have done it all too, Mentoring as well as coaching was amazing for me. Actually OP maybe finding her a mentor would help in her chosen field would help.

I think you’re expecting too much from this service and that’s why you think it’s good value.
Its possible that you need two different services - firstly, something that helps your daughter’s mental health and then careers guidance and support.

If she's too nervous to go to networking events, are there volunteer opportunities that she can take on to help her to network in a more informal capacity?

A specific example I'm thinking of is a girl's coding club near us. It's run by volunteers which range from recent graduates to senior women working in IT. If you were a recent graduate at something like this, you would not only have something worthwhile to add to your CV but you would be able to get to know senior people working in your desired industry who could give you pertinent and personal advice.

If she's doing nothing, she's not an attractive candidate to employers.

I'd save the £500 and advise her to do something productive, even if it feels like a waste of time. Any job or voluntary position shows responsibility and a willingness to work hard.

My DH has a successful career. His first job out of uni was selling gas and electric door to door. On the face of it, this has nothing to do with what he trained for, but prospective employers could hardly doubt his work ethic when he was trudging through rain for miles a day.

You seem too rude to offer advice to.

Completely agree

I graduated 2000ish. I worked agency work roles for nearly 6/7 years to gain experience.
Would this apply to career she is looking at?

I think there is an expectation of walking immediately into some great career if you have a reasonable degree. Unfortunately this is no longer the case.
Three family members left university to unemployment. One worked whitewashing walls in a brewery for a year, one in a steak bar, one in a charity shop. All three got “proper” careers within a few years.
The key thing is not to feel entitled and then disappointed, and do something other than moping around at home or expecting your parents to bail you out.

You are wasting your time responding to OP, she has a problem for every solution. The rudeness of her responses make me suspect this is a troll.

I’ve gone right off her. What’s the point in wasting time on her when she’s so damn rude. And the industry and degree is so outing she can’t even say it, sheesh 🙄

Scam. There's no way I'd pay one of these 'Fairy Jobmother' type people any money.

Could she get any work experience/volunteer experience in her particular field abroad I wonder? It feels this is what is holding her back?

Anyone else wondering why anyone would give OP’s daughter a job if she has the same entitled shitty attitude of her mother?

We are doing that yes

What employers want is experience and the ability to communicate properly with others.

Dont then 🤷‍♀️