Brutal grad jobs market

[anotherglass]

Hello, my DS 22 graduated last July with an BEng from a Russell Group uni. Since then he has applied for around 60-70 jobs with no success. The whole process of online assessment, video interview and then rejection / ghosting is starting to grind him down. It is even tough to secure a part-time job in our area - such as a coffee shop or retailer - as he is considered over qualified and a risk, due to the fact he is searching for a full-time role.
I am finding myself worrying more and more about his mental health and future.
He is already less enthusastic about applying for jobs.

Any suggestions on what to do from here? Is it worth considering a Masters to try and ride out the horrendous job market?

Thank you

Has he tried recruitment agencies, going to visit local engineering firms in person?

I agree with this, I work for a similar type of small company (not engineering). No one would know we are there as we are very tucked away. We recruit the traditional way by local adverts, letters, CVs, word of mouth. Friends of friends often drop us speculative applications, they all get looked at.

Google local meet ups for anything engineering related. He can learn about places he probably doesn't even know about, meet people, network, find out when jobs are opening in companies, get his face known.

Also try looking for 12 month internships, they pop up a lot when looking for summer internships whilst still at uni.

It’s a horrible job market - I’ve been out there a few times since everything took a down shift in 2024 and it’s gruelling. I would tell him from someone with 25 years in the job market to try and be resilient; it’s not personal. There are so many people looking for jobs you need to do something to stand out and build skills. My personal suggestion would be to try and get a volunteer role as it shows integrity and strength of character as well as office skills and a real commitment to building workplace skills. Good luck!

Yep, we are still using drawing boards, I was one of the last to be trained in the dark art of the rotring pen - we still have a ozalid copier for making 'white prints' - I know, we need to move with the times!!

I heard recently that GE in Cheltenham were struggling to recruit. Is he happy to go anywhere?
SLB have amazing graduate opportunities, which involve overseas placements. Babcock are also recruiting. Don’t give up, but maybe a few weeks break would be good.

Is he really tailoring his CV for each organisation? I see a lot of half arsed CVs where I think people are scatter-gunning applications

Could you pay for a decent career coach? Ideally one specialised in the industry

As an academic I agree with almost all of @shrodingersvaccine ’s excellent suggestions. (Fantastic username, BTW)

But I wouldn’t actually, bluntly, write the letters of reference although I agree with the thinking behind the suggestion and the need for individually targeted references for each job application. Instead I would write to the referee with the contact info and some bullet points, in a format they can easily incorporate into their own letter. If 2 letters are requested I would make sure to send the refs slightly different wording, because DS wouldn’t want them to use too many identical key phrases.
If DS is going to essentially write his own letter it is all the more important that each ref receive different wording from him.

In my first post I had forgotten that his degree is a BEng. Sadly I think this isn’t helping. He may want to discuss the pros and cons of an MSc with someone knowledgeable. People are usually happy to help. Everyone knows times are tough.

It is brutal i agree, however (and this isn’t to sound awful) what practical engineering experience does he have? My husband works in engineering (predominantly mechanical/ maintenance) and they will employ someone who has completed an apprenticeship over someone who has a degree - due to the fact the apprentice has the practical experience and knowledge to get on with the job even if on paper they’re less qualified. This is generally the same across the field i believe.

He may need to look at doing an apprenticeship to gain that experience. Even if it seems ‘a step down’

Can he try and get some volunteering work/internship/work placement? We have an aerospace engineering business and many stay on from these roles and if not, it looks very good on their cv to have to practical experience.

Unfortunately AI is not a reliable recruitment tool imo but places like ours do not use it. He needs to start doing some extensive research to find the smaller places that have not succumbed to this type of recruitment process and again, imo, are properly invested in young people and their future.

Would he consider the Navy - the only armed forces sector that is growing ime. But also worth consider other defence options.

I agree, taking a break for a bit from the brutal process is worthwhile and when he comes back to it, consider broadening his options. My son has 2 friends with recent engineering degrees (masters) and both work in IT currently.

Sorry for anyone going through this. I graduated into the last recession. It changed me. Before I was of the view that it couldn’t happen to me – I was middle-class, worked hard at school etc Universal Credit was something you read about in The Guardian….

Things turned around when for me I applied for a role that only attracted four applicants. I was clearly the best available. That role was poorly paid but it got me the experience for a better paid role a year later. .Large grad schemes were a waste of time. I kept being filtered out after multiple rounds. Applying to a role with a small employer was what worked for me.

I absolutely agree. DS (MEng distinction) got his first job that way through word of mouth - a very basic entry level job, but it was a foot in the engineering door and he was delighted to get it. A few of his classmates got jobs with the big companies, but most didn't and started with small engineering companies, some grad positions and others not. He and his friends are now established and doing well, but it's taken a number of years to get there.

(just my view) A Masters is worth having if it's a good one, in an employable specialism. Also do anything to get practical experience. Even short term/internships or with small engineering companies as suggested. We want to recruit people with good Masters degrees but more than that we want people who really have the love for engineering, can't stop themselves tinkering with cars at the weekend or going in for robot wars or building working models of things. Good degree people have a way of sodding off to project management after a few years.

If he's not that keen about engineering OTOH I suggest a PGCE.

Depending on DS’ enthusiasm for Eng, a PGCE could be a great option!

From my understanding, applying for jobs via online platforms is pointless. Even if you match the requirements, experience etc you're likely to get screened out automatically - before your CV is even seen by an actual person.

He should do a Masters, this will make him more competitive. Then he needs to network. Encourage him to add recruiters on LinkedIn and reach out to them directly.

Would he consider taking a job abroad, if he struggles to find work here?

Look abroad?

I assume he’s been looking for around a year which is soul destroying. The problem with a modern BEng is that employment skills are in y4 as are meaningful projects. Not always of course, but MEng is better. I probably would now look at a masters but pick very very carefully.

There is a shortage of engineers but not grads. Most want experience so they hit the ground running. A BEng doesn’t qualify dc to do anything apart from get on the starting blocks.

I do say this repeatedly, but look at smaller firms. I’m aghast at the backward nature of ones described above though. No CAD? Clearly averse to investment! DH’s firm invested heavily over many years but they are consulting engineers, not manufacturers. However I do agree future leaders are necessary but BEng is the slow route to that too.

There might be sideways office based jobs and accounting attracts many engineers. Or anything with numbers. Teaching is a possibility but I’m thinking a sideways move with a masters might be better if he wants engineering. I’d definitely keep in touch with careers at university and do the best research he can on what sectors are recruiting, NI hike and lack of growth is hitting employment. No doubt about it.

Re aerospace engineering, this can be a very hard field to get into with a degree as they lack practical experience, they wont even be considered for many roles. More likely to be successful in design for example, so perhaps focus on gaining some industry experience

If you know you need younger workers why not put a bit of effort into hiring them, starting an apprentice or trainee scheme, etc. rather than magically hoping they'll come to you?

I know OP's child is a DS but would you really recommend a young woman in her early 20s goes knocking door to door on random industrial estates to beg for a job from companies that don't even have websites to give the most basic idea of who they are or what they actually do. Sounds rife for exploitation to me!

Different sector but yes that was exactly what I did and we had excellent candidates, it's a great way to grow a team

We don't actually need any new blood, I have 3 in their 20s, the best of whom by a country mile is a young lady!

We would advertise and do, but its not going to be via indeed or suchlike, local uni, local college, but mainly word of mouth between firms.

And people do come door to door, male and female - no one is exploited! and I'm delighted to show people what we do - we really don't need a website, so are not going to get one for the sake of having one!

Of course, its not all the current graduates vision of what they maybe expected if they have been hanging around BAE systems or the like, our drawing office with its 1980s decor and large workshop with the sweet smell of coolant suds and tufnol in the air and a combination of machinery from the modern to stuff that's been here since the 1930s is not everyones cup of tea - but its the real world - and what rolls out the end, BMS panels and sensors for managing the environment of modern buildings, is state of the art.

My brother graduated with a 2-2 in engineering - not really enough to get him into a grad scheme - he temped for a telecoms company and that's how he started his engineering career. There's more than one way in.
I'm a big fan of temping - I know so many people who started their careers this way. One of dd's friends started temping before Christmas - the company were really impressed with her work and created a full time job for her.

Great idea.

One of my personal tutees in a maths adjacent subject and some bad breaks with a 2.2 had a hard time. He eventually took a temp job in a small actuarial firm, did very well and went permanent.

I'm a big fan of temping as well.. anecdotally of course, but I think it's 'easier' to get a job once you're in a job. Decades ago when we graduated into the 95/96 recession, a friend with an LSE degree went into teaching, temporarily. Then got a job in a financial institution, literally making coffee/photocopies... they then realised that she was an LSE economics grad - offered her a permanent job after a few months.

Another friend got a temping job in FCA - she progressed onto compliance at an investment bank. I started temping at Barclays - very basic data imputing - (showing my age) I got offered a full time job and was promoted again within the year and then moved off into industry. So many people I know have done the same thing.
If you are bright and hardworking, it's hard for a company to ignore your potential.