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

I work for a supermarket and we employ loads of graduates while they are looking for a more suitable role. They don't know when someone takes a job how long they are going to stay so being a graduate shouldn't make any difference. Retail and coffee shops don't ask for qualifications so why would they say people are over qualified.

I was also going to ask why he didn’t stay for the fourth year to complete his MEng degree?

OP, I am not sure if geography is an issue but have a look at this company
I don't work for them but they are local to me and I have had some dealings with them due to my own business.
Careers | Cummins Inc.

I used to think too that companies would spot and reward your potential. It turns out, that's luck as well. My job right now has been turned from a really skilled, high-pressure one into an AI-fueled cog turning operation within the last six months. The company just shrugs "business interests, stay or leave". I think we all know that if we leave, they can get people to do the new AI Factory role for minimum wage.

Took dsd 2 years to get permanent work and it wasn’t a grad scheme, took her dp a year. Most grad jobs start in September so if you haven’t applied ahead of graduation it will be a year to get onto a scheme, many deadlines were this time of year. Also worth writing directly to smaller companies within the sector as they may not advertise on grad scheme sites. We are where many of the jobs are and still it wasn’t easy. If they meet the other criteria, have they considered the raf, navy or mod? My dc is forces and earns better than any of her classmates due to all the allowances but you need to pass all medical considerations

Afraid to say it’s going to get a bit worse, the latest round of tax and new employment legislation hasn’t actually fully impacted yet. I’d strongly encourage anyone under 30 to emigrate.

It is brutal not least because grads are now competing with the world for the best London jobs. Russell group isn’t enough on its own anymore - the levels of accomplishment needed are huge otherwise you don’t even make the filter. In finance I know that many French / German etc candidates come with work experience / placements from their home country plus a masters and fluency in a handful of languages. I interview prospective lawyers in an international city law firm. I wouldn’t get past the hr screen these days (unless I qualified for Sutton trust - happily great inroads have been made for those candidates) let alone get interviewed. The candidates I interview are so accomplished and eloquent - volunteering work, excellence in their chosen hobbies, tutoring others in their part time. Often president of JCR etc. It used to be enough to play a bit of club sport and be nominally involved in any old society (so you had something to talk about) with a 2.1 from a decent uni and a part time job in the pub. Not anymore.

@NextLevel2 That’s all well and good if they are recruiting. Many companies just are not. It’s 2026 not when you were young. It’s not a bouyant economy. Hospitality is on its knees. AI is here. We have too many grads. It’s a whole new world.

How are they all getting visas ?

I cited a recent example of a July 2025 too. Why so angry at me, or is that just the way you write?

I may have this wrong, but I don't see anger at all. I just see frustration and sadness.

Ex academic here. Lots of good advice here. I also used to encourage my MSc students to consider fixed term jobs. Many employers are concerned about the financial commitment of recruitment but can offer 6 to 12 months. Engineering consultancies are a good way to get a foot in the door and learn on fixed term projects which can be anthing up to 3 years or more.

Attend conferences as a student and talk to people about potential roles. Go to the specialist talks and learn about industry trends. It beefs up an application letter, CV or interview. Update Linkedin to say you have attended.

My daughter started on a maternity cover role instead of a graduate scheme. It led to a permanent role and after 8 years she has been promoted way beyond the graduate intake.

This is also a successful programme. https://iuk-ktp.org.uk/jobs/ not v well known.
Also search Civil Service websites.

Edit: join a professional engineering body such as the IMechE. Student membership is modest and allows access to knowledge and networking.

PS here is an example of a conference and trade show. Free to attend. https://www.advancedengineeringuk.com/visit/

The hiring companies can easily sort this out for the right talent!

There is a point about European graduates - they have woek experience starting from
sxhool years and also at Uni, an internship every holiday. I don’t feel it is as difficult to get that experience as it is here

Working in a company would be much easier and pay a lot more than being a teacher. Most employees are respectful - pupils and parents are a nightmare.

I was making a reasonable suggestion - a practical suggestion that worked in "my day" but I've also seen it work recently, the comment was just unnecessarily negative.

Thought you had to prove a UK citizen couldn't do the job first ? No wonder UK grads can't get work !

International graduates of UK universities have the right to apply for a two year visa. After two years in a grad job in London it's very likely they'd meet the minimum requirements of salary, English language and being a grad to get a sponsored longer term visa. As a company you could be challenged under the equalities act for not employing someone on the basis of them not having a visa if the applicant met the visa requirements - in other words you couldn't refuse to employ someone if they were eligible for a visa - even if you were a small company.
That was a couple of years ago, I know we were advised that lack of visa was not a "safe" reason to reject a grad applicant. We haven't employed a fresh grad for a couple of years - so the law might possibly have changed.

@NextLevel2 think this sounds fair. But the comment was about French and German graduates so was surprised they can still come and work here easily. Brexit sadly.

There is "prove" and prove though
If a company wants to bring in someone from overseas they can

You don’t have to prove a UK citizen can’t do the job at all. You are allowed to pick the best candidate, rather than the third best-who-has-a-UK-passport.

Exactly. Successful companies looking for talent will hire the best applicants , regardless of the applicant’s passport.

@anotherglass has he considered teaching? Or, as others suggested, the army?

If he only started looking for jobs in his final year or, worse, after graduating, then he missed a trick. Most large employers of engineers start recruiting sooner than this, via summer internships and industrial placements. My DS is in year 1 of an engineering degree and is already applying for, and having interviews for, summer internships. If he doesn't get offered one in year 1/2 then I will encourage him to do the optional year in industry. His uni careers service is constantly sending him adverts for placements, and he sees even more via LinkedIn and Indeed.

Have you proof-read any of his applications? Many companies are now using AI to screen applicants, so it is worth him researching how to make his CV pass that first sift. It needs a simple structure without too much formatting, to include key words that might be used by employers for filtering (the clues are in the job description and person specification), and to not include spelling/grammatical errors.

Huge sympathy OP. My DS is in a very similar position. He hasn't got anywhere with applying for grad schemes either. But he's had two interviews, one from a speculative application and one for a non-grad-scheme job. So I think applying either speculatively or to a non-grad-scheme job is the way forward.

Meanwhile he has a (very boring) admin job and even though the work is tedious, it has been hugely beneficial to his outlook so if your DS can find anything at all (admin, hospitality, retail, gardening, anything) it will help. It also gives possible answers to all those innumerable stupid questions about facing a challenge etc.