Spporting graduates struggling with unemployment and rejection?

[anotherglass]

Son (22) graudated last summer with engineering degree. Since then he has been applied for 100+ jobs, had interviews, but never got the job. He volunteers part-time in a charity store and works for a sustainability charity. He is learning another language, and playing in a band. In spite of this, he is steadily becoming demotivated and demoralised by the constant rejection.
Parents of l-t unemployed young adults, how do you deal with this?

Thank you. But it has been nearly a year and he is getting interviews so there is signals that his skills and training have been recognised. There is just frustration at missing out so many times. I was not prepared for this grinding anxiety on his behalf.
He doesn't just 'sit at home'. He has volunteering roles, is learning a second language and composes music.

I think a lot of the entry level jobs have gone. AI does a lot of the things that grads traditionally cut their teeth doing. Retail, factories etc are automated a lot now. I work in a team of about 35 and none of us are under 30.

While undoubtedly AI is an issue, I think the bigger issue is immigration, which I know we're not supposed to talk about, but the figures speak for themselves...
www.centreforsocialjustice.org.uk/newsroom/27-young-non-eu-migrants-hired-for-every-young-brit-since-2020-analysis-reveals

I recently interviewed uni students for a year in industry. One of them (who was our reserve) said ‘I keep telling myself it’s just a numbers game at this point’ and I think he’s right. I know it is easy to say try not to take it personally.

The sector I work in is likely too different so what I am about to say may be of no relevance, but one thing I fed back to interviewees was about using AI in their applications. I am not anti it, but there was laziness in how it was used. Instead of using AI to improve their application the original application was AI with the odd tweak. It didn’t come across as genuine and affected how people came across in the sifting stages, quite a lot of which happen before you meet anyone virtually, let alone face to face. I’ve seen you say your DS is getting interviews so likely not relevant, but still including in my post in case others read it.

I remember applying for part time jobs around 2011 time when I was a student. That proved difficult because we were post financial crash and loads of graduates were doing all the part time/entry level jobs because the grad market had thinned so much.

Hope your DS has some luck soon - keep going.

OP or might be helpful if you answer some of the questions that have been asked like “did the 4 years include a year in industry ”? If not, was it an integrated Masters or did he do a foundation year?

”What was his grade”? After reading another thread on here recently having less than a 2.1 can be a bar to many engineering jobs but if he’s getting interviews, in guessing that’s not the case?

”What was his work experience whilst he was at Uni”?

Can I add another question to the ones which have already been asked? Is he using AI to write his applications? If he is I would stop. So many use AI that not doing so can strangely make you stand out.

Yes, I'd say graduating nearly 30 years ago my friends did Masters, went travelling, got non-grad jobs and very few went straight into a scheme or career job. Many didn't end up doing anything which related to their degree.

I spent two years working in temporary office work working towards getting a job as a paralegal, then went back to law school full time for a year, working four evenings a week while I was there and started my training contract three years after finishing my law degree. I distinctly remember my dad saying, a few months after I finished my degree "So, you've not got a proper job yet then?" when he found out how little I earned. I don't recall that it was every particularly easy, and the only people who waltzed into career jobs out of university were those who were very well connected and/or absolute star students. There are a number of things making it particularly hard now, and I would have no expectations of DD1 going into the job she wants straight away after university, but she is working now, and can continue to work in that job FT when she finishes if she wants to, so can at least earn money and save some while she's at home.

Can your dc get a lower, practical qualification?

My ds is only 17 and will be studying engineering in September, but he wanted a Saturday job and so took a lifeguarding course when he was 16. With that he found a weekend job which he has been doing for a year. He has a reference and a year's customer service experience.
When I talked to him about grad unemployment, he said if it happened, he would either increase his hours as a lifeguard while he job searched, or he would look for a job as a trainee slater. I was impressed he had a plan B.

@anotherglass Another thought. We have an opening for a junior mechanical engineer where I work. We've struggled to fill it. Roughly where are you based?

Has he gone to local employment companies for temp work... factory, warehousing etc etc - you never know where NMW work might out in the right place / networking with his experience, or just to shadow in his own time.

It's very hard. I have two DC looking for work after masters! One has a good job offer if he passes.
The other is going to struggle and I am already worried.

Do you have friends or acquaintances at large companies? Ask them who or what to apply for. A friend heard a graduate was leaving so got her son to apply for the role which he got. She is also assisting her friends kids where possible.

is he AI savvy when it comes to job applications? The world has moved on, and AI screens ‘unsuitable’ applicants first.

Make sure his cv is relevant and up to date. Have a few different versions depending on what job he’s applying for.

Also, join relevant recruitment agencies that specialise in his sector. Get other people to help job hunt for him.

Also look at the company’s website directly. Not all jobs are placed on Indeed etc. and think outside the box. So look at engineering jobs on nhs sites, British airways etc, not just the obvious engineering companies.

I have 3 DC at or finishing uni. I worry a lot for them.
DS1 has a grad job starting in Sept, but I worry it will get pulled, and have everything crossed for him. There were 15,000 applications for 70 spots that got him his internship last summer, that led to the role being offered. So it def is a numbers game..many many of those kids would have been excellent in the role..so its down in part to luck. He had 3 AI stages (sift, cognitive testing, and interview with an avatar) to get through before a human reviewed those his performance in those three stage. Then he was invited to an on line assessment day with 100 others (they ran 5 sessions), where he had to try to stand out on a zoom call, whilst doing team activities, small group work and a 90 min panel interview. He did not meet a single person in the flesh until he started.
He applied for many others and got to varying stages with the SAME CV and a tailored app. So it isnt necc about CV or interview technique, or cognitive testing its luck.
DS2 is training to be a doctor. Its dire out there. For the first time this year not all 5th years got F1 places. Which should be guaranteed. Allocation is totally random. Grads are randomly assigned a number, if you get a really low one, you may not be able to finish your training. And as everyone has no doubt read, there arent enough roles post F2.
DD is at uni in Canada, and will prob stay there.
I have the utmost sympathy. It is hell out there. And we all work longer to support them, which in some ways makes it worse. What are employers going to do when they have no one ready from entry level to do the roles in the future, no one will be training these kids. It makes no sense to me.

You are probably going to disagree with me as you have with some of the other posters but I'm posting on the back of the past 6 months of my A level child applying for engineering apprenticeships

Firstly you need to get rid of the step down attitude and certainly the lower financial aspect

My child was applying, obviously, for non degree apprenticeships. The other candidates though were all at different stages of their work life and absolutely grads are applying

These were both blue chip and smaller companies. At the two assessment centres that they attended there were 10s of candidates for less than 5 roles at each and those are the ones that got that far from 100s of applicants

All of places untimately went to non grads and imo that's because they are the ones who are showing the employers they've got practical experience, theyve had part time jobs while at school, they have a work ethic

The actual formal interview part was minor, it's all about attitude, team working etc.

The successful candidates in those jobs will over the 4 years of the apprenticeship have earned getting in for £100k and have a qualification that will open so many doors

Don't be sneery about the non grads, get on all the apprenticeship websites and get applying

I also thought this was about sports grads and openes the thread because I have a friend whose daughter is one, funny that it was actually so close to home for me

This is how DS got his job offer. Over 200 applications for an internship, five rounds of interviews through AI, group discussions... it was like they were hiring for a senior role. Mad.
I get really annoyed by friends without children or friends with younger children, who give glib advice on getting a job. Things are completely different from how they were even a few years ago.

I recruit entry level roles in engineering.

Work experience placements - even just a week. Email or go in person to local companies.

Industry events, lectures etc - conferences will often do free entry if you ask in these circumstances. He has to show he has genuine interest in the sector.

Gain more qualifications in work-ready skills from local college - great he is learning coding at home, get a qual in this eg online. Language and music great but not going to help with engineering career.

One of the best things my dc did (non engineering) was to learn excel. A lot of businesses use it now, so that’s something he could be teaching himself. Dc did an online course which we paid for.

Not sure, but I think this was the course.

https://www.goskills.com/course/excel

I think this is all partly due to the ever increasing retirement age as well - it's like a blocked funnel.

Thank you. x He does write his applications by hand and is very aware employers can sniff out AI.

@anotherglass

Has he considered the Engineer Officer role in the Royal Navy, OP?

https://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/careers/roles/rbp-engineering-officer

You still haven’t answered the question about his work experience in engineering. Did his degree involve a year in industry? What did he do during the summer holidays?

I was clueless about the brutality of the jobs market until I saw the hoops DS has to jump thru. For the job he's being interviewed for this week, he had to to online assessment, interview with two HR managers, second interview with hiring manager including a 5 minute power point presentation and then finally, an assessment centre. This takes place over several months. He has got to the final interview and assessment centre but the strain and stress of waiting for a response is the hardest bit to deal with.

I’m not sure the OP is going to answer although it’s all very relevant information.

If I were him, I’d register with a temp agency, we fill lots of roles in our project management and surveying department by recruiting temps and then later making them permanent.

In your son’s position I’d also do a project management qualification like to help him stand out from other new graduate candidates.

To be honest, I don’t think the OP has been rude. It’s extremely tough out there. I know many young grads who left university last summer or even earlier who can’t find jobs - these are people who did physiotherapy degrees and computer science degrees, graduating with firsts. The computer science one is now 26 and still unemployed apart from voluntary work. My daughter has been working on a one year contract but loses that job next week without anything to go to. I myself am being made redundant and I doubt I will work again.

Why does it matter if the OP’s son worked in uni holidays or had a year in industry now? That’s in the past. Likewise, apprenticeships - he surely won’t be eligible because he has a degree?

Two young engineering graduates I know both ultimately found jobs in unrelated fields. One is now a chef.

I’d look into teaching. He’ll be in demand if he teaches maths or physics.

That headline is an utterly misleading lie btw.

I have huge sympathy for the OP's son but to blame this on immigration is just fatuous bollocks.

https://bsky.app/profile/monkemma.bsky.social/post/3mn2ugx6dcy2w