New graduate daughter can’t find work

[Bluelagoon02]

This is my first post so please be kind to me. I’m writing about my daughter who graduated last July (2024). Although she managed to get some interviews she hasn’t been able to secure anything yet. Her moods are quiet low and she also lost touch with most of her Uni friends. I’m seriously concerned for her physical and mental wellbeing. She was always very shy but Uni life really helped her develop. She was totally transformed and happy too. She also lived in Spain for a whole year which was part of her Uni business course. This is so frustrating but I can’t get upset with her. She has been looking for anything and keeps receiving rejection after rejection. It’s so heartbreaking to see her so sad and alone in her room all the time. I also looked for jobs for her but she does prefer to keep looking herself. She also applied for volunteering work with no success. I am very scared to lose her if something doesn’t come up soon. Any advice is truly appreciated. Thank you

There are loads of Civil Service jobs.
Immigration or passport office etc would value languages.

Awful advice. Nobody should ever become a teacher without a real wish to do it. It's punishing enough for those who genuinely love their subject and being around children. I wish people understood the teaching is not a job to go into just because you can't think of/find anything else!

https://shawtrust.org.uk/national-careers-service/

Would this be helpful?

@PattyDukeAstin I never mentioned my name or my daughter’s.

Yes, he did go on his own. He recognised himself that he wasn't feeling right. He shared how he was feeling with a friend who was also struggling, and he too went to the GP for some antidepressants. You can Google this for more information. It's called 'post-graduation depression'. Fingers crossed for your DD.

I know you've asked people to be kind but the hard reality is the job market is tough atm.
As a senior person recruiting when I see degrees like business, it is simply no different than any other degree for me, it just means "generic graduate who can do some limited maths and probably can write competently". Marketing jobs are, and always have been, incredibly sought after and folks with little or no other experience than their degree won't stand out from the crowd.
I have friends who tried to get back into this field after time out for kids etc and have struggled and that is despite years of experience prior.
So she needs to focus on getting that first important step into something, anything, which is then her platform for further jumps.
Much 1st stage recruitment is AI based so if she's not getting past the first stage for entry level jobs ie not even hearing back, then she's not hitting the right AI notes. Has she used chatGPT to assess her CV against the job description, has she spoken to temp agencies and asked them for feedback? Has she worked her local network? If her friends are all.employed can they put in a good word or point her at vacancies where they work?

Is the marathon on her CV? Though it sounds like the CV isn’t the problem and she’s been getting interviews and even to second stage, so it might just be pure bad luck and a numbers game.

As she ran for Dementia UK, is that an area of interest? Age UK has 2 current vacancies for a marketing & communications officer (relocation to West Sussex). But it’s also an opportunity to tailor her CV by volunteering for Dementia UK or similarly themed charities. Looking for small community volunteer opportunities is also a good “in” – lots of people want to do stuff for the big names but those spots fill up quickly, there’s plenty of small, unsexy volunteering opportunities to aim for that could help paint a picture on her CV. (While also doing good!)

MH-wise, it’s really tough. It took me a year to start work after university. You go from busy in a rewards-based system – write this essay, receive a grade! – to a ghosting system: apply for this job, hear nothing! I cleared out my mum’s desk recently and found her paper notes about my depression and MH from that time, all her worry but my refusal to talk or go to the GP. Because it feels so humiliating and shaming, especially when you’re surrounded by working peers and working parents, it can make you feel a bit broken.

@nationalsausagefund yes the London marathon is on her CV. She also contacted Dementia UK plus other known charities. Thanks for sharing about your MH too. Indeed it is very difficult.

How was her appointment on Monday?

What is her third language? I'm guessing the first 2 are English and Spanish.

We are coming in to summer so places for a temporary job where her languages are useful could be tour guide / guide at some historic building(s) or on a HOHO bus.

Theme parks. I taught for a wile in Stoke and the VI formers who worked at Alton Towers were happy in their work.

Could she give language lessons? Online or face to face?

@sashh She can speak fluent Spanish and Italian plus English her mother tongue.
Seasonal jobs are great for experience but if pay isn’t decent living away from home becomes more of a challenge.

Thanks for the advice.

As with anything, if what your doing isn't working, not even a few bites then stop, scrutinise, refocus, do something different. Look up squiggly careers. Be strategic and look at foot in the door roles for places that might have the job you'd really like, be so much more strategic. Rarely do people go from graduating to degree related role straight away. The one thing in your original post that jumped out to me is that your daughter has drifted away from her uni friends, and if no voluntary work is being proffered, when normally volunteers are snapped up there needs to be a look at what is going on there.

@Middlechild3 I agree with you. However, could you please explain better the last part of your reply. Many thanks

How are you both getting on, OP?

Hope it’s all going well OP? My DD is doing Spanish so I’m following with interest 😌

@Zilla1 Apologies for not replying sooner. Our family cat was unwell. We feared the worse.
Not a great deal to report I am afraid. DD has been considering new avenues though. Hopefully something will come up soon 🤞🏼Thanks for asking.

@LadyCrumb Is your daughter doing International Business and Management with Spanish ? Please make sure she gets some work experience under her belt. Without it a second or third language means very little I am afraid. Best of luck 🙂

Sorry for not replying at the time.

Sport. She run the London Marathon.
She’s thinking to do a TEFL course.

@Bluelagoon02 Has your DD had any luck finding a job in the last 6 months?

I wish I could answer to you properly. Can’t say it for sure I’m afraid.

Hi OP - I appreciate your daughter is a little bit shy but do you think she would consider tutoring in languages while she looks for something else ? I use an online tutoring company Preply for my daughters maths tutor but I’ve previously used a French tutor and an Italian tutor. ( the Italian tutor was just conversational). My daughter is 13 and I look for tutors that she is happy to chat to for an hour. As far as I can tell they don’t require any teaching qualifications and she can set her own schedule depending on her other commitments. Just a thought - fingers crossed she finds something soon.