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

Teach English to any local refugees on a voluntary basis?

No she didn’t. She genuine got rejected or never even got a reply. She even applied to clean jewelleries. I fully trust her. She wants to work but can’t find it. Having said that she ought to be more aggressive about it.

I wish it was as easy as you think.

I agree with you 100%. I know I should fully let her to do her own job search. She never asked or expected it. You try to see your daughter go through each day the way she does with the occasional opportunity of an interview that turns to nothing. Initially she was very excited and truly gave her whole during interviews just to hear back from them when she was very lucky. Like I said it is soul destroying.

Where did she do her degree, and what did she get? Did she get at least a 2.1?

Her degree is extremely generic, so unless she got a 1st from a top tier university, I'm not hugely surprised that she is struggling right now.

Having a BA is all well and good, but if she can top it up with a postgraduate qualification, she will be better positioned for a job, and a better paying job, so if she got a 2.1, would she consider applying for a Masters somewhere? She's cutting it fine, but I'm sure some are still open for this coming October.

We need teachers: https://getintoteaching.education.gov.uk/train-to-be-a-teacher/what-is-a-pgce

We need social workers: thefrontline.org.uk/become-a-social-worker/approach-social-work/

The civil service is enormous and varied: https://www.civil-service-careers.gov.uk/how-to-apply/

I don't suggest she starts a business if her mental energy is low right now. She'd be setting herself up to fail, and she needs proper direction.

It's hard OP. All these people saying 'just get a bar job'. Those are few and far between also! I have an 18 year old school leaver who has applied for loads of stuff in hospitality and shops and got nowhere.

I think this stresses the importance of putting yourself out there even before you finish your degree .
Too many students focus solely on getting high grades whereas they should be using the time during the course to network using Linkedin and other methods .
Those who have spent two or three years at university looking for internships , joining societies ( linked to their degree ) usually have a better chance of getting a job after graduation

Is it like a career fair ? I would like to know more about the Battersea one as we are much closer to that area. If you know the name of it could I kindly ask you to pm me the name? I really don’t want to miss you reply. Thank you

HNRTT but try to keep perspective. It will be upsetting to see her low but in the course of a fifty year career, difficulties even for a year or two post-graduation need to be kept in perspective.

Whilst applying for anything, perhaps try to work backwards from her preferred longer-term goal - If she wants a future in marketing then perhaps pick a low capital investment niche, digital marketing with a Spanish focus. It will enable her to practice writing a business plan, assess what digital skills might be needed and find online courses to build those. Leveraging her Spanish language to focus on UK digital marketing to Spain or the reciprocal might give her a natural niche. See this as giving her an opportunity to put her business and Spanish degree into practice and developing subject matter for her interview/first job fodder rather than a source of disappointment if it's hard to get paying customers.

Expenditure might be a URL and hosting package and mobile number to give her practice building a brand, building social media presence and a business website then developing marketing plans for herself then for clients. It might change an unsuccessful visit to a prospective employer from 'can I have a job' to ''I've reviewed your digital presence and think it cn be improved with X Y and Z. I can deliver X for 'free'/£100 and then show the metrics demonstrating the increase in engagement then we can talk about paying commercial rates for Y and Z....

I saw a PP criticise advice to start a business 'Not to mention: starting a business with what funds!'

but perhaps don't discount your DD starting up if you can spare a few pounds (I know two school leavers who have started a 'digital marketing agency' for les than a hundred pounds and run it from their bedrooms as they don't want to go into university.

You mentioned you are in Herts, OP:

https://www.herts.ac.uk/courses/postgraduate-masters/secondary-education-modern-languages

It might be the case but studying for a degree is very hard not to mention expensive. Since there is such a high demand for grads jobs I think the real problem starts from the universities and their false message of employment. It is the case.

Also you said she used to be sporty - volunteering would certainly pass the time and doing something physical might give her a boost as well: https://sportinherts.org.uk/volunteers

She should also consider looking for Summer work at Summer school/ camps.
There are some residential camps which provide food and board
DD worked at a Summer school for international students and received some very useful management training
I think some of them start hiring around this time

This would be my advice - go for a profession-specific Masters? Nearly every grad I know amongst my friends children have done one (Masters, law conversion, psychology conversion, surveyors qualification, accountancy training, teaching diploma).

Sadly an undergrad degree just isn’t enough since Blair convinced us that everyone should have one… because now everyone has one. Mine start at Uni this year and next and I have been very clear that whatever they study they will likely have to do a postgrad specialism degree or professional qualification, so I’ve encouraged them to do the undergrad subject that they love and then sort out employability at the Masters stage when they are older and may have an idea of what they are actually interested in doing career-wise.

For now, OP, I’d get her applying for courses and volunteering locally until Sept.

There is no guarantee of a job even with a Masters.

It's also expensive and she may not have the intellect (not everyone does.)

The professions you've quoted are very subject specific-they are post grad courses into professions. That's not the same as doing a Masters in business admin unless you mean an MBA and even that doesn't necessarily lead to a job.

We have good and bad days. She is very reserved so never shares her rejections when she gets some. In my heart I hope she is strong enough to navigate through this nightmare. It isn’t easy.

It is tricky. Post graduate degrees are expensive and she could face the same situation in a year or two's time though doing a Master's was a time honoured approach to waiting out a recession/difficult job market. If the issue is work experience in comparison with other candidates who have better work experience histories then it might be less useful, particularly if the destination career/sector is uncertain and funding is tight.

Nope - I mean precisely what I’ve written. She needs to explore post graduate qualifications from masters to diplomas to professional qualifications. I cited a wide range but there are hundreds of others (Institute of Personnel/IPD for HR, Tactical Accountancy exams, conversion degrees etc). Not knowing the OPs child I can only suggest she go onto unifrog and do some aptitude tests to get some suggestions there.

If OP’s DD has a 2:1, then she has already proven that she is intellectually robust enough and capable of completing further courses as these are the criteria for applying. And yes, you’re right, there is no guarantee of a degree with a Masters, but there’s a hell of a higher chance with additional qualifications and proof of her gumption to plug away at it, than sitting at home and spiralling downwards. There are, in fact, no guarantees of a job whatever she does so on that basis perhaps you feel she SHOULD just give up?

If you bothered to read all of my posts here you'd understand I am not advocating 'giving up'. That's a bit of a leap you've made there.

Are you always so aggressive if someone disagrees with you? Totally unnecessary comment.

Reading between the lines am I right in thing she's never had any job of any description? She's not going to get a graduate marketing job if that's the case. I would not employ a grad with no experience of doing anything at all when so many have made the effort to work and get experience.

She'll need to set her sights lower. Perhaps a very basic role in a big company where she can volunteer a day a week shadowing marketing and then applying for an entry role.

I would still encourage the apprenticeship route. Graduate marketing apprenticeship

Thanks for your reply. My DD speaks Spanish, Italian and English of course. Like I said in some previous posts she’s not picky, perhaps she should really aim to go even lower and work as a cleaner or something.

Nope I didn’t read all your posts - I read the OPs. And I wasn’t being aggressive. I was being factual, based on the experience of the 20 or so 21-25 year olds I know who have graduated in the last 3-5 years and the 32 fellow students on an MA I completed two years ago.

Not responding further to you.

@Bluelagoon02 would really suggest your DD look at a postgrad marketing diploma if that is what she’s really interested in and also explore volunteering - many local charities will welcome a free marketing assistant. I know from a friend who is in marketing/comms in the charity sector that they’d probably give her some free work experience if she contacted them asking for a 2 week unpaid placement, so perhaps she could write and send CVS to lots of charities and see if anything comes back? But I’d also recommend a PT job or volunteering somewhere in any capacity just to show on paper that she has team skills, is reliable, etc, and to get a work-based reference would also help.

My DS utilised his uni's career service as much as possible. And then he paid for a career mentor

This is part of the problem, if she is now 21-22 and never worked even a part-time job why would I as an employer even look at her - there are 100s of applications for each role even very low-level ones.

But then my daughters have worked since 13 and have not affected either of them one has a 1st and doing a master's in Law the other is doing a combined master's in engineering and is on target for a first - they've both worked through uni and during the holidays. Work gave them so many skills they'd never get through school or uni - and as both were fairly introverted also made them a lot more confident.

the job market especially for grad jobs is very competitive

The job market is hard right now, especially for fresh graduates with no experience, but it's not like there are no jobs being advertised. It seems to me like she's getting invited to interviews, but then gets rejected, yes? So her CV is fine (or they wouldn't have invited her), she just seems to be sabotaging herself during the interviews. How many has she had so far? And her mental state is probably getting worse with each rejection, which doesn't help. Marketing might not be the right field for her, but there are lots of career paths for business graduates with language skills.
She needs an interview coach or training OP. Mostly to give her some sort of confidence back. They will (hopefully) be able to spot how she can improve her interview skills.