Graduate daughter still looking for work.

[Bluelagoon02]

Hello Mums.

Few months ago I opened up about my daughter’s job situation. She graduated July 2024 but hasn’t been able to secure anything yet. At first she was very much trying to find a job in line with her studies. But as time moved on it became obvious she needed to lower her expectations so she applied to just anything UK based and abroad, mainly Spain and Italy. She managed to get through several job interviews but her shyness and lack of experience landed her to nothing. Lots of rejections that if you are lucky to hear back from companies or recruiters. I was genuine very scared when I originally wrote my very first post on this forum. Now I feel literally petrified to lose her. Every morning I go to her room fearing the worse. She lost contact with most of her Uni friends who had moved on. Her bf has some serious family issues so my daughter is pretty much on her own apart from us.
What do you suggest I should do ? What can I do ? I fear for her mental and physical health. It’s just so sad to see her going through this given what she had achieved not just academically but on a personal level too. She tried so hard, now she just burnt out staring into space. This isn’t healthy !
Applications after applications with very little response let alone feedbacks. Maybe you are a Mum like me who is struggling to keep her adult child alive. Maybe you lived the same situation and can offer advice. I would love to hear from anybody who can help. Thank you

Never asked her that horrible question. At this minute she’s just very sad, frustrated, disappointed and alone. Apart from us of course.

We considered a master in translating/ interpreting.

Volunteering is something you can get underway now this moment without delay. It doesn't mean that she can't continue along side that looking for employment. It is just it will boost her self esteem, give her skills and invaluable contacts. You need to get on it tomorrow. Libraries often have Summer reading challenges to promote literacy in children. It might be too late for this year but had you got this underway earlier, she might have used it as a stepping stone into a role in schools. You've got to find the links and grab the opportunities but volunteer now.

We considered a master in translating/ interpreting

It would be a huge waste of time and money and be very unlikely to enhance her career prospects.

I haven’t read the whole thread so apologies if this has been said but Marketing will be impacted by AI as companies will probably be looking to downsize marketing teams and make more use of AI generated content. Long term she might be better off doing a different career anyway. Is your daughter in touch with any of her old uni course mates, what types of roles are they doing now?

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I'm another thinking voluntary work. It will increase her confidence and give her something to do.

Schools are often in need of language assistants, this used to be paid but not to much now.

Has she considered hospitality? Speaking three languages would be a great start for a hotel receptionist, and hotels, at least the chains have management structures.

Tourism? Are you near anywhere that has guided tours?

Airline industry?

Online teaching Spanish?

It is a really hard question to ask, but it is also really important to know. You are scared you are going to lose your daughter, you need to know where she is and if she is in immediate danger.

I had have to ask this question and the answer is yes, so had to follow up with ‘do you have a plan?’ Which meant we could put protective factors in place to support and protect. The conversation was also part of the healing processes.

It was a hardest conversation that I have ever had to do, but was needed to keep her safe.

That was 5 years ago now and she is currently a very healthy, thriving young adult.

If HR is a possibility would international HR masters be something she would consider? It would combine some of the complexities of different cultures which she learnt from her first degree, with HR skills and accreditation.

She researched it as much as possible and came to the same conclusion.
I just wish for low universities intake. Less students, less money maybe an opportunity for universities to understand exactly what the govt is doing to young people. No future, no prospect etc etc

Thanks for your input. At this we really feel so confused. I’d like to address her health first. My husband is being a joke about it offering very little support.

Another job idea aside from tutoring (while she's looking for proper work) that doesn't require an interview is AmazonFlex or various other delivery driver jobs (provided she has a driver's licence).

I know what people are saying about addressing her mental health issues first, but her dip in mental health has a very specific reason - lack of employment. If she were to get paid work her mental state would improve.

You are totally right. Her MH would deffo improve if she was to find something. She is not aiming for anything huge. She understood the journey is a difficult one.

ps: no driving licence yet 😔 Long story connected to Covid time. Thanks for your input.

Another thing to look into is doc review - bilingual people usually wanted for various document review projects. Most of these jobs are through agencies and don't require interviews. Some are very well-paid.

I work in marketing and regularly interview graduates. Volunteering is great to have a on a CV as it also provides relevant examples of transferable skills like teamwork, communication, working under pressure etc that she could talk about at interview. Most of the graduates we employ don’t have marketing experience but we do look for them to have some sort of work history, even it’s just volunteering or a non related job like retail or bar work.

It all makes sense. Thank you for your input x

You think ?

I must say this was many years ago that I looked into becoming an interpreter for those accused at courts/police stations and it used to be very lucrative work, but you just needed a particular language examination that they required - no Masters. I remember it wasn't very onerous and could be obtained within a few weeks/months.

Rather than a masters, would she consider doing a TEFL course or similar to teach English as a foreign language on a one-to-one basis. My DD did one and found numerous opportunities to teach locally while she was working out which direction she wanted to go in for a career.

I also agree that any volunteering job would give her more confidence - try the local charity shops for example.

Obviously I don’t know you or your daughter but I do think she needs to do something to help improve her mental health. Staying in and not having a routine won’t be helping.

Which is why I suggested a masters. Especially if she enjoyed studying, it could be something she can succeed at and improve her self esteem.

I hope you can figure something out that works for her.

You are right. You all are on here one way or another. We so hope for things to improve. The hole is getting bigger each day that passes by 😞

I’ve also seen a couple of posters talking about the impact of AI on marketing roles. I work for a very large marketing agency (10,000+ employees worldwide) and can honestly say it’s not having a huge impact on our day to day resource planning, yes we are adopting it more to help with some day to day tasks but there is still plenty of recruitment going on and it’s really in its infancy.

I think a volunteering role is great for the cv. Dd has just finished her first year at uni and struggled to find a summer job and was feeling pretty demoralised. She now volunteers at the local open air swimming pool teaching children to swim.
I lived overseas for 25 years and started volunteering in a charity shop (am still there) and it helped me get another job as I had recent work experience and a referee.

She looked in that area too, thank you.

So sorry to hear about your step son. This is what I fear the most. It must be terrible :(

When I couldn’t get a job after university I did an apprenticeship! You don’t have to be a school leaver to get them!

Tell her to look at the gov uk apprenticeship site and apply! There are lots of roles in local government, marketing, journalism etc