20 replies to this topic

[miniman24]

Hi all, I don't usually make these kind of posts but I'm actually feeling pretty lost right now. Essentially I am currently searching for and applying to graduate jobs/schemes. I graduated in June 2014 but didn't begin the work search until about 3 months ago due to wanting to go traveling for a bit before settling down, so I came back from uni and have been working locally in various minimum wage jobs to get the money to do so, however I thought that I would also start applying to graduate jobs so hopefully I would have something to come back to after traveling. I have been applying day and night to every job I can and have heard literally nothing back. I have a good degree in Product Innovation that despite what people may think was hard work with a lot of engineering modules and CAD work. I also have a lot of extra-curricular bulk to my CV that I've found most don't have. I'm also a great leader, was chosen to lead/co-ordinate most of my years projects.

 

Basically, does anyone have any advice with the application process, maybe a different way to apply rather than online? Currently very depressed about it all, first time feeling like this and its really not the best. Don't want to be stuck on the breadline, selling the Mini etc to get by.

[Gremlin]

Go and talk to companies, just spending 10 minutes filling in an online form doesn't show much willing

[miniman24]

I have been in and talked to some but they said to check the website for openings, it seems the time of handing hard CV copies out is over.

[Miniminx71]

I remember reading this a while back - seems putting together a really creative/original CV that gets you noticed may help:

 

http://www.dailymail...tand-crowd.html

[Anthony30]

I have been in and talked to some but they said to check the website for openings, it seems the time of handing hard CV copies out is over.

Same response I got when handing out my CV. Companies prefer to advertise their jobs online, and only respond to CV's that interest them. Bit of a PITA for job hunters really. Don't bother going to the job centre either, all they want to do is send you on silly courses, and the 'advisers' certainly don't seem to help, just winge at you for not having a job. That's my experience anyhoo. Good luck!

[M J W J]

Unfortunately this is probably life lesson one. Your degree counts for squat. I learnt this the hard way. You may be qualified but so is everyone else that came before you and they now have experience so don't expect to get a well paid job to begin with. You very well may have to take a job that affectively pays minimum wage but at least you gain experience from it. You can always jack it in after a year and move somewhere else.

 

Part time jobs and personal hobbies will help you a lot. If you are trying to get engineering or design based jobs you want a hobby that reflects this. In my case I was applying for mechanical engineering jobs and I fly RC planes and work with cars.

 

You say you are after a job using CAD. There are unfortunately loads of graduates that say they can CAD model but the amount of them that can actually do it to an adequate level is quite low. You will need to find a way to show that you are better than the average candidate in your covering letter. Showing a link between your degree and your personal life helps as well as it shows that you are genuinely interested in the subject and didn't just do if for a qualification so you can get a pay cheque at the end of the month.

 

All I can say is keep applying. By the time I got my first job I had applied for around 400 jobs and I had 3 interviews out of that.

 

Take a look at KTP and KEEN. These are two nation wide graduate training schemes that seam to have a good success rate and they have got me both of my first two jobs. I currently work for Wolverhampton University on a KEEN placement and they have loads of companies approach them but not enough graduates of a good enough caliber to fill them.

[Anthony30]

I remember reading this a while back - seems putting together a really creative/original CV that gets you noticed may help:

 

http://www.dailymail...tand-crowd.html

I think it was reed.co.uk I used to make my CV more noticeable. They have a free CV template. It's easy to use, just put in all the info required, and choose the template you like best.

[humph]

I will offer some constructive advice, but first some questions that might help everyone get an idea of what you are looking for, and what jobs your are applying for.

 

1) What is Product innovation?  Is it a vocational degree? Sorry there is nothing meant by this questions, I'm just trying to understand what jobs it opens up for you.

2) What job disciplines are you applying for?

3) Who are you applying to? Are they typically large organisations, or smaller, or both.

4) Are you applying in a certain geographical area? You'll need to apply to anyone and everyone wherever you are.

5) What extra curricular stuff have you got on your CV?

 

I agree most companies like the online application thing these days, especially the big ones. I know my company certainly does, especially as we have offices all over the UK and HR reps everywhere.  It means that all applications land in one place to get dealt with.  Unfortunately for us in my place HR vet them first and send all the applicants with top degrees and the likes through for interview. The problem with this is, that as we work in teams, we end up interviewing these guys who have been chosen purely on academic results, but are wouldn't fit into our team at all. 

[humph]

I remember reading this a while back - seems putting together a really creative/original CV that gets you noticed may help:

 

http://www.dailymail...tand-crowd.html

 

I agree that this may help, but only with some employers. I'd agree this would work if you're going for a job in an arty creative environment, however in other fields this sort of stuff really won't impress anyone. There's a time and a place.

[Black.Ghost]

As others have said, many people have degrees. It is often luck getting the right job at the right time. Recruiting the right people for the right job is hard work, and why there are so many companies doing it.

 

Get on Linked In, join a few joists (reed, indeed, etc. ) and upload your CV there as well. Find out what other areas you might be able to get into, not just the ones you were initially planning on. You might find something slightly more interesting, or it may just be a stepping stone. 

 

Like others have also said, you need to make sure you stand out from the crowd. it is really basic - but make sure there are no spelling or grammatical mistakes on your CV. The first thing that says is attention to detail is lacking. There was a report some time ago, and I think it has been re-iterated numerous times, is that there are plenty of graduates leaving university without the ability to produce concise, well written reports. Numerical skills have often been found to be lacking as well.

 

The reality is that nothing will just get handed to you (unless you come from a very wealthy family) and you have to work for everything. Also remember that once you do find a job, no one except you will care about your career progression - you have to push for every opportunity. If you sit back and plod along, life might be just fine but you won't achieve as much as you could. Some people are fine like this, others want a lot more.

 

What about the military? There are all kinds of great career paths as an officer and a soldier, in all three services. The degree might not be hugely relevant, but you can learn more skills. The income is decent enough when starting out, the leadership skills will be more highly valued (although no soldier likes a new junior officer that thinks he is the best leader and knows everything) and you'll potentially make some of the best friends of your life. Not to mention the other plus sides of cheap skiing, sailing or any other adventure sport that takes your fancy. There is a lot more to the armed forces than just shooting people these days. 

 

One final thing. Don't feel down and depressed about it. It will achieve absolutely nothing whatsoever. Just take it on the chin, enjoy the travelling and see what opens up. You never know, you might meet someone while travelling who can set you up with a job, or you might find a good career chance overseas. Life is too short to be miserable and depressed. We live in a great time, enjoy life and enjoy the world. It takes more than money to make one happy (although it can help a lot!)

[Miniminx71]

 

I remember reading this a while back - seems putting together a really creative/original CV that gets you noticed may help:

 

http://www.dailymail...tand-crowd.html

 

I agree that this may help, but only with some employers. I'd agree this would work if you're going for a job in an arty creative environment, however in other fields this sort of stuff really won't impress anyone. There's a time and a place.

 

Well, his degree is in product innovation, hence it may be of relevance.

[Cooperman]

When I worked for a living, part of my business was high-end engineering recruitment, so I have read literally thousands of CV's of well-qualified applicants.

Now the big thing I used to stress to all candidates was this - the hiring organisation doesn't care what you say you can do, it only cares what you can do for them. So the CV needs to be tailored for each company's vacancy.

Secondly it needs to stand out in a positive way. Sports, hobbies and interests may not be job-specific, but they indicate the level of overall capability the candidate possesses. For example, a young member of my gliding club was applying for jobs and asked for my help with his CV. He is just 18 years old. I said to put that he is a qualified glider pilot trusted by the club to fly a £20,000 glider solo and to soar it to over 6000 ft. He also mentioned that he is a qualified diesel winch driver responsible for the safe launching of pilots in high-performance gliders. That generated a lot of interest as it confirmed a personal responsibility level. Personal responsibility is a transferrable skill and the CV can state this in no uncertain terms.

Use any personal skill as an advantage and don't be shy of stating this.

I hope this helps.

[1984mini25]

 

I have been in and talked to some but they said to check the website for openings, it seems the time of handing hard CV copies out is over.

Same response I got when handing out my CV. Companies prefer to advertise their jobs online, and only respond to CV's that interest them. Bit of a PITA for job hunters really. Don't bother going to the job centre either, all they want to do is send you on silly courses, and the 'advisers' certainly don't seem to help, just winge at you for not having a job. That's my experience anyhoo. Good luck!

 

 

That's assuming that the companies in question aren't simply putting up ads on a weekly/almost daily basis for the fun of it. Also a lot of companies don't even use humans to sort through cvs or applications anymore, instead they prefer to used computer systems that scan through them only for key words. So if yours hasn't got exactly what they are looking for, then not only will you not be successful, but you'll probably never hear back from them either.  

[M J W J]

When I worked for a living, part of my business was high-end engineering recruitment, so I have read literally thousands of CV's of well-qualified applicants.

Now the big thing I used to stress to all candidates was this - the hiring organisation doesn't care what you say you can do, it only cares what you can do for them. So the CV needs to be tailored for each company's vacancy.

Secondly it needs to stand out in a positive way. Sports, hobbies and interests may not be job-specific, but they indicate the level of overall capability the candidate possesses. For example, a young member of my gliding club was applying for jobs and asked for my help with his CV. He is just 18 years old. I said to put that he is a qualified glider pilot trusted by the club to fly a £20,000 glider solo and to soar it to over 6000 ft. He also mentioned that he is a qualified diesel winch driver responsible for the safe launching of pilots in high-performance gliders. That generated a lot of interest as it confirmed a personal responsibility level. Personal responsibility is a transferrable skill and the CV can state this in no uncertain terms.

Use any personal skill as an advantage and don't be shy of stating this.

I hope this helps.

 

I second this.

 

I have only ever once been asked a technical question about my job in an interview which was actually quite difficult to answer as my then current employer was really protective of its IP. I ended up answering the question by talking about how I could be trusted with confidential information and how I would be a good long term employee for them because of this.

 

The rest of my interviews have usually been spent discussing Mini's and RC planes. In my interview for Aston Martin we ended up talking about robot wars and how I would design and build my own robot. It was only after about 45 minutes did we both realise we had to fill in the questionnaire so we quickly had to make up some answers. Amazingly enough they offered me a job... which I then turned down.

[l_jonez]

In my very first lecture in uni the lecturer told us " 80% of graduates will be working in completely different roles to their degree within 10 years of graduating"

I graduated 8 years ago with 120 people on my course, only a handful are still working within the industry.
My advice would be to broaden your search to other job roles. From my experience employers use a degree to gauge how good you are at learning, so your degree could only be partly relevant to the job but it indicates you have the ability to learn.

It took me nearly 4 years before I got a career rather than just a job. You just have to keep applying even though its frustrating. One "graduate" role I applied for wanted 5 years experience... How does that work!
A couple of jobs I applied for I left my degree off my CV and I had more success :/


Good luck with the search.