2 Comments

1. Lauren

   Posted August 18, 2010 at 1:15 PM

   I couldn’t agree more with your advice about looking beyond large graduate schemes. My first post-university job, which I started the September after graduating, was on a graduate scheme with a very large company, but one that is relatively unknown. Still, the advert was in The Guardian (Society section) for all to see, and perfectly appealing. For around 3 places, they received 12 applications, and I was the only person taken on. I have no idea why the response was so poor. This was in 2007, before the recession really hit, but finding graduate employment was still tricky.

   The job paid well, for a first job, c.£18k, outside London but in a major city. The application process was tough – assessment centre, lengthy written exercise, second interview – but no worse than plenty of others. And the job required no particularly specialist knowledge. It involved largely producing high-quality written work, so perfect for social sciences, humanities, arts, media/journalism – there were also several post-LPC lawyers on staff. To this day, I can’t understand the low response. I spent a couple of years there, and have since moved into another related field, with greater specialism. It was a great starting point, the work was varied and involved close work with government agencies, international travel and plenty of conferences/networking opportunities. The hours were very long sometimes, but we were well compensated.

   I’d highly recommend looking for these hidden opportunities. The same employer still takes on graduates, and I’d be interested to hear how the response rate has changed. I know it was not much better even in 2008/9, when the recession had hit, and this seemed beyond understanding.
2. Marcia

   Posted November 9, 2010 at 6:12 PM

   Excellent points about the hidden job market and avoiding large graduate schemes.

   However, I do have to stand up for starting your own business and personally I think it can be an excellent idea for graduates struggling to find a job. I, for one, think I would have emotionally drowned had I taken a job where my skills were under-utilised as a temporary move until I found something better or to gain experience before setting up my own business.

   Everyone is different and for some people taking the risk is worth it. For me it meant that I was able to enter my chosen industry at a high level rather than having to work at a lower level as admin staff. It also meant that in my first year after graduating I earned what I consider to be a decent graduate salary, although I do admit I could have ended up earning absolutely nothing.

   In response to your point: “If even older people with years of solid commercial experience find it difficult to run their own business, is it really smart first step for a graduate with pretty much no experience?”, I have to say that yes, actually it is a smart first step for the right sort of person, because being a successful entrepreneur has more to do with personal qualities than experience, even the most experienced person may have no entrepreneurial skills, and those with entrepreneurial skills are able to gain experience and insight into an industry or market quickly – even from the outside looking in.

   It’s all about the individual and I do agree with you that people with little or no entrepreneurial spirit should not be pushed in the direction of setting up their own business because of the risk and personal responsibility involved, but I also think that those with an entrepreneurial spirit should not be discouraged. When I went to my careers adviser to talk about setting up as a self-employed translator she basically responded with a big “oh no, don’t do that!” and suggested I work as an employee first. I am so so glad I didn’t listen to her and did my own thing anyway. I quit my part-time job in the middle of the recession, moved to Portugal and registered as self-employed, and for me this was the best thing I could have done.