Member Article

Graduate? Under-employed? Don’t despair… You’re not alone!

So, you’ve been through school and worked hard, got great exam results and found a course at university that suits you. You’ve graduated with your degree and didn’t quite have the time in the final year to make those grad scheme applications. You’ve moved home and you’re working in a bar. Temporary of course until something better comes along. Its 12 months later and you’re still in the bar. You’re still waiting but now you’re getting concerned because a new cohort of students have just graduated and competition is getting harder for the good jobs.

Does this sound like a familiar story? Well let’s just confirm something, you’re not alone.

According to the Office of National Statistics in 2013 47% of UK graduates were working in non-graduate roles. Clearly competition is fierce.

What are the next steps for underemployed graduates?

The position of being an under employed graduate can be tough. Opportunities in the sectors you wish to go into may be few and far between. Costs of further study may be expensive. Leaving your current job may be a risk that’s difficult to take. It’s easy to feel like you are damned if you do and damned if you don’t.

If you are in this position and concerned about your future there is plenty you can do.

Remind yourself of your successes

In situations like this it can be easy to start to question your ability. Remind yourself of your achievements, better still get someone to ask you to talk through your achievements. Say them out loud, talk about the journey you went on to achieve your goals. You have a degree, you found jobs in a competitive market; you can do things when you put your mind to it.

It’s ok not to have a life and career goal

Nothing magnifies your situation more than having friends who just seem to be flying away on the career trajectory they’ve always wanted and let’s face it, we all know these people. They have focus and determination to succeed. Not everyone though has these goals though, in fact most people don’t and that’s ok. But the worst thing you can do is stay in your current job if you are going nowhere. Wait for something else to come along and you’ll be waiting a long time. Take action and try something else. You have time so go into other sectors, even if it’s just to rule something else out. It’s all experience towards finding what you want to do, and in the meantime you might just find something different that you love.

It’s not all about the graduate scheme

Graduate schemes are not the only route to career success for graduates. If you can find a role and company where you enjoy your work the promotions will follow provided you show the commitment. Look at entry level opportunities within small businesses and when it comes to seeking promotions make sure you have something to hang your hat on.

Get back in touch with your university

As education has become an investment universities are opening their doors more than ever before to graduates who are struggling to find the right career direction, to ensure successful outcomes in key performance indicators such as DLHE. Many universities are offering careers advice, placements and even jobs to alumni who are struggling. Get in touch with your old careers department today.

Your career can wait – in the meantime change the world

For many there seems to be so much pressure after graduation just to get started and earn money to at least start paying down the debts. Take a step back though and refresh yourself. Would it be such a disaster if you don’t start paying the debts for another 12 months and in the meantime you can work on voluntary projects around the world? You can challenge yourself to save some money and go travelling for several months. Anyone in a career with commitments like mortgages and family will tell you don’t sweat the small stuff, go and expand your horizons, the bar job will still be there when you get back. Check out Projects Abroad for more info.

Networks

It’s never been easier to network not just in person but also online. Build a good Linkedin profile and use social media to support your job-search. Companies are getting much better at promoting careers on their homepages. Take opportunities to research the types of company you’d like to work for and ask for informational interviews. For more information on developing a search strategy check out the Steve Dalton’s 2 hour job search.

Learn about yourself

Spend some time with a quality careers advisor and try to understand what makes you tick. Find out what types of role would suit you and make career progression much easier. Having a quality advisor who is trained to extract information is perhaps the greatest investment you could make.

Remember: You are in control

The only person who can control this situation is you. Waiting for someone to take a chance on you or to pull you out of this situation is fatal. You can’t rely on others to give you the breaks you need, the only person who can do that is you. It boils down to choice, you can choose to stay in a job you hate or you can choose to change.

If you want to kickstart your career TAKE ACTION NOW.

Daniel Knowles is a Careers Coach and SME Internship Project Manager at Lancaster University.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Lancaster ICV .