How long have you been a graduate?

It's been my downfall, interviews. It just hurts me how bad I am at interviews. I've been through second rounds of interviews, but when it comes to face to face interviews, It's been my short coming. How would you recommend I practise interview skills - because often I come across as fake and robotic in my interviews. Even been described as 'having low energy'

Think 'transferable skills'. Warehouse work: exposure to ordering, stocktaking, teamwork, health & safety legislation (and if you're being asked to lift stuff that is obviously too heavy for you then you need to speak to HR/your agency/an employment adviser about it), numeracy skills, completing paperwork or online forms quickly and accurately.

Working in a care home: using your initiative, dealing with challenging people (patients and their visitors), a HECK of a lot of responsibility, patience, team work, filling out dull but legally very important forms, shift work, health & safety etc etc.

And just the mundane day to day stuff. As i said above, it proves that you can get yourself somewhere on time on a regular basis and get on with things and other people.

No one's saying that 3 years of warehouse work is a precursor for a grad job at the US office of Amazon, but 6 or so months can, I think, greatly enhance a CV. It's all about how you present it.

It's been my downfall, interviews. It just hurts me how bad I am at interviews. I've been through second rounds of interviews, but when it comes to face to face interviews, It's been my short coming. How would you recommend I practise interview skills - because often I come across as fake and robotic in my interviews. Even been described as 'having low energy'

Practice with friends, careers centre at university can usually do mock interviews etc.

Why are you appearing low energy? You want/are interested in the job right? You should be brimming with energy/enthusiasm and this is typically what companies look for in a graduate given you'll have relatively little in the way of technical skills.

Finished my Masters in September last year, been trying to find paid work ever since.

Well you know what the issues are so that's a start! Can you still use your university careers centre? Maybe they can help you with some practice. In the meantime:

Use your laptop or phone to film yourself talking about something you're interested in. listen to how you sound (yes, I know, it's painful). What's wrong with it? Work from there.

Listen to people you like the sound of. What are they doing that's different? More emphasis or expression needed, maybe?

Smile more. It seriously works.

Don't over-rehearse answers to predictable questions. This can make anyone sound a bit robotic.

And context is everything. If you're applying for science/medicine type stuff then you don't need to sound like a game show host so relax!

Good luck.

What did you do your masters in?

I understand where you are going with all of this but what I meant was, people (especially most graduates) say its a menial job to do retail work for instance stacking shelves.
They think its pointless because when you actually have a degree you think yourself better than the job (basically they're saying the sector lacks 'prestige'.

Also depending on the companies, most would expect 'relevant' experience which my above post makes the point really.

My four friends studied Interior Design at a polytechnic university and graduated a year before I did, but they didn't get the chance to work part time during their studies which explains why they are still struggling to find a job.

They say they wanted to go into design but working in a warehouse isn't relevant to that though.

I've graduated already, so university is not an option. With friends, they never give honest opinions, though it's good for practise, so I might consider doing that.

Low energy. I've always had an extremely calm demeanour, it's my natural state. I think it's the lack of practise to be honest. It's incredible frustrating how much of an hindrance interviews have been.

International Public Policy, Regulation and Competition. It's not the masters subject thats the issue btw, like TonyStark I too have had trouble with interviews

I'm in the same situation as guy above (@tonystark), it just seems that when you're desperate for work you'd take anything that comes your way. But give out that impression during the interview and the chance slips from you. Desperation then turns into frustration, which basically hinders your ability to move on from past failures and learn new things. Without knowing, you choose to make the same mistakes over and over, then wonder why x months have passed and you don't get a job while your school friends are already in management roles

"what I meant was, people (especially most graduates) say its a menial job to do retail work for instance stacking shelves.
They think its pointless because when you actually have a degree you think yourself better than the job (basically they're saying the sector lacks 'prestige'."

And that's precisely the point! Some recruiters feel that grads have a bit of an attitude is this regard, and by having a few months of menial work on your CV then it's disproving this, isn't it? hence my comment about proving you can get on with people and so on.

Can totally understand how disheartening it is though and I do sympathise with anyone graduating these days.

I agree. For me, I always wanted to study medicine, however due to financial reasons it's not something possible right now. So I've been looking for graduate jobs for a long time - there comes a point where you become desperate and frustrated as you see others around you succeed.

I've been trying so hard. I've made 20 different versions of my CV and Cover letter etc

Since December 2015. Graduate with 2:1 in Business Studies

I've had two interviews since then and they both went really well, thought I was going to get the job each time. The first job for a small business doing warehouse work even invited me to a 4 hour unpaid work trial after the interview on the pretense that I would with 99% certainty be offered the job; they just like to do it as procedure. The work trial went well and they seemed happy with me, talking about how I could do other things for them beyond the job description that would hep the business (photography/photoshop stuff). Then a week later I get the e-mail..."We have processed all decision making metrics and regret to inform you..." I was like lol wtf?

The second job was an apprenticeship admin role at a small business. I for some reason was unaware graduates weren't allowed to do apprenticeships and so were the employers. I didn't care about the £3.30 wage I just wanted some experience - to do something, anything. The interview went really well and they said they'd get back to me in a few days. It took like a week or so in fact, I thought I mustn't have got the job for whatever reason so had gave up hope at that point, but they rang me to say they took so long because they were trying to contact the apprenticeship people (sorry, i'm not familiar with how it works) to allow me to do the apprenticeship even though I was a graduate. The woman who interviewed me seemed more annoyed on the phone than me lol, she said I was their first choice and that she thought it was stupid graduates couldn't do apprenticeships because how else are they supposed to get experience they need?

Honestly an apprenticeship type role like that seems perfect for me but my only realistic option now seems to be call centres, recruitment consultants, other high-turnover 'graduate' jobs with OTE that seem completely dodgy from everything I read about them and the vibe they give off over the phone and in emails (FDM group, Pareto Law etc.)

It's my own fault really for going to University in the first place with no career in mind, and not trying hard to get an internship after my second year, but bloody hell it's quite bleak is this when you think about it. Often think of becoming a farmer living off the land in Ireland or living in a tree house in the woods away from it all. If we don't leave the EU then this country honestly may push me over the edge. Luckily I have grown a healthy sense of gallows humour over the years or else I might have topped myself by now.

You need to get yourself down to a charity shop asap. And don't look down on companies such as FDM Group - they're a good last resort and perfectly suited to people like you who can't find anything else, your best bet would be to apply to FDM. The unpaid training may seem unattractive but you can get a decent job out of them if you stick with them long enough.

Well I finished all my work and exams about 2 weeks ago now I'm awaiting results. My actual graduation ceremony is in November so I'm basically in limbo at the minute with this degree.

As for grad jobs I really hope I get a 2:1 because I've found a good job, done all the interviews and now all I need is a 2:1 and I've got the job.

They say my course (Software Engineering) has more available jobs compared to most courses but the application stage is still really hard for the first job after graduation... I applied to about 50-60 placements and didn't get one :/

Nice one mate. What unis this and what company are you trying to get on?