Jobless Oxford postgraduate

So I'm a post-graduate at Oxford, currently looking for a graduate job but with no luck so far. I've made about 30 applications and had about the same number of rejections, with a couple of interviews. I tailor my CV & letter to each job and I've had my CV checked by the university careers service and told by an employer of a top grad scheme that it was great, so I don't think that's the problem.

As well as the Master's I'm currently reading for, I hold a first class degree and a couple of academic prizes from a sixties institution; I speak two foreign languages and have spent time studying abroad; I have a lot of work experience, both paid and unpaid, in various different sectors (translation, politics, journalism, business etc.) but I'm still struggling to find a job. I'm trying not to get demoralised, but it's hard, when I thought I'd done so much to set myself apart.

Any ideas? Or anyone else in the same situation who just wants to commiserate? I'm currently eating Nutella from the jar with a spoon, while trying to find the motivation to finish my thesis and face yet another round of fruitless graduate job applications.

Degrees in what subjects?

Even though you sound pretty much perfect, 30 applications is very light. just keep applying

Modern Languages, French with Italian.

It depends what job you are going for, but the reality is you will have to rely on the prestige of Oxford's name, rather than the suitability of your degree to obtain a job (thanks to our prejudiced society and the fact that only a few degrees at Oxford are actually vocational). You need to stand out, keep applying, and try to obtain work experience etc... Also getting basic jobs through connections is a good start (we have to do this now in the dire job market) and make sure you do loads of research about a company, what it does, its history and future plans when persuading them to give you the job, whether in interview, or while writing your application.

You'll find a lot of employers not wanting to hire you because they think you're too ambitious or overqualified for the job. There's a stereotype that Oxbridge graduates are too smart and threaten the employer.

Thanks for the advice. I've been applying for roles based on my existing skills/experience as far as possible. So far, I've applied for journalism roles, a few business roles that wanted French-speaking graduates, HR roles, a language-specialist role with MI6, a publishing internship, and a few other things besides. I'm sure you're right about the work experience too - I just didn't realise how much would be required to find a permenant job, as I've already had so many internships and part-time jobs throughout my degrees. Sorry to come across as if I'm moaning, I'm just a bit surprised, that's all.

This will be me soon

I would've thought the language based roles with MI6 or GCHQ be ideal.

http://www.gchq-careers.co.uk/roles-at-gchq/language-analysts/

Ditto! I got rejected from MI6 yesterday, even though I meet their requirements (at least a 2.1, 2 European languages etc. etc.). I spent ages on the application form and have no idea where I went wrong because it's their 'policy' not to offer feedback.

Thank you for the link though! I might give GCHQ a go if I'm eligible.

Someone will correct me here if I'm wrong, I hope, but both MI6 and GCHQ really like people with an "odd" language like Arabic/Korean, which might be why they're not jumping at the chance to employ you with French and Italian. However, where I think those two languages could be extremely employable is with a UK company that does a lot of trading within the EU.

Wow this thread scares me slightly!

By the looks of it everything you've applied for is extremely competitive. Remember meeting the minimum requirements is not enough these days. In the case of MI6, they list their priority languages and specify that there "may be opportunities" for grads with European languages, but it doesn't seem like they're really a priority. Reading between the lines this is probably as a) French and to a lesser extent Italian are quite common languages and b) France and Italy are allies, so French and Italian speakers aren't really the focus of their recruitment drive. Plus the wording of "at least 2" makes it sound like they would prefer applicants offering more languages (I got turned down from an internship last year because I "only" spoke 3 too).

Think of every no as one step closer to a yes, you're clearly a competitive candidate it's just tough out there atm and 30 applicants is nothing

Someone will correct me here if I'm wrong, I hope, but both MI6 and GCHQ really like people with an "odd" language like Arabic/Korean, which might be why they're not jumping at the chance to employ you with French and Italian. However, where I think those two languages could be extremely employable is with a UK company that does a lot of trading within the EU.

They do, but there are occasional openings for people with European languages within both organisations (more so GCHQ). This is largely just to demonstrate your linguistic competency- once in, the likelihood is that you will be retrained in an 'in demand' Asian/African language.

I would say the OP is very employable, and obviously aiming high- perhaps worthwhile extending her scope to include SMEs in need of linguists. Not something that an Oxford postgrad would have needed to do 10 or even 5 years ago, but times are tough now- with her CV she is likely to be able to rise to something more 'prestigious' in the future.