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Finding a job without experience after graduating

Hi guys, I'm relatively new here, so I apologise if this is not the correct place to write this.

I've finished my Second year at University studying computer science, and haven't been successful in finding a placement. I did manage to secure some assessment centers and telephone interviews, but that was as far as it went.

Now I'm pretty much stressed day by day, worrying about how I'll find work after graduating without any experience. I was pondering the thought of graduate placement/schemes and doing some projects in my own time relating to my course to possibly serve as proof.

I can't get rid of this constant anxiety, and would appreciate if someone could help with my worries.

Thank you for reading.

Reply 1

Vibenation

Original post by Anon0098

I ain't the best guy to give you advice. But honestly look for Internships or volunteering opportunities and don't rely on graduate schemes. Look for jobs online through Indeed, Reed and Monster jobsites and look at temporary positions of some sort as another option. Use your university career services as well. There should point you in the right direction.

Reply 2

Voyager_2002

You are right to be worried, but the place to be seeking help is your uni careers service rather than an anonymous forum.

Clearly employers value experience, so if you, unlike the rest of your class, fail to get any, you will be at a severe disadvantage. Although your first task should be to get some feedback from the placements that didn't take you in order to identify problems with your application and if possible correct these.

If you have IT skills and are willing to work for free then it is hard to believe that no-one will give you relevant experience. For example, I am a director of a charity and we were grateful to someone who sorted out our web sites, and are looking for a volunteer to maintain our presence on social media. I am sure that there will be many opportunities like this across the voluntary sector.

In sum, being stressed is not going to help but there is a lot that you can and should do about your situation.

Reply 3

Get The Grad Job

Contrary to everyone else I don't think you need to be worried. As long as you can get a decent final degree then I don't think not having a placement will affect you. I couldn't decide whether to have a placement year at uni and therefore ended up applying for both summer internships and full industrial placements. I didn't take either and actually looking back applying for all these was the best thing that I did. Why? Because when it came to applying for graduate schemes I knew exactly what the process was so I got a head start on everyone else and I knew exactly what the assessors were looking for. Definitely apply for graduate schemes as your experience of applying for placements will only help you. You can always brush up on some of your skills this summer before you have to start applying!

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 4

DarkSky

http://www.it4communities.org.uk/

When opportunity doesn't knock, build a door.

Reply 5

LukeM90

It mightent be ideal or what you wanted, but despite what people think there is actualy loads of IT support jobs out there, I think people just dont want to do them, or think they are above it.

And ok I would rather be programming for a living, or even doing somthing more technical (I do some infrastructure support but not much in the way of servers) but my job isnt that bad, I mean I dont like it all that much but its not a terrible job.

Since I've been in it I've been actively looking for other jobs and the ammount that get back to me are 1st line support, 2nd line support even 3rd line support and tbh for me I dont see a point moving to do the same kinda job even if the money is a little better, because Id still be looking for another job right after starting lol

but thats irrelivant and not meant to sway you,

what Im getting at OP is I dont even have a degree and getting this job was very easy, but then Ive had a year of unemployment to make me focus on getting MY c.v. up to scratch and knowing how to handle interviews lol.

I dont think you will have any problems though, my advice is take whatever you can get in the industry until the job you want comes along, any industry experience is better than non

And btw most people find it hard to find placements, as another poster said though this wont affect you all that much not having one if you end up with a good final grade, which im sure you can achieve if you put the effort in.

I wish you all the best of luck!

Reply 6

sdkitteh

The best advice I can give you is to volunteer- go into every IT shop around and say you want to volunteer and willing to do anything- if that means being the can lad. Its great to say you got straight As in your GCSEs and A Levels, went to a Russell group university and a got a first class degree- it takes a lot and yes, it is very impressive. However- you need to add something to your CV to stand out from the crowd- life experience. All employers prefer people with experience in their chosen field and those who have a wide range of interests- that makes an attractive employee, not a bunch of figures and grades on a piece of paper.

You just have to take the hand your dealt- but instead of sitting there worrying about it, get out and DO something about it.

Reply 7

Anon0098

Original post by sdkitteh

Just for similar students out there who might be experiencing the same anxiety. Don't worry :smile:

I was able to secure employment before I graduated in a graduate role. The answer? hard work and dedication, side projects will give you the confidence to speak until there's no time left. It will also radiate passion to employers.

Looking back I can't believe I was worrying :smile:

Reply 8

username1799249

Original post by LukeM90

I dont think you will have any problems though, my advice is take whatever you can get in the industry until the job you want comes along, any industry experience is better than none.

This is true to a point but the risk to you is that you end up getting stuck. The longer you leave it before moving sideways means you have to answer awkward questions about your motivations and commitment.

If you want to be a developer start developing. Employers are looking for people who have at the minimum demostratable basic coding abilities. Write an app. Create a website. Solve a problem. Contribute to public projects or forums like Stack Overflow. Publish it and put the link on your CV. This is a vastly more potant thing to having a good degree like every other grad has.

(edited 9 years ago)

Win Hackathons

Original post by Get The Grad Job

Contrary to everyone else I don't think you need to be worried. As long as you can get a decent final degree then I don't think not having a placement will affect you.

Agreed with this. There are many computer science courses that don't offer a year in industry so you are not at a total disadvantage. However, I would be more concerned that you didn't get a placement after going to selection days / interviews. Clearly there is something about your personality / interview technique that isn't turning on the recruiters. Use this advice wisely and get advice and help to improve the way you present yourself at interview.

Companies are generally looking for bright, enthusiastic, get-things-done types. There are still jobs for people that like to sit in darkened rooms and not talk to anyone all day, but if that is you, you still need to convince your interviewer that you are bright and enthusiastic.

As for experience - do some projects in your own time. They really do count for more than you can imagine and make you stand out from the myriad of other grads who also have 1st class honours.

Good luck!