History graduate unsure on what to do

Hi, I have recently graduated with a 2.1 from a good russell group university. I really do not know what to do, it has been 16 days since I have graduated and I have applied to some 22 jobs. I don't even have a dream job. My history friends are either pursuing masters or have got training contracts at law firms. I am not interested in either of these options. It is so hard finding a job that I am qualified or experienced for. There is a strong demand for people with strong IT skills and now I feel that I should pursue further training in IT.

What jobs can History students do, besides law or teaching?

Charity work, civil service, working for an MP, business- so many jobs are open to all graduates regardless of their degree, you just need some work experience- do you have any?

I guess I could work in administration for a business and work my way up. I did an internship with an MP but quickly realised there was no career ladder or formalised training and development. Not interested in charity work

You wouldn't necessarily need to start in admin, many businesses have grad schemes and with some work experience under your belt you will demonstrate some of the skills they are looking for- working under pressure, meeting deadlines, communicating with the public to answer their q's e,c.t. And I've thought another two areas which take grads from a range of disciplines- marketing and PR, both worth a look. As far as applications go its quality over quantity. Make sure your applications are as tailored to the job description as possible if you aren't already, giving examples of where you've done what they are looking for.

I guess I need to look into what kind of industry of business I am interested in. I have read about various graduate schemes and many require potential candidates to undergo numerical and verbal reasoning tests. The numerical test is hard for me, I guess I need to practice my numerical skills. These graduates schemes are fiercely competitve and can take a long time. I don't know if I am really suitable if I'm honest. I need something now because money is going to become an issue soon.

Hi, I have recently graduated with a 2.1 from a good russell group university. I really do not know what to do, it has been 16 days since I have graduated and I have applied to some 22 jobs. I don't even have a dream job. My history friends are either pursuing masters or have got training contracts at law firms. I am not interested in either of these options. It is so hard finding a job that I am qualified or experienced for. There is a strong demand for people with strong IT skills and now I feel that I should pursue further training in IT.

What jobs can History students do, besides law or teaching?

This is really something students should start thinking about as soon as you start at uni. I realise that's unhelpful to you now, but uni (especially the Russel unis) offers incomparable opportunities for work experience and personal development.

Think about everything you've done whilst at uni - any volunteering, societies, placements, travels, certain kinds of modules etc. Is there any common thread that would tell you what your interests are? To do well in a job search you have to know yourself really well.

Also read this guide, it's very long and detailed and gives advice on the entire job application process from CV-writing to interviewing: https://www.talentcupboard.com/guides/ultimate-guide-to-getting-your-dream-job-as-a-graduate

I did some volunteering at a local library; I was a Secretary for a society at my uni and I've even visited countries in Eastern Europe with a travel society! I've put these experiences on my CV. I had a double whammy rejection day yesterday, just for admin roles. I am thinking that it might be a problem of how I am portraying myself. In my cover letters, I use the word 'developed' to demonstrate my skill level as Secretary for a society since my skill levels are not at a professional level. Again, I think I am competing against other people who have years of administration experience in big companies. Thank you for the link, I will look into it.

I did some volunteering at a local library; I was a Secretary for a society at my uni and I've even visited countries in Eastern Europe with a travel society! I've put these experiences on my CV. I had a double whammy rejection day yesterday, just for admin roles. I am thinking that it might be a problem of how I am portraying myself. In my cover letters, I use the word 'developed' to demonstrate my skill level as Secretary for a society since my skill levels are not at a professional level. Again, I think I am competing against other people who have years of administration experience in big companies. Thank you for the link, I will look into it.

You did administrative work when you were with the MP though, no? That's professional experience. Sometimes though I have heard of graduates being rejected for admin roles for being overqualified -they know you'll move straight on to something else as soon as you can.

Two good points here, that is professional experience but I guess i felt that my skill level and experience was basic. I am slightly worried about being overqualified as well. I will read more about PR/Sales/Marketing as potential career paths

it has been 16 days since I have graduated and I have applied to some 22 jobs

What jobs can History students do, besides law or teaching?

There's your problem. That's less than 2 jobs a day. I was applying to 20 jobs a day when I graduated, though granted that was a couple years ago when there were probably less graduate jobs around.



Anything that's not STEM. Most graduate jobs don't require a specific degree.

As for the IT thing, what are you actually referring to in terms of gaining skills? Pick the job you want first, and then look at what skills you specifically need. Don't just arbitrarily improve your IT skills as there's a whole host of things you could choose to improve upon.

I would however strongly recommend that you improve your maths skills if you can.

Don't worry about not getting on a grad scheme, most grads AREN'T on these structured / fast track schemes as unis and careers advisors would like you to believe.

I wouldn't say thats necessarily the problem, its about quality not quantity- tailoring each covering letter/application statement to match the job critiera and where applicable CV- this would take at least an hour if not more to do.

Wrong. It's about quality and quantity.

Sorry but there's just too many good graduates out there. If someone isn't getting enough interviews, they either need better applications or more applications, or both.

As for tailoring each covering letter / application to the job, if you're applying to a specific sector, say marketing, then you should be able to target the sector with a few cover letters and CVs, and just tweak them for each application. The job descriptions aren't going to be that different from each other. No need to start an entirely new cover letter per application.

Work smart, not hard (although in this case work smart and hard).