Getting that first job

Hi guys,

I have been wanting to get some advice on how to land my first job. Ideally I would like to have a graduate job but unfortunately I do not have relevant work experience. I have graduated with a 2:1 in Mathematics during the COVID-19 pandemic and that has hampered my chances. In addition, I came from a terrible state school and had to work my way up to get a good degree. I never knew the importance of work experience due to the environment I was in and now I have had to really assess the situation differently and more realistically. Work experience is extremely vital in today's world as that would allow you to get into a role you would want to do. Since completing University, the only options I have are entry level position roles and internships. Graduate schemes are another shout too but they only open during certain times of the year. I do understand how competitive the job market is nowadays and appreciate everyone's struggles, but I would like to know what steps I can take in order to get my first role. I do have some experience in office based roles in which I contacted a recruiter and managed to gain 1 months worth of experience in a good company. That experience looks good on my CV but I realise that I need to pack my CV with way more things. Is there any solution to getting a new role? Am I able to apply for any internships after University? If so, which website tend to take graduates on for internships?

There are a lot of misconceptions, excuses, confusions and simply wrong things going on there. First of all, the whole world was impacted by Covid. You weren't the only person who couldn't get the usual range of work experience over the last 2 years, no-one could, in which case you are no different to your peers, and recruiters/employers accept that.

Entry level positions are what you should be aiming for, so that doesn't make sense. You aren't going to get a job as a manager just because you are a graduate. Also internships give you experience, so if you get offers of either of these, you shouldn't turn them down.

In fact, you seem to be in quite a strong position, with several positives in your application. You've successfully moved yourself (drive, determination, focus, hard work) from an under-performing school to a good grade in a tough subject (and one that is useful in a number of sectors). You've got some experience in office-based roles.

Have you got any interests that show relevant skills, teamwork, leadership, organisation, social conscience, etc? If so, they add value to your CV.

Then to all of the following

Hi there,

I do know for a fact that the entire world was impacted severely by COVID-19, people have lost their loved ones due to the virus and many people had their lives turned upside down and I do appreciate and give my condolences to everyone around the world (from any cultural background) who had their lives negatively impacted. I did not mention this in my initial post as I was only speaking about my own circumstances and it was self-explanatory that the whole world was impacted by COVID-19 and recruiters/employers do accept the fact that 2020 graduates have had it tough.

Entry level positions are definitely something I should be aiming for at this stage due to my lack of work experience. And it is also obvious that I won't get a managerial position for the same reason (lack of work experience) as well as the fact that it's blatantly obvious that no one from University will get a manager role, they will be starting from a lower position which is expected and what I am more than happy to go ahead with. I would also love to have the opportunity to take up an internship as that will spice up my CV tremendously and will allow me to make some good connections as well as gaining some hands on experience in the real world, I would never turn this opportunity down.

I also have access to my Uni Careers Service, my main goal is to go on their website and to learn everything that is on there as well as not leaving a stone unturned. You cannot expect to get a job with half-hearted knowledge, you have to be a complete all-rounder and cover all bases with lots of practice.

One question I do have is about internships. I would like to know the best place to apply for internships (for those who have completed University in 2020) and which websites would allow me to do this. I was hoping if it is possible to get an internship with minimal work experience, if this is not possible then I may have to look at alternative choices as a result. My main goal here is to get a solid amount of work experience so that I'm in the best position to land a role. I am also currently completing online courses on programming (python) and Microsoft Excel to boost my CV. In addition,

I only have 1 months worth of experience in an office-based role for a good company and only 2 days worth of experience in a data entry role as an exam invigilator; I managed to obtain these by contacting a recruiter. Additionally, is there a way to find a total list of companies (either top or mid-tier companies) for a particular role in the UK the same way you would go on IMDB and search for the best movies from a particular genre? I would greatly appreciate this.

Thanks.

An entry level job will pay your bills, not working won’t.

Take a job, get real world job experience, and combine that with your degree to get something better later on. You can’t afford to sit around and wait to find the job you want right now, which as you have already gathered, isn’t hiring you anyway.

An entry level job will pay your bills, not working won’t.

Take a job, get real world job experience, and combine that with your degree to get something better later on. You can’t afford to sit around and wait to find the job you want right now, which as you have already gathered, isn’t hiring you anyway.

I would take an entry level job in a heart beat. The only problem is the sheer number of entry level positions that require some form of experience. I am looking to find an entry level position that would accept graduates and can train them given that they have the willingness and desire to learn. Do you know any sites and places in which I can find them easily? Is there a way to filter the right ones to find the entry level position I want?

Those are not entry level jobs. Entry level jobs are jobs where you generally don’t need experience, and they certainly won’t be training graduates anything to progress their graduate careers.

Retail, office work, care work, etc. Not glamorous, but they will pay your bills and show future employers that you are willing and capable of working. Times are hard, you can’t expect an entry level job to teach you and pay your food and gas bill at the same time. You’ll be taught what you need to do the job.

You can aspire to something better or related to your degree later on. Any employer values any kind of experience in any job at all.

Other than this one month office work experience, have you had any job of any kind? Retail, hospitality etc? All of those are super relevant for your CV. What have you been doing since you graduated? If you have a gaping hole in your CV that would explain why you're having limited success, so I'd suggest getting a minimum of a part time retail job to show you have drive and are trying to be somewhat of an independent adult.
I'd suggest looking for a recruitment agency that specialise in the field that you're in and giving them your details. I'm a 2022 graduate and, having applied to 30+ roles since my exams and getting to the interview stage in just 2 roles, the role I managed to land I found through a recruitment agency. I think it's also important to not be picky with this first career job - this isn't the field or exact job title I was aiming for, but it's a whole lot better than nothing and it's really about getting your foot in the door this early in your career.
I'd also suggest using LinkedIn, there's a whole load of resources out there that guide you on how to land a job through LinkedIn and I wish I had put more time into that.

I do not have any other experience. I have been getting rejected left right and centre. I'm not letting that get to me but I am super desperate for a job because I need to do something with my life and to earn money and gain valuable experience. I have come from a disadvantaged family with a severe lack of knowledge of the job market. My main goal was to get a degree in the field that I like the most and hopefully get a job afterwards. It does not work like that in today's society as you need work experience. Work experience itself holds more weight that GCSE's, A-levels, Undergraduate degrees, Master degrees and PHDs. Most people that have zero qualifications but have lots of work experience are more likely to get a role.

I am in a situation where I could not get jobs or gigs when younger due to a lack of knowledge, I hope this hasn't ruined my chances of getting a role and that I would be unemployed for life. I am even struggling to apply for a job in Tesco's because I'm not too sure on how it's done. I know this sounds silly to say this online but if someone did understand my situation they would sympathise and would look to give me guidance on how to move forward and I am super motivated to get a role and do well in my job.

You're super motivated to get a role and so well in a job, yet you've been unemployed for 2 years? I'm confused, because you're saying all of the correct things about how important work experience is, yet you haven't got any, despite having nothing to fill your time, other than job searching, for 2 years.
If I were you, I'd put a pause on the career search and look for a retail, tourism, hospitality or care job. Go on indeed, or ask local shops or businesses if they have any open positions. This kind of work experience is valuable too, and particularly as you have none, getting some now will help massively. You can keep job searching when you aren't at work, and it will actually make you write better applications as you will need to be more particular about which jobs you apply to.
I don't want to expose too much of my employment history (lol) but I think it's helpful to give you an idea of how you can find jobs:
Retail - advert in shop window (small independent old fashioned business)
Internship - university careers emails
Tutor - self employed
Care assistant - indeed
Wedding waitress - Facebook advert
Tourism - started as a volunteer, got paid role when vacancy opened
Career job - recruitment agency (but I think I originally found the job on indeed?)

Is there anything else we can help you with or advise you on?

I'll explain. I have been working for a relative's business (couple of branches) during the COVID-19 pandemic as it was an essential business that is allowed to be open. After lockdown ended, I continued to work there and include that experience in my CV as I thought it was a fantastic way to show that I can interact with many different customers and I was able to include a lot of transferrable skills that can help me for other applications. The pandemic kind of ruined my mentality in terms of finding work as it took me a while to get back into it. I also had poor mental health during university (also before university) that I had to sort out, I have been going to therapy and counselling sessions to make peace with my mental health so that I can be more resilient to go after the things I want in life. That's basically what has been happening during the past two years, I have been working but the whole job application thing took a back seat for those two reason - working in the family business and working on my mental health. Working for that relative's business is not something I would want to be doing for the long term, I have hit my ceiling there and I cannot progress any further. I would eventually like to work in a role related to my degree (or anything similar).

I have been feeling much better now, refreshed and I have more belief in me that I can find work. Another thing is that it's super easy for me to talk to people and I can get along with people with ease it's something that's quite natural to me. I don't find it hard at all to make new friends and this I feel is an important skill to have.

My main concern is what roles I am eligible to apply for and what roles I am not eligible for. Since I do not have any valuable work experience, would it be best for me to take a job in places like Next, JD, Tesco's, etc, for the time being and then be able to get the role I want to after? Or would it be best to just get an entry level position in an office role and then move to the role that I would like to eventually?

I'll explain. I have been working for a relative's business (couple of branches) during the COVID-19 pandemic as it was an essential business that is allowed to be open. After lockdown ended, I continued to work there and include that experience in my CV as I thought it was a fantastic way to show that I can interact with many different customers and I was able to include a lot of transferrable skills that can help me for other applications. The pandemic kind of ruined my mentality in terms of finding work as it took me a while to get back into it. I also had poor mental health during university (also before university) that I had to sort out, I have been going to therapy and counselling sessions to make peace with my mental health so that I can be more resilient to go after the things I want in life. That's basically what has been happening during the past two years, I have been working but the whole job application thing took a back seat for those two reason - working in the family business and working on my mental health. Working for that relative's business is not something I would want to be doing for the long term, I have hit my ceiling there and I cannot progress any further. I would eventually like to work in a role related to my degree (or anything similar).

I have been feeling much better now, refreshed and I have more belief in me that I can find work. Another thing is that it's super easy for me to talk to people and I can get along with people with ease it's something that's quite natural to me. I don't find it hard at all to make new friends and this I feel is an important skill to have.

My main concern is what roles I am eligible to apply for and what roles I am not eligible for. Since I do not have any valuable work experience, would it be best for me to take a job in places like Next, JD, Tesco's, etc, for the time being and then be able to get the role I want to after? Or would it be best to just get an entry level position in an office role and then move to the role that I would like to eventually?

Ah I see, thank you for explaining. If you currently have a job then I don't see a big reason to change from one type of non-career job to another, other than maybe to get a more diverse range of experience and soft skills. Personally, now that I understand your situation better, I would suggest sticking with this job while you continue your job hunt.
What kind of career do you want? Once you've decided that, see if there's any online training or personal projects you can do that will bump up your skills and show your drive and passion for the field. This is probably the easiest way to improve your application. I don't think getting a new retail job will be part of your long term career plan, because it will just give you similar work experience to what you already have. Doing something on your own time that is related to your industry will probably appeal more to employers. And yes, stick to those entry level, graduate jobs. You might need to suck it up and apply for types of roles that aren't exactly what you want, but in the right industry. It's my understanding that there's a lot more horizontal movement in terms of careers than there used to be, with people shifting not only roles but also entire industries, so you aren't going to be stuck on one trajectory with one role.

You are still thinking about it all wrong. Employers do not want to see work experience for entry level jobs, they want to see experience, and there is a world of difference. Write down a list of employment skills, reliability, honesty hard work, good time keeping, organisation, leadership, attention to detail, initiative, problem solving etc. Then write down 2-3 examples from your life that demonstrate each of these skills. You can draw on societies, clubs, sports, DofE, NCS, volunteering, faith groups, family circumstances, work experience, any aspect of your life at all. Any/all of that is what employers are referring to when they ask for experience.

Second, expand your realm beyond what's easy. You keep asking for easy places to find jobs. It's the wrong mindset. Everyone looks at Indeed and those sort of websites, the competition is literally thousands for one role. You need to reduce the competition as much as you can. That means doing some hard work to find smaller, quieter opportunities in the local area, at your Uni, from people in your street, by making yourself a network etc. Get the odds down to 100 other applicants, or better still 10 other applicants.

Third, the fact you work in a family business is irrelevant, it's work, you've got a lot or work experience, you can't play that down, you have to play it up. You've got two years work experience.

Finally, think beyond high street retail, there's hardly a restaurant in the country that doesn't need kitchen porters, consider volunteering in some customer focussed role - you get experience, a reference and are first in line if the charity has paid roles, find the uni department that most closely appeals to your career ambitions (IT, HR, Estates, finance, marketing, there are lots) and see if they have any work experience opportunities and try and convert them to a project role that pays. Think outside the box.