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Chances of Getting a Job after a Gap Year?

Hi I just wanted to come here to ask for people's views on my situation and for suggestions on how to take the next steps. I have now effectively been on a 'gap year' for just around 1 year after my last employment and I am finding it difficult to find job vacancies to apply to.

For background, I have a first class MEng degree in mechanical engineering from a top UK uni. A few months after graduation I moved to a different part of the country where I started my employment in the automotive industry. I worked at that place for a year but unfortunately I really didn't feel like I was a good fit for what I was doing, I didn't really like the town I was living in and the cost of living was pretty high so I decided to just leave that job and go back home to search for a different job and in the mean time do online courses and keep learning in other areas like programming, etc.

It turns out that finding a new job was a lot more daunting than I thought and it has now been a year and I haven't found anything. I know that I was probably premature to leave the previous job and instead I should have found ways to try new areas of work within the same company (and that is a lesson learned I will now have for the future).

But the facts at this moment are that even though I have a good degree and decent experience, it is now very difficult to find vacancies to apply to because I don't really have much experience for direct entry jobs, but also I am not really a graduate and I kind of need a job now instead of waiting for next September to start a grad scheme. Also my 'gap year' is a bit unusual since it is after my first job instead of right after uni.
I'm not sure what options I have other than just sending out 100's of applications in the hope that one is successful, or even contacting my old company even though it is slightly embarrassing and difficult to explain why I left for a year and now I want to get back. Also there is a reason I left my previous job, so asking for that same job back knowing I didn't like it is also frustrating. If there is something that I am missing that I could try, please let me know. Thanks so much!

Reply 1

0le

You can often still apply for the majority of graduate jobs because you have only a year of experience. Same with "direct entry".

Cover the gaps in your CV by removing the months (only write years) and list the training courses you did in a "hobbies" section. I would also suggest to volunteer somewhere in the meantime.