Any other summer 2016 uni graduates still unemployed?

I'm volunteering at the moment and they only pay half my travel. I too come from a small town and there are little opportunities in what I want to do - I'm lucky enough to be able to commute to London but it will set me back around £600 for my volunteering period to gain experience in the sector (even with half of it reimbursed by the organisation). I'm very lucky to be able to do so. My sister previously worked in a charity shop and was not paid expenses. I tried to work at the weekends to make up the travel costs, but am having to reduce this since it's too overwhelming to be working 6 days a week, commuting 3 hours a day, and still trying to apply to as many jobs as you can in the evenings.

Many people have good experience but still struggle to find a job - with so many people applying, it can come down to luck a lot of the time. I don't doubt that everyone on this thread is trying, but a lot of time responses tend to be very judging rather than give practical advice. I don't think this poster is being snotty at all - it's frustrating when you've been making countless applications, and someone tells you the only reason you haven't succeeded is because you're not trying hard enough. I wish people on here would ask more about the poster's relevant experience and skills before making judgements on what they can do next. It's not easy to relocate, especially for many entry level/dead end/barely above minimum wage jobs which you're recommending as an option.

Not all graduate programmes have a UCAS point requirement. In fact a minority use a UCAS points requirement (less than 27%).



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You obviously don't know anything about volunteering do you? It doesn't cost you anything, all of your travel expenses will be reimbursed to you at the end of the day.

Well rural areas usually mean there aren't enough jobs around (if you live in the countryside). I have university friends who moved to more urban areas because they know employment opportunities are limited. Can't you relocate? Apply for jobs in urban areas first then if they want to offer you the job just rent a place somewhere.

If you can't drive, you may get a bus if possible. If you did have car they would reimburse the petrol. Been there and done it. If nothing works then you can just apply for JSA but they would tell you the same thing they would place you on volunteer work anyway. I used to work at the Jobcentre and this was (and still is) the type of advice I was told to give.

Obviously don't just apply to 2 places, you need to make more than that!
Just keep applying to anything not just in one field.

You do not need to make snotty comments, I am only trying to help. Of course with that kind of attitude you may not get anywhere in life, especially employment.

Hence why graduates need to look ahead and plan what they need to do rather than just being a couch potato complaining they haven't found a ('dream' job.
Sitting at home all day won't solve that problem.

Well you may be making an effort, but obviously not enough of one. You need to take a look at yourself and determine why you are not good enough for the jobs you have been applying for, and look to rectify it immediately.

I'm sorry but there comes a point after months of 9-6 pm applications, CV and application checks, previous experience etc where people need to ditch the rhetoric of "Oh this person must not be trying hard enough" and start to blame it more on the state of society and the job market. I'm doing enough and doing anymore would sacrifice my already fragile mental health.

There aren't enough steady full-time minimum wage jobs that pay enough for everyone to get by independently. The UK is flooded with zero-hour contract and agency work which doesn't pay enough or guarantee enough shifts for a human being to live on. The whole purpose of a job is to fund your existence so what's the point in working a job that doesn't let you do that? I'm not entitled, that's just common sense.

I'm not owed a job and I know it's no one else's fault that I can't get one. But if society is such nowadays that I'm expected to fund my existence off of one shift a week at a local factory earning minimum wage then what's the point in living at all?

I'm afraid I have to agree with Chaos Kass that you have to keep looking to improve, there is always something you can be doing better and blaming others doesn't get you anywhere. I spent 11 months job hunting so I know how hard it can be, I found writing a cover letter to be very exhausting and the first couple of post interview rejections very tough mentally. But each time a cover letter didn't get me an interview I reviewed it. Where I did get an interview and didn't get the role, I asked for feedback beyond just the 'we hired someone with more experience' and I got detailed experience which related directly to my peformance at interview, highlighting the specific answers I didn't do well in. I soon came to realise that I could get the role I wanted, I just had to get my cover letter and every interview answer spot on and the ball was entirely in my court in that one. I also took advantage of interview help services I had access to, if there are any you can go to then I'd strongly advise you utilise them. Your old uni careers dept should still be able to help you too.

I'm doing all of those things and I'm happy to keep doing them. I'm sure something will come eventually and I haven't been going for 11 months yet.

Mentally though, there is a limit to the amount I can do before I start to question the benefits of existence.

It just annoys me when the attitude is to make out that people in my situation are lazy or not trying like JobCentre exployee who posted above.

Trust me you have no idea what its like working there. You work for almost nothing because most of the wages go to people who don't want work.

You are aware that the benefit claimants are not paid out of Job Centre Plus employees' salaries, right?

But I was a temporary worker there so therefore I was paid by the agency. You are aware that most people pay tax when they work right - and do you know where some if not most of that tax goes to?

Pensions.

Other forms of welfare form a very small part of the overall bill in comparison.

Keep reading the Daily Mail and spouting ignorant rhetoric though friend, you're a good little drone.

But I was a temporary worker there so therefore I was paid by the agency. You are aware that most people pay tax when they work right - and do you know where most, if not some of that tax goes to?
This is why those who do work are complaining about the system.

Erm the biggest recipients of welfare are pensioners and a tiny bit goes to JSA and other things so stop your attack on poor people. And instead of attacking people who can't get jobs because full time jobs are rare why don't you direct your anger towards tax evading companies

This pie chart shows the small percentage of money that is paid to JSA

Why should I give my hard earn money to those people who don't even want work, but would rather sit on a couch all day and don't have to do a thing to earn it?

If these full time jobs are as you say 'rare', how come most of my jobs tghat I worked in were full time? Was it because I 'stole' those positions because of my ethnic race? Of course not. That is just utter nonsense. I have the skills and experience required. Not because I live locally and a British citizen. Although being a British citizen is important for right to work it doesn't technically bring money to the business does it?

Can you tell me how I can steal a job? I don't see someone's name on it.