Have I now missed the chance to get a graduate job ? Have I any hope ?

So I'm a 2014 law grad with a 2.2 from a RG uni. I did originally want to go into law but am now open to finance/accountancy / bookeeping as well. I am currently working as a retail assistant .

For some grad schemes I failed the numericial reasoning. That has been my downfall. When I have got through to the assessment centre , I haven't made the final cut.

I also applied to entry roles through various agencies like total jobs / monster / Reed but i've not got anything from them. They usually call me for roles i dont feel suitable for ( recruitment / PPI claims ) but i have never heard back from applying to a company through agencies. I'm not even sure they pass my cv on.

Anyway , for now I'm going to try and get an office job then appy to this years graduate scheme cycle. However, I have started to panic what if I never find a graduate job .. Time is ticking fast and I am already a one year old graduate who is going to be 23 years old soon without a career sorted. If recruiters can get a person who just graduated why would they hire me now whos done nothing useful for one year since ? This is really worrying me and I am feeling really down for being such a failure.

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 1

daindian

17

Original post by suby123

So I'm a 2014 law grad with a 2.2 from a RG uni. I did originally want to go into law but am now open to finance/accountancy / bookeeping as well. I am currently working as a retail assistant .

For some grad schemes I failed the numericial reasoning. That has been my downfall. When I have got through to the assessment centre , I haven't made the final cut.

I also applied to entry roles through various agencies like total jobs / monster / Reed but i've not got anything from them. They usually call me for roles i dont feel suitable for ( recruitment / PPI claims ) but i have never heard back from applying to a company through agencies. I'm not even sure they pass my cv on.

Anyway , for now I'm going to try and get an office job then appy to this years graduate scheme cycle. However, I have started to panic what if I never find a graduate job .. Time is ticking fast and I am already a one year old graduate who is going to be 23 years old soon without a career sorted. If recruiters can get a person who just graduated why would they hire me now whos done nothing useful for one year since ? This is really worrying me and I am feeling really down for being such a failure.

It took me two years from graduating to get a grad scheme in my chosen field so don't worry. The only issue would be the 2.2 however a lot of grad schemes accept that. If you want to go into accounting approach certain agencies like hays

Reply 2

ICAEW Advisor Jackie

1

Hi suby123,

It is great to see you are so dedicated to a career in Accountancy.

A lot of employers accept 2:2 degrees. My advice here would be to start applying to some regional offices. Are you open to relocation? If so let the employer know. The Big Four traditionally get a lot of applications so they can afford to have more rigorous testing at the initial stages. Small and medium firms may not have these tests in place so you could effectively bypass the stage which has been holding you back.

“I also applied to entry roles through various agencies like total jobs / monster / Reed but i've not got anything from them.” In this case you need to apply directly to the employers themselves. We have a website that has current ACA vacancies listed icaewtrainingvacancies.com. Some of our authorised training employers still have training agreements available that start in September 2015!

Good luck and if you have any further questions please let me know.

Kind regards,

Ashleigh

Reply 3

ineedtorevise127

20

What jobs can you get with a 2:2? I have two years left till I graduate and I want to get at least a 2:1 but in case I slip what are my options? What jobs would take someone with a 2:2?

Reply 4

ICAEW Advisor Jackie

1

Original post by ineedtorevise127

What jobs can you get with a 2:2? I have two years left till I graduate and I want to get at least a 2:1 but in case I slip what are my options? What jobs would take someone with a 2:2?

Hi ineedtorevise127,

You could have a career as an ICAEW Chartered Accountant with a 2:2.

You can find out more about the ACA qualification here: http://careers.icaew.com/

Best wishes,

Ashleigh

Reply 5

dbdb

10

Original post by ICAEW Advisor Ashleigh

Hi ineedtorevise127,

You could have a career as an ICAEW Chartered Accountant with a 2:2.

You can find out more about the ACA qualification here: http://careers.icaew.com/

Best wishes,

Ashleigh

it is possible with a 2.2 but its really difficult. Even when applying directly to companies that list a graduate aca vacancy on their website , I get an email back saying sorry we have no vacancies.

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 6

ICAEW Advisor Jackie

1

Original post by dbdb

it is possible with a 2.2 but its really difficult. Even when applying directly to companies that list a graduate aca vacancy on their website , I get an email back saying sorry we have no vacancies.

Hi dbdb.

Well if that is the case you need to have a look at your CV and your employability skills.

Is your CV well written with no spelling mistakes? Have you given it to someone to check over for you? See our advice here: http://careers.icaew.com/university-students-graduates/student-support/Writing-a-CV

Does your CV demonstrate that you have the skill set to become an ICAEW Chartered Accountant? You can see more here: http://careers.icaew.com/university-students-graduates/student-support/Improve-your-employability

Sometimes applying for any job or Training Vacancy can be a numbers game. The more you apply for, the more sectors and locations you apply in the higher your chances of success.

Best wishes,

Ashleigh