Struggling to find your first job after education?
You're not alone. The Covid-19 pandemic hit younger generations particularly hard.
Average unemployment for recent graduates was the highest during 2020, according the ONS.
And graduates aged from 25 to 64 accounted for 15% of the overall unemployment during the COVID-19 pandemic, the ONS also found.
But fear not. As part of the Mirror's NextGen UK project, we spoke to recruitment expert Catherine Bunting and CV pro Lisa Brennan about how to actually stand out from the crowd, where to find the best jobs and protecting mental health when applying.
Catherine says…
Don’t undersell yourself
Employers will not be judging hobbies based on obscurity or how much it aligns with the job that is being advertised.
Having a tangible and productive hobby which can be used to highlight specific skills is what makes a more noticeable and memorable candidate.
Even working in your local pub or Tesco can show the relevant skills and experience required for the role. Not everyone can take unpaid time to gain work experience and that is okay.
Unfortunately, some sectors do still prefer those who are able to volunteer, and this is reflected in how diverse that industry is. There are more recruiters who view a part-time job as valuable and worthwhile.
Avoid cliches
Cliches and buzzwords are a sure-fire way to show the employer that you haven’t taken enough time or care to create the best application you can.
Never, under any circumstance, ask about notice period or sick days.
These can both lead to negative connotations and damage your not-built-yet reputation. Instead ask future-led questions such as “what would success look like in the first three months, six months and twelve months”.
It shows you are interested in how the role develops and at what level you need to be working at.
How to protect your mental health while applying
Discover your long-term goals and create a plan from there. The plan itself needs to be flexible with as many steps as necessary being added or taken away. Keep the plan written down, a whiteboard or wall-chart would be best, so it can always be edited.
Applying for jobs is similar to sales in that it is a numbers game. It requires resilience and faith. You will get to a number of applications where you will convert one of the applications into a role.
Keep track of each application you make and record them. By doing this you can see how much progress you are making and makes the process feel real and achievable.
Never take a rejection or constructive feedback personally. Find out why you didn’t get the role or what was holding you back and apply that in your future applications.
Where can I find the jobs?
Research. There will be a dedicated jobs listing website or agency for the industry you’re looking for.
But that’s not the only option, find the ‘decision makers’ for the companies you want to work for and contact them directly using Linkedin. Give them a personal cover letter and state you want to learn more about the company you want to work for.
You could find a role that nobody even knows is out there.
How do young people get on the career ladder post-covid?
Keep in touch with peers, it helps to know that other people are having the same experience as you.
Get in contact with recruiters, most of which are personally interested in launching careers and helping people climb the career ladder, ask them for advice or self-motivation tips.
QUICK TIPS FOR CVS WITH CAREERS EXPERT LISA BRENNAN
DOS
Tailor your CV for every job that you’re applying to. Make sure that the skills that you highlight across any experience you’ve got match the skills and experience that they’re asking for in the job.
Why you’re interested in the job and what you can bring. Use language that you use is similar to the language being used by the company
Personal Summary. Tell your story from the very beginning. What is it about you that makes you the ideal candidate for that job. Why that job and why you?
Relevancy to the job. Information you include in each section is relevant to that job. Is the information you portray relevant to the most important aspect of the job you are applying to?
Show that you can apply one skill to different situations. Put your skills and experiences into context. How you have and will continue to use your skills effectively? Building upon the story of you shows the employer how your skills will benefit the company.
Get someone else to review your CV. Does it make sense? Any spelling mistakes? Anything you have not included.
DONT'S
Don’t use fancy layouts. Instead, use a standard A4 format and have it left-aligned. Don’t use fancy fonts. Do not write all in bond - use standard fonts - Arial, Times New Roman or Calibri.
Font size should never go below 11 point. Don’t squeeze it all onto one page which makes it harder to read.
You WILL have enough between your education, experience, skills etc to fill two A4 pages. If it's not relevant, don’t include it.
Only include key and relevant information to the job.
What you don’t have to include:
References on request or names or referees on your CV, your D.O.B, your nationality and whether you can drive or not. unless it’s part of the job requirements.
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Catherine Bunting is a recruitment expert at Hill and Jago
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Lisa Brennan is Managing Director of Strategic Ambitions
