MANY graduates face the all too common disappointment of being
unemployed once their studies finish. They invest large sums of money to
further their education with a qualification, but find that they come out of
their degree with no full-time job.
According to research conducted by the Higher Education Careers
Services Unit, the unemployment rate among graduates from London, typically the
highest in the country, reached 10.7 per cent in 2010, up from 7.5 per cent
just three years earlier. It is no secret that job hunting can be tiresome and
demotivating, unless there is something to keep busy with.
There are several different ways a graduate can fight off the
depression of being unemployed while simultaneously improving their chances of
landing the right job. One thing that all disenchanted graduates should
certainly do is get work experience, even if unpaid.
Mark, an animation graduate from Newport University, was
dissatisfied with his job at an insurance firm, which although not in his field
of study, helped him pay off his student loans. Two years into the job, he
decided to quit and travel abroad for a year. He had many exciting experiences,
but when he returned home, he found that job prospects in animation had become
even scarcer.
“It was quite hard at first trying to look for paid work,” he
says, “so I just looked for unpaid internships and work experience
opportunities instead. It was difficult because I’m based in Devon, but a lot
of animation companies are based in London. I worked for free at a small local
company, travelling up to two days a week, and just one month ago they started
paying me a modest salary as a freelancer.”
Mark has also been spending his spare time working on animation
projects with his friends. “Last year, we read about a competition for a short
animation video and decided we’d enter,” he says. While Mark and his teammates
did not win the competition, they are still working on projects together in
their spare time. “At least I get to add them to my show reel. I suppose it’s a
lot better than doing nothing. If I’m at an interview and they want to know why
there’s a gap in my job history, I can say: ‘There is no gap. Look at what I
worked on.’”
Most industries also have professional societies dedicated to
helping students and graduates trying to kick-start their careers. Samantha
Smith, a graduate of Kingston University who studied an MA in creative writing
and publishing, decided to join the Society of Young Publishers when she
realised she needed to expand her network to enhance her job search.“I wasn't sure what would happen as I went to my first networking
event,” she says, “but everyone turned out to be very friendly. Luckily, I knew
someone at the event and she introduced me to her peers in the publishing
industry. When I got over my initial fears, I had met some very interesting
people, to whom I spoke extensively about the different paths I could use to
enter the publishing industry. Some of them even encouraged me to send them my
CV for potential work experience opportunities.”But publishing isn't the only industry where recent graduates can
take advantage of career networking opportunities. Sam Williams, a computer
science student at Kingston University, recently discovered the British
Computer Society (BCS), which holds weekly lectures on the industry. “BCS was
recommended to me by my university lecturers,” Williams says. “In my field it’s
a recognised professional body, so I can get chartered through them. You have
to be a member to get chartered.”
Professional bodies are not only useful for networking; they often
offer extra qualifications and exclusive job postings. There are currently more
than 270 professional bodies in the UK across 34 industry sectors, ranging from
accountancy to transport and logistics.
“It’s such a great opportunity to broaden one’s network of
contacts,” Williams says. “At the end of the day, those are the people who
might offer you your first job—so it’s very important to always strive to make
the best impression.” — The Independent
Kind Regards
Gurbinder Sharma
