Why are so many of you guys unemployed?

[Super Cyborg]

I'm one of the few lucky ones at the moment who was able to get a job less than a week after Graduating. Part of it was probably thanks to having done a number of summers of work, as well as doing internships/classes that could help me stand out.

I have two big tips for you. The first one is a few semesters (or how however your school year periods are divided) before you graduate, start looking at the jobs you could potentially do when you graduate. Start making a list of those jobs, and also note websites/companies that do the hiring. There might be a chance that they have a number of jobs that would go under your degree. Also, if you have a career advisor, visit that person, and see if they have a job mailing list. That was how I got my job so quick, because the advisor sent an email to me about the job, and I responded to it less than 24 hours after getting it, which less than that was when I got hired.

Another thing is try to get other experiences before and after getting the job. Before might be preferable, but if you have a job like mine where you can get extended time off, doing various internships/seminars/etc. can help your resume, getting jobs later, and the big one for me was figuring out want I wanted to do for grad school, which I'm currently searching my options for. Even if the most you can do is some local volunteering, that can help a lot. Some things you may not put on a resume can help you with the interview. Having so many experiences now, I find it easier to answer questions.

One other point I would stress is to constantly work on your resume, cover letter, and reflect on your life. Every cover letter will be different depending on the job, and by working on you resume, you can recall all your experiences. For me, the first cover letter took me a while, having to write a few sentences at a time until I had a full letter. Now I can crank one out in less than 15 minutes if I'm on fire. By reflecting on your life, you can remember all your experiences. This helps me because instead of trying to figure out what questions they might ask, I remember myself and the answers come out when any question is presented.

Hopefully that helps. It's not easy out here. Life out of school is not for the faint of heart, and you need to keep your head up. Most likely you will get a job that you won't care for, maybe even outright hate. Just put in your best for the job, while looking for other opportunities. Don't be like a friend of mine who is scared to commit to a job because of only looking at the negatives. In cases of starting jobs, you want to look at the positives, or else you will get bogged down.

 

[JoJo]

Well there isn't a 100% employment rate anywhere, and people that aren't working have a lot of time to be on forums.

So probably a disproportionate amount on here. Also some of those stories are from people looking to change jobs.

This, when I went from unemployed to employed last year my activity on this site fell like a stone, it's a lot easier to be super-active on a forum when you haven't much to do all day rather than just having a few hour window each day. That and you see the same on threads about X sexuality or Y mental disorder, people with them will seem to be overrepresented since they're much more likely to read and post on a thread about something relevant to them than a random forum-goer with no stake in the conversation.

 

[Imperioratorex Caprae]

I am standing up and giving you a slow clap for that cause that was amazing and how I feel too.

"Oh. so the figures are down too, are they? Well then, I can't wait to start that imaginary job Monday. Psht!!"

But don't worry, I just love when politicians go on about "There are jobs out there for everyone". BUUULLLLSHIT!!

"We've managed to get the number of unemployed below 2 million in the UK! Rejoice!"

Shame about the other 1.9 million of us though, isn't it.

And considering how populated other countries are, I can imagine it's just as bad if not worse overseas.

I get that it sounds positive but to people who've been unemployed a long time it doesn't really lift your spirits much.

Funniest rejection I've ever had: I applied for a summer job at a Disney World waterpark in Orlando, FL. I was rejected because, despite being self-employed for 10 years with documentation and tax records to back it up, they told me they didn't hire people with consistent employment records if they weren't fresh out of high school. So running my own business is not considered "consistent employment"? What the hell dictionary do they use?

What a bunch of crrrrrrrap.

Even just the thought of not hiring anyone without consistent work is shit, tbh, but the fact that you did have that and they decided it didn't count is ridiculous.

I found out later from a friend who works at Disney HR *ahem* casting (thats what they call HR) that their hiring policies are borderline fascist. Have tattoos? Are they visible? Disney doesn't care, they won't hire you if you admit to having one (even if its in your nether regions...). There's a lot of hoops you have to jump through once hired as well, but most of that I understand as they're trying to project the ideal of the park being the "happiest place on Earth". I feel the worst for the people playing mascots that require the furry costumes... in Florida heat and humidity its a right bit of hell to wear those things and you have to remain in character the whole time, even if you're 2 steps away from heat exhaustion. Breaking character is an employment termination worthy offense and will ban you from ever working in the park or any other Disney owned place.
Its not all bad from what I hear but the initial process of getting there is an exercise in "how much big brother fascism can you take to get a job?"

 

[CaptainMidlands]

Odd that seeing for the last 26 months unemployment has been falling and the greatest number of people ever are currently working in the UK.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-30913960

The government fudges the official figures just FYI, they include "Zero Hour Contracts, Part time (sub 16 hours) work and best of all they class all unemployed people on a government work scheme as employed" as employment for the sake of the figures. There are even absurd cases of people losing there job at places like Tesco and then being sent on a "work placement" by the Job Centre to Tesco.

http://anotherangryvoice.blogspot.co.uk/2014/04/12-things-help-to-work.html

He explains it better

 

[Parasondox]

"We've managed to get the number of unemployed below 2 million in the UK! Rejoice!"

Shame about the other 1.9 million of us though, isn't it.

And considering how populated other countries are, I can imagine it's just as bad if not worse overseas.

I get that it sounds positive but to people who've been unemployed a long time it doesn't really lift your spirits much.

Exactly! Worse, there is a general election this year and I haven't heard a single party take about helping graduates/16-24 year olds find work apart from apprenticeship schemes. Some company's are exploiting that. Farmfood a year ago had an ad for Customer Service Apprenticeships at £2.75ph. WHY?!?! And of course zero hour contract that I have been through and trust me, working 1 week and not getting work for another 2 and getting shifts cancelled is frustrating.

Yeah, I better stop the rant before I lose it. Just had enough of screenings for screenings, second interview, third interview, work trials and employability course that I had to go on a million times.

I do wish you, Sky14kemea and anyone else looking for employment the best of luck and to keep going even when things are just full of bull half the time.

 

[Souplex]

Because New York's job market is insane. (By "Insane" I do not mean stressful/chaotic/hectic, I mean it literally is not run by sane individuals)
Every employer expects prior experience which is impossible to obtain because every employer expects prior experience. Even for entry-level stuff like washing dishes.

There are three kinds of employed people New York: People who obtained their jobs through nepotism, people from out of town who got their experience elsewhere, and old people who got jobs when the job market was sane. If I were an employer I wouldn't want to hire any of those groups. They consist of thed worst human beings.

 

[Dogstile]

I have no idea. Getting employment doesn't seem to be hard if you're not a moron/socially awkward. I just signed up to 15 recruiter sites, sent off CV's every time I found a job I fancied and volunteered at a charity for a little extra experienced.

I'm a uni drop out. Got a job in 2 months, still employed a year and a half later. Wasn't exactly hard.

 

[Jodokh]

I want to know if anybody ever gives blue collar labor a shot? Cause usually it pays alright and minimal requirments to get the job. Just gotta work like a dog usually.

 

[Spider RedNight]

I can't speak for anyone else here but *I* have trouble finding a job when I'm unemployed because I'm pretty sure (though I'm not gonna self-diagnose) there's a chemical imbalance upstairs. Like, is there a word for when you KNOW you have to call to check up on your application but you just can't because you feel like you're gonna start crying? Or you just curl up and say "Nah, it's pointless. you're just gonna have to work until you die and everyone dies" and turn into a misanthropic nihilist? (legitimately asking here)

ALSO I think it's hard to find a job because I have scoliosis so it makes standing for long periods of time REALLY hard (maybe I should just screw it and go to a doctor, get all this shit sorted out) which is practically impossible for any of the jobs I kind of qualify for as they're all retail which is face-to-face (the former explanation) and standing up (the latter explanation)

Finishing up my excuses reasons, I'll just leave this picture here. Makes me feel good when I can relate to a picture of Elijah Wood

 

[Michael Tabbut]

Last year I applied for a number of minimum wage jobs and only heard back from one place for an interview. I didn't get the job. The one thing that pisses me off is that the employers almost never let call you back, it's fucking agony.

 

[sky14kemea]

I want to know if anybody ever gives blue collar labor a shot? Cause usually it pays alright and minimal requirments to get the job. Just gotta work like a dog usually.

Define blue collar?

If you mean jobs like fast food worker or something to that effect. I've also tried that.

I got turned down by McDonalds because they had too many applicants already....

 

[Username Redacted]

Do you have a degree that is in such high demand that the only other requirement for landing a job in said field is a pulse?

Do you have friends or family working in a company that you want to work at who could crack the door with HR for you?

If you answered 'No' to both of these questions then you should be fucking terrified about your employment prospects.

Having applied to 200+ jobs for which the qualifications could best be summed up "knowledge of MS Office and possession of oppose-able thumbs" I am very much of the belief that this is probably the second worst time in US history to be actually trying to find a decent job. Also, at least in the US, the various government published job reports as ~99% BS as they don't count people who want to work but who've given up on finding work (i.e. most long term unemployed) towards overall unemployment totals. Add those people to those measures and suddenly the governments purported rosy outlook for the labor market doesn't look quit so good.

 

[Burgers2013]

I was pretty lucky that my university really pushed its students to internship/job hunt early. I probably would not have known to do it otherwise. I was also in Chemical Engineering, which is in disproportionately high demand. I would describe my experience as accidentally successful.

I tried to get an internship after my sophomore year. I interviewed but didn't get hired. My resume was basically blank other than part-time work. There were two candidates who'd worked on a rig, so I had no chance. I had been doing undergraduate research that year, and I asked to have it extended over the summer. My professor approved it. That helped my resume a bit.

I tried to get an internship again my junior year. I had done research for three semesters, gone to a conference, had the part-time work during school, was the editor of the department newsletter, was heavily involved in a design team, and had decent grades. I interviewed a lot and still didn't get anything at the career fair (about 70%-90% of the students got their internships this way). I don't think I'm very good in interviews, and it was very competitive (more students than normal, fewer spots).

However, one of the grad students I worked for knew someone who wanted an intern for a small start-up. I interviewed with them and got the internship. I was hired by them right after I graduated for lower-than-average but decent pay. I worked there for two years, but I had to move for personal reasons. I was able to get a job at a larger company in my new location within three months. For whatever reason 2 years of experience is some sort of magical rite of passage.

I did interview with other companies my senior year. By then I was the captain of the design team and had awards from competition, had an internship, had a research experience, still had good grades, and I STILL didn't get any other offers. I tried to take everyone's advice about extra curriculars, experience, researching the companies you want to work for and all that crap. But what got me my first job? Knowing somebody who knew a guy. Of course, that's as a result of doing those extra curriculars and what-not, but it was still a very frustrating experience.

I'm an engineer for God's sake; of course I'm going to be socially awkward. And guess what? In my (admittedly small amount of) experience so far, operations/chemical engineering doesn't require a great deal of social skills. It's very task oriented. The hiring process absurd sometimes.

 

[Albino Boo]

I checked your profile and you have a degree in games design. You chose a degree in which supply out strips demand, so its going to be incredibly hard to get job that uses your degree. It also quite specialised and most of the skills don't cross over into other areas. I think you need to be a little realistic and either go for something like graduate entry into the civil service or add some other qualifications to your CV. Perhaps something like a Prince2 project management course. Game design and project management is more employable than just game design.

Yeah I do kinda regret not doing an audio course to be honest. I did games design because it required a bunch of skills I had already been developing (graphics, animation, sound, design). I figured it'd allow me to present a more varied portfolio. Also in my naivete I got the impression that the games industry was rapidly expanding (but in recent years, things don't look quite as promising).

A careers advisor said that the degree and portfolio could overlap into other design fields but like you said, it might not come across that way to employers. I suppose what I really want is guidance because I have no idea what I'm doing and not living in the city doesn't do much to help that. Ahh, I wish I knew how motivation worked.

I should probably also point out that I don't expect anyone to present me a job on a platter. I just don't have a plan of action and the job centre and careers advisor didn't do much to point me in the right direction.

Ok you have broad range of skills perhaps trying approach this differently is a way forward. To me it looks like you are ideal candidate for app development. You being able to do everything will help on the smaller not so specialized app development rather than a large established games developers. Gamification is a buzzword currently so lots of developers are looking for people that can turn fitness apps into games, so dont just limit yourself to game makers. Cast your net a little wider.


On the sound side, about 20 years ago I worked as a sound engineer. Mainly in Newcastle but for a while in Cardiff. Back then there were quite a few small recording studios dotted around Cardiff. Perhaps you could try some of them. You won't be in front the public.

 

[Jodokh]

I want to know if anybody ever gives blue collar labor a shot? Cause usually it pays alright and minimal requirments to get the job. Just gotta work like a dog usually.

Define blue collar?

If you mean jobs like fast food worker or something to that effect. I've also tried that.

I got turned down by McDonalds because they had too many applicants already....

Bush work, running equipment, construction, farm labor that kinda typical ground level grunt work. I have been a general labourer for many different things from wild land fire fighting to saw mill a ant. It just seems blue collar isn't ever an option. Usually these blue collar jobs are you show and make a good impression and then you're given a chance to prove your self.

I live I northern Canada so opportunity is different here, but trades and labor jobs are a lot of the time here a career choice for people.

 

[sky14kemea]

Bush work, running equipment, construction, farm labor that kinda typical ground level grunt work. I have been a general labourer for many different things from wild land fire fighting to saw mill a ant. It just seems blue collar isn't ever an option. Usually these blue collar jobs are you show and make a good impression and then you're given a chance to prove your self.

I live I northern Canada so opportunity is different here, but trades and labor jobs are a lot of the time here a career choice for people.

Ah. We don't really get that much of that in the UK.

For Construction you need to go on a course for bricklaying and that kind of stuff, and the other things you need a lot of upper body strength, which I don't have right now.

Honestly I go for anything and everything. I'm willing to do stuff outside that requires actual physical hard labour but there just aren't as many opportunities here.

 

[The White Hunter]

Odd that seeing for the last 26 months unemployment has been falling and the greatest number of people ever are currently working in the UK.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-30913960

Oh awesome. I'll frame that and put it on my wall until I'm evicted for not being able to pay my rent because I'm still unemployed.

It's more the government doing fancy backflips and messign with the figures to make it seem like it's falling when really bugger all is changing.

Edit: I'd hire you if I was in charge of the hiring at work.

 

[And Man]

I'm an engineer for God's sake; of course I'm going to be socially awkward. And guess what? In my (admittedly small amount of) experience so far, operations/chemical engineering doesn't require a great deal of social skills.

As an electrical engineer, I highly disagree with your "socially awkward" statement; in my experience, engineers have been some of the most diverse people I've met. My college's CS department on the other hand had a lot of socially awkward people. And while our jobs are surely different, mine does require social skills, and I imagine many other engineering jobs do as well.

OT: The best way to get a job (other than knowing someone) is to get an internship or co-op while you're in college. My school hosted numerous job fairs and internship/co-op fairs throughout the year, both for STEM and non-STEM majors, and the vast majority of engineering students completed an internship or co-op during college. I'm not sure how easy it is for non-STEM students to get an internship, but you should definitely look to get one after your sophomore year.

 

[Jodokh]

Ah. We don't really get that much of that in the UK.

For Construction you need to go on a course for bricklaying and that kind of stuff, and the other things you need a lot of upper body strength, which I don't have right now.

Honestly I go for anything and everything. I'm willing to do stuff outside that requires actual physical hard labour but there just aren't as many opportunities here.

Would resume building help? Like they are a ton of farm exchange programs. If you are under 30 and no kids you are eligible.

Also you have to get an education for construction? Hmm odd, Here safety education is the big thing.
I met a land landscaper from The Czech Republic who was living the UK, is working under those guys an option?
The strength comes in time, before you know it you're buff.

Here safety education is the big thing.