June 17, 2026 • 20 mins
Job hunting may feel exciting at first…Then the applications pile up, the rejections start landing, and suddenly you’re thinking 'what am I even doing?'
In this episode, we’re talking honestly about the realities of searching for work - from staying motivated after months of applications to handling rejection and figuring out what employers are actually looking for. We’re joined by Eve, who spent six months job searching before landing a role at Jisc.
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How to use social media to find a job: https://www.prospects.ac.uk/careers-advice/getting-a-job/social-media-and-job-hunting/
How to write a CV: https://www.prospects.ac.uk/careers-advice/cvs-and-cover-letters/how-to-write-a-cv/
How to find a job: https://www.prospects.ac.uk/careers-advice/getting-a-job/how-to-find-a-job/
A graduate's guide to job hunting: https://www.prospects.ac.uk/the-topic/a-graduates-guide-to-job-hunting/
---
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📜 Episode transcripts: https://www.prospects.ac.uk/podcasts/future-you-podcast-transcripts
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(00:00):
Understandingthat when you come out of university,
(00:03):
you don't need to land your perfect jobstraight away.
And the it can take 10, 15 years,Hello and welcome back to Future You.
The podcast brought to youby graduate careers experts Prospects.
My name is Eve littleand I'm from Bristol and I work for the UK
data service,which is the largest collection
of economic, socialand population data in the UK.
(00:26):
So things like the censusand family resources survey.
Nice. And when did you get that job?
I got this job, in June of last yearwhen I started.
But I kind of started applying for ita couple months before.
2 or 3 months before that. Okay.
And were you expecting to be lookingfor like, 2 or 3 months?
(00:48):
I mean,I was because I have so many friends
that have gone through similar experiencesand I'm, I'm a little bit further along.
Post uni.
So I've been out of universitynow for two and a half years.
and it was two years post university.
So I'd already gone through a job
and an application,process of unemployment before then.
(01:09):
And so many of my friends had.
So I think when I was applying for thisjob, I was ready to be unemployed
for a lot, lot longer than three months,because that's what
everyone else was having.
Yeah.
And did you have a stopgap jobat the time that you
that was taking you overor had you, like, left everything
and you were solely focusingand relying on getting this new job?
Yeah, I was completely unemployed.
(01:31):
And yeah, I,I left my last job at Christmas last year,
so I had about six months unemploymentwithin that time.
Yeah.
So you were expecting
for it to be a long wait?
You were anticipating that.
So how did you prepare yourself for that?
Did you?
Did you have a structure to your day?
(01:52):
Did you have a routine?
And. Yeah. So we'll start with that.
Yeah, I definitely didbecause of experiencing it earlier on.
That unemployed period after universityand maybe not feeling as prepared for it,
and not expecting it to be as badas it was.
I think that second timeI had it last year,
(02:14):
I was definitely a lot more prepared.
And having structure to your day, breaking it down
into kind of manageable tasksthat you can actually tick off,
and balancing it with exercise, fresh air,seeing friends, having fun as well.
Even though you're unemployed,you can have fun and cheap ways as well.
I think having a balance was keyin making that period healthy and happy.
(02:38):
Yeah, definitely.
And so did you go into itwith a sort of almost calendar,
block of like, I will go to the gymfor an hour every day.
I will go for a walk.
I will see someone once a week.
Yeah. I had like,
I'm, I
write a lot of stuff down,so I had a kind of tech list,
and I wouldn't say it was as rigidas that, because I think you do have days
(02:59):
where you wake up with zero motivationand feeling low, and on those days,
sometimes it's good to force yourselfto get out and do those things.
But I think you've got to be kindto yourself, and it's also important to
just go with how you feel and have a daywatching Netflix if you if you need it.
But yeah, on the whole, I would make surethat I would have a balance
(03:21):
of looking for workand also those other things.
So fresh air, friends, exercise,eating well, sleeping well.
And I think a balance is key,but also a balance within,
the job application process.
If you spend five hoursjust scrolling through indeed
or LinkedIn,it gets so boring and you lose motivation.
(03:42):
So switching it up with differentkind of job, finding activities as well
to just add as much variation as possiblethroughout the day.
Like what?
Like tailoring your CV like
like finding a different like whatdo you like, what did you find variety in.
Exactly as you saidlike tailoring your CV.
Searching for jobs, applying for jobs.
(04:03):
But then alsoI think the position I was in
was I didn't have this feeling
of like a sense of what I wanted to do.
So I think some people,
I think there's an expectationthat you sort of come out of university
with a really clear idea of,I want to be a doctor or a teacher
or architect and not all careerpaths are as straightforward as that.
(04:24):
So I think for me, it was alsoI needed to spend time
looking into and working out whatmaybe my path would look like.
And I still don't necessarily knowthat today, like a couple years on,
but I think adding activitiesthat are just exploring different ideas
is really helpful, and that also helpsthe job search feel less overwhelming
(04:47):
because you kind of yougo on to like indeed, say,
and there might be 50,000jobs in your area.
And if you have no way of knowingthat down almost endless possibilities
feels like there's no possibility.
So I think exploring what you want to do
was quite a positive addition to my jobseeking such.
And how did you do that?
(05:07):
Like what did you do to sort ofnarrow things down?
I think talking to peoplewho are much older than you,
is a really helpful exercise,
and it doesn't even need to necessarilybe in a job that you want to do.
But I think hearing people'scareer paths say, from when they finished
university 20 years agoand now they're in their 40s or 50s,
(05:30):
I think it gives you that perspectiveshift of their careers
have wiggled all around the place,and they've gone through
so many different jobsthat are completely kind of random,
and now they might be in their dream jobor a job they really enjoy
and are passionate about.
So I think understanding thatwhen you come out of university,
you don't need to land your perfect jobstraight away.
(05:52):
And the it can take ten, 15 years,and as long as you're kind of
trying new thingsand open to new interests.
So yeah, I think talking to peoplewas a really positive help.
And in helping me work outwhat rough direction.
But also I only need a rough directionat this point in life.
So that was really helpful.
Yeah, I think that's a really,really like wise way to look at it.
(06:15):
As you say, there's a real panic of like,oh God, I need to know exactly
what I'm going to dofor the next 5000 years right now.
But you don't.
You just need to.
And there's so much I say this,this is like the mantra of this podcast.
Now, there is so much usein knowing what you don't want to do
as much as there is,and knowing what you do want to do.
And I was like,that's what your 20s is for going.
(06:35):
You don't want to do that.No, don't want to do that either.
And then when you hit your 30s, you can belike, okay, we got a bit of an idea now
let's see where this goes.
So when did you hit the slump?
At what point within the six months wouldyou say you really started feeling it
or did it never come?
I thinkit didn't come in in that six months.
(06:55):
But as I said,I'd, I'd had a period before,
when I came out of universitywhere I more felt the slump.
So I was I was lucky this time last yearthat I didn't hit the slump.
I think it was timed quite well for me,because it was that period
coming into summer and springand I think little things, like the days
being longer,just made me feel so much better.
(07:16):
Yeah.
And also,I was fortunate that at this point, two
and a half years after university,I'd got a bit of experience under my belt.
So I felt that little bit more confidentthan I had, before university,
after university.
Sorry.
So, yeah, I was luckythat I didn't feel the slump at that time.
I'm not quite sure how. Yeah,I think you're right.
(07:36):
I think the weather has a lotto do with it. Like. Yeah.
I can't imagine having to, like,job seeking, like,
like October through to, like, March.
That must just be so smart.
I think all the time
when most students are stuckbecause you graduate in the summer.
Yeah.
Maybe you have some of usbecause you want to, like, have a period
(07:57):
between work and studying,and then you're applying from September
through Christmasand that is the hardest time to.
Yeah.What advice do you think would you give?
I feel like there's a good run up of like,even if you don't necessarily
celebrate the holidays that appear, thereare, as a run up, a festivity at least.
(08:17):
And then it's once you hit January, the,I would argue, a slump with 100%.
Yeah. Okay.
So again, just like catching daylightwhen you can exercise like and when we say
exercising we just mean like I always meanjust like moving your body.
Yeah. Yeah.
Like stand up and shake it out. Yeah.
Cause, my God, it makes such a difference.
(08:39):
Yeah.
So often I'll be like,why do I feel this way?
And then I'll go on one walk and be like,oh, I'm
literally just even opened the windowfresh.
It's so frustrating.
I'm always like, every time.
So six months.
(09:00):
Did you get a lot of rejectionduring that time?
The thing is, with the job market
nowadays is I think I only got maybe two
rejections, two formal rejectionswhere they send you an email and they say,
sorry,you haven't got through to the next round.
I think you have to get usedto not hearing anything at all.
(09:21):
And that's actually worsethan a rejection,
because with the rejection,you can market off your list.
It's done, and maybe you get some feedbackand can learn for the next time,
whereas not hearinganything is almost worse to be honest.
So I think that's that'swhat people have to deal with nowadays,
because jobs are gettingso many applications that, the workplaces
don't have the resources to kind of senda personalised email to everyone
(09:45):
that doesn't get through each round,which is unfair, but, is something
you kind of have to get used to intoday's job market, which is hard.
Yeah.
What advice do you havefor people dealing with that?
I mean,I think you can always be proactive.
You know,
if there's a job that you applied for thatyou had that good feeling about
and you felt like thatjob was really something you wanted to do.
(10:08):
And it's been a monthand you haven't heard anything from them.
So you can assume that it's a rejection.
There is no harm in emailing them
and being proactive with that and asking,what about me?
And my applicationdoesn't quite fit with this role.
Do you have any advicefor what I could search for an experience
to kind of get me closerto getting this role in the future?
(10:30):
Would anyone be upfor kind of sitting down
and having a chat with meabout my application?
And I think that people in workalways really respect
and appreciate someone being enthusiasticabout their company and their job
and and normally always happy to helpif you kind of go that extra mile.
I don't think you need to do thatfor every job you apply to,
(10:50):
but there's definitely been a fewthat jobs
that I've applied to over the yearsthat have felt like
that little extra bit of spark in me,and I really wanted it.
And in hindsight,I think I could have been a bit
more proactive in reaching out to themafter not hearing anything.
Yeah. And you never knowwhere that's going to lead either.
Could have other openings that you like,you get the first dibs on or something.
(11:12):
So you did mention that you sort ofhad watched your friends
go through similar things.
Was were you alone in that sixmonth period or were other people going
through it with you?
I so because it was a
lot, you know, I'm two and a half yearsafter graduating, it was a lot later.
So I felt like my friends
(11:32):
had just gone through itthe year before in that winter period.
And I'd been working at the time,and I can remember wanting to support them
and, kind of offer words of advice,but also feeling like I wasn't
in the position where I was able tobecause I was unemployed,
I was unemployed,and they were unemployed.
So it just felt a little bit wrong.
So then it kind of feltlike when it was my turn,
(11:55):
the tables had reversedand they were all employed.
It's been a yearsince that kind of unemployed period,
and I think that was quite nicebecause they were able to offer me
words of advice,and it not come across wrong
because we've beenin the reverse positions the year before.
So in that sense,
it was really nice having friendsthat had experienced it already.
(12:18):
And it didn't come acrosslike patronising.
Yeah, because I think that can be the casesometimes when your friends in their
perfect job and they're like, oh, sorry,couldn't I don't have a for you too.
Exactly.
Yeah. Yeah.
But also you didn't have theyou weren't then comparing yourself.
That wasn't a race.
There wasn't a reallike stress of like yeah.
Oh God.
We're all like feeling this.
(12:40):
And it sucks like, that's kind of nice.
Okay.
Like, make sure you split it upwithin your friendship group. Yeah,
yeah, It's
almost like there's twokind of, like, parallel things that go on
after universitythat I think young people struggle with.
And one is actually finding workbecause the job market's really hard.
(13:01):
But I think the other is
kind of what I was saying earlier aroundfinding your purpose because
you might be able to land a jobfairly easy in terms of like,
retail or bar work or something, or other jobs,
but finding your purpose and,and whether it's something
that you're passionate aboutand want to do
(13:23):
is actually somethingthat kind of goes hand in hand
because it's really hardto find that soon after university.
And I think you have an expectation thatyou will land a job that you love quickly,
and that's not the case.
I don't think in 95% of people,you have to go through a few jobs
before finding something. That's right.
And that's okay. Yeah. That is okay.
(13:46):
So again during this sort of six monthperiod, you talked about mixing up
the activities in terms of like the jobsearching, the CV tailoring.
Did you ever do any sort of online coursesor try network or anything like that?
I didn't do any online courses, actually.
That was somethingthat was always on my list to do,
(14:08):
but I never got around to doing.
I always prioritised other things.
I think now I've started, now I'm working.
And we have space within the weekto do some developmental stuff
like LinkedIn learningwith these online courses.
They are actually really good.
But I think at the time I justdidn't have the motivation to do that.
Which is, you know, there'sI think it happens to the most of us.
(14:30):
I did do networking in termsof reaching out to people, like I said
earlier, and I got sent a few times,by like family, friends and family
local stuff going on in Bristol,like careers fairs for young people.
And I justdidn't go, and I don't know why I did.
I don't know why I didn't,but I think there are lots of networking,
(14:52):
opportunities to, like,meet companies and work and get advice.
And maybe I wasn't proactive enoughin taking those.
But I thinkif I was going to go back in time,
I would, Yeah,I think it can be overwhelming contact.
You know, at the timewhen you're in that mindset,
when you're in that like slog,you're like,
oh, another thing, like leavingthe house is my treat time.
(15:14):
I do it for the vitamin D.
I don't want to also bring that out
into the outside world,but equally they are there as options.
So yeah, that's good.
The thing I feel like in that six months
I did actually likego abroad for a bit of it.
So it wasn't
I feel like it's sayingI was searching for jobs for six months
(15:34):
is almost kind of unfairbecause I was on holiday
having a really greattime for a part of that.
Was that planned in terms of like,
you were like, I know my jobis coming to an end at this point.
I'm going to book the holidayfor this point.
Like, I think that's that countsas good time management.
Yeah. To be honest. Yeah.
(15:57):
I think that's
if you in the position where you can,if you have the funds that you can.
Because also
I think there's this sort of subsetof like doing the job seeking.
You're possibly in a quite vulnerablesituation where either you'll find
you are running off like any savingsthat you've had, which feels frustrating.
(16:19):
Or you have you've had to have like,
uprootedyour life and moved somewhere that is,
that is more financiallystable or you are still
working alongside it.
And none of those are a good thing.
No, those are good options. Yeah.
And that'sthat's not spoken about as much.
(16:40):
And I think is important too,because I was in a really fortunate
position in the I was currently livingin Leeds, working, unhappy in my work.
I knew I wanted to leave last Christmas,and I
actually moved back home with my parents,for the final few months of that job.
And then when I, ended the jobat Christmas,
(17:03):
and went into that period of unemployment,I was living at home with my parents,
although I still needed money and wasusing my savings, I wasn't paying rent.
And that is a massive privilege.
And I'm aware that there'sa lot of young people in the UK
that finish universitywith the same pressure to find work
and unable, you know, have the pressuresof paying rent and bills
(17:24):
and, living independently,which is so much harder.
A much higher pressure. Yeah, definitely.
I suppose to finish,so you've, you've given quite a lot.
But if you have one piece of advice
for somebody in the jobseeking slump right now, what would it be?
Can I say two things? Yeah, yeah.
(17:44):
One thing, that I found
going back to that kindof searching for your purpose
and what interests you and maybewhat career path you want to take.
I read a book that really helped me, kind of work that out.
And it's called.
What Color is Your Parachute?
Have you heard of it?
(18:05):
No, I haven't, it's a good book,and it's kind of an interactive book.
So it gets you to do,activities and exercises, and I
that was one of the things that I didalongside job searching.
And it kind of takes you throughall of the different domains of work,
and it gets you to really reflect onyour previous experiences of employment,
(18:25):
if you've had any, you know,working in a cafe or supermarket,
or volunteering, and it takes you through, like,
every single aspect of a jobto the point of like,
is it important for you working somewherewhere there's big windows and daylight
coming in, or is it important for you
being able to walk to workversus get the train and commute?
(18:46):
And it takes you throughso many different aspects and it makes
you realise that a job is much morethan just what you do in your 9 to 5.
It's like the wider things,the people, the place.
And it really helped me hone
down on which aspectsof really important for me.
So I really like being able to worklocally to where I live.
(19:07):
I like working with people who are like
minded to meand who are passionate about, their work.
But there's loads of different thingsthat you need to consider,
and it just breaks it down intoa really manageable, enjoyable exercise.
So I'd really recommendgoing through that.
And the other thingI think is it's really important to
just be kind to yourself.
(19:28):
It kind of goes back to whatwe were saying right at the start,
that it is okay to have really rough daysand to not apply for jobs,
and you need to make surethat you're putting yourself first
and that you're getting fresh air,exercise and seeing friends if you can.
As well as, you know,being determined and applying to work.
(19:49):
So I think be kind to yourselfand keep at it.
Yeah. Oh.That's brilliant. Thank you so much.
Thank you.
Understandingthat when you come out of university,
(00:03):
you don't need to land your perfect jobstraight away.
And the it can take 10, 15 years,Hello and welcome back to Future You.
The podcast brought to youby graduate careers experts Prospects.
My name is Eve littleand I'm from Bristol and I work for the UK
data service,which is the largest collection
of economic, socialand population data in the UK.
(00:26):
So things like the censusand family resources survey.
Nice. And when did you get that job?
I got this job, in June of last yearwhen I started.
But I kind of started applying for ita couple months before.
2 or 3 months before that. Okay.
And were you expecting to be lookingfor like, 2 or 3 months?
(00:48):
I mean,I was because I have so many friends
that have gone through similar experiencesand I'm, I'm a little bit further along.
Post uni.
So I've been out of universitynow for two and a half years.
and it was two years post university.
So I'd already gone through a job
and an application,process of unemployment before then.
(01:09):
And so many of my friends had.
So I think when I was applying for thisjob, I was ready to be unemployed
for a lot, lot longer than three months,because that's what
everyone else was having.
Yeah.
And did you have a stopgap jobat the time that you
that was taking you overor had you, like, left everything
and you were solely focusingand relying on getting this new job?
Yeah, I was completely unemployed.
(01:31):
And yeah, I,I left my last job at Christmas last year,
so I had about six months unemploymentwithin that time.
Yeah.
So you were expecting
for it to be a long wait?
You were anticipating that.
So how did you prepare yourself for that?
Did you?
Did you have a structure to your day?
(01:52):
Did you have a routine?
And. Yeah. So we'll start with that.
Yeah, I definitely didbecause of experiencing it earlier on.
That unemployed period after universityand maybe not feeling as prepared for it,
and not expecting it to be as badas it was.
I think that second timeI had it last year,
(02:14):
I was definitely a lot more prepared.
And having structure to your day, breaking it down
into kind of manageable tasksthat you can actually tick off,
and balancing it with exercise, fresh air,seeing friends, having fun as well.
Even though you're unemployed,you can have fun and cheap ways as well.
I think having a balance was keyin making that period healthy and happy.
(02:38):
Yeah, definitely.
And so did you go into itwith a sort of almost calendar,
block of like, I will go to the gymfor an hour every day.
I will go for a walk.
I will see someone once a week.
Yeah. I had like,
I'm, I
write a lot of stuff down,so I had a kind of tech list,
and I wouldn't say it was as rigidas that, because I think you do have days
(02:59):
where you wake up with zero motivationand feeling low, and on those days,
sometimes it's good to force yourselfto get out and do those things.
But I think you've got to be kindto yourself, and it's also important to
just go with how you feel and have a daywatching Netflix if you if you need it.
But yeah, on the whole, I would make surethat I would have a balance
(03:21):
of looking for workand also those other things.
So fresh air, friends, exercise,eating well, sleeping well.
And I think a balance is key,but also a balance within,
the job application process.
If you spend five hoursjust scrolling through indeed
or LinkedIn,it gets so boring and you lose motivation.
(03:42):
So switching it up with differentkind of job, finding activities as well
to just add as much variation as possiblethroughout the day.
Like what?
Like tailoring your CV like
like finding a different like whatdo you like, what did you find variety in.
Exactly as you saidlike tailoring your CV.
Searching for jobs, applying for jobs.
(04:03):
But then alsoI think the position I was in
was I didn't have this feeling
of like a sense of what I wanted to do.
So I think some people,
I think there's an expectationthat you sort of come out of university
with a really clear idea of,I want to be a doctor or a teacher
or architect and not all careerpaths are as straightforward as that.
(04:24):
So I think for me, it was alsoI needed to spend time
looking into and working out whatmaybe my path would look like.
And I still don't necessarily knowthat today, like a couple years on,
but I think adding activitiesthat are just exploring different ideas
is really helpful, and that also helpsthe job search feel less overwhelming
(04:47):
because you kind of yougo on to like indeed, say,
and there might be 50,000jobs in your area.
And if you have no way of knowingthat down almost endless possibilities
feels like there's no possibility.
So I think exploring what you want to do
was quite a positive addition to my jobseeking such.
And how did you do that?
(05:07):
Like what did you do to sort ofnarrow things down?
I think talking to peoplewho are much older than you,
is a really helpful exercise,
and it doesn't even need to necessarilybe in a job that you want to do.
But I think hearing people'scareer paths say, from when they finished
university 20 years agoand now they're in their 40s or 50s,
(05:30):
I think it gives you that perspectiveshift of their careers
have wiggled all around the place,and they've gone through
so many different jobsthat are completely kind of random,
and now they might be in their dream jobor a job they really enjoy
and are passionate about.
So I think understanding thatwhen you come out of university,
you don't need to land your perfect jobstraight away.
(05:52):
And the it can take ten, 15 years,and as long as you're kind of
trying new thingsand open to new interests.
So yeah, I think talking to peoplewas a really positive help.
And in helping me work outwhat rough direction.
But also I only need a rough directionat this point in life.
So that was really helpful.
Yeah, I think that's a really,really like wise way to look at it.
(06:15):
As you say, there's a real panic of like,oh God, I need to know exactly
what I'm going to dofor the next 5000 years right now.
But you don't.
You just need to.
And there's so much I say this,this is like the mantra of this podcast.
Now, there is so much usein knowing what you don't want to do
as much as there is,and knowing what you do want to do.
And I was like,that's what your 20s is for going.
(06:35):
You don't want to do that.No, don't want to do that either.
And then when you hit your 30s, you can belike, okay, we got a bit of an idea now
let's see where this goes.
So when did you hit the slump?
At what point within the six months wouldyou say you really started feeling it
or did it never come?
I thinkit didn't come in in that six months.
(06:55):
But as I said,I'd, I'd had a period before,
when I came out of universitywhere I more felt the slump.
So I was I was lucky this time last yearthat I didn't hit the slump.
I think it was timed quite well for me,because it was that period
coming into summer and springand I think little things, like the days
being longer,just made me feel so much better.
(07:16):
Yeah.
And also,I was fortunate that at this point, two
and a half years after university,I'd got a bit of experience under my belt.
So I felt that little bit more confidentthan I had, before university,
after university.
Sorry.
So, yeah, I was luckythat I didn't feel the slump at that time.
I'm not quite sure how. Yeah,I think you're right.
(07:36):
I think the weather has a lotto do with it. Like. Yeah.
I can't imagine having to, like,job seeking, like,
like October through to, like, March.
That must just be so smart.
I think all the time
when most students are stuckbecause you graduate in the summer.
Yeah.
Maybe you have some of usbecause you want to, like, have a period
(07:57):
between work and studying,and then you're applying from September
through Christmasand that is the hardest time to.
Yeah.What advice do you think would you give?
I feel like there's a good run up of like,even if you don't necessarily
celebrate the holidays that appear, thereare, as a run up, a festivity at least.
(08:17):
And then it's once you hit January, the,I would argue, a slump with 100%.
Yeah. Okay.
So again, just like catching daylightwhen you can exercise like and when we say
exercising we just mean like I always meanjust like moving your body.
Yeah. Yeah.
Like stand up and shake it out. Yeah.
Cause, my God, it makes such a difference.
(08:39):
Yeah.
So often I'll be like,why do I feel this way?
And then I'll go on one walk and be like,oh, I'm
literally just even opened the windowfresh.
It's so frustrating.
I'm always like, every time.
So six months.
(09:00):
Did you get a lot of rejectionduring that time?
The thing is, with the job market
nowadays is I think I only got maybe two
rejections, two formal rejectionswhere they send you an email and they say,
sorry,you haven't got through to the next round.
I think you have to get usedto not hearing anything at all.
(09:21):
And that's actually worsethan a rejection,
because with the rejection,you can market off your list.
It's done, and maybe you get some feedbackand can learn for the next time,
whereas not hearinganything is almost worse to be honest.
So I think that's that'swhat people have to deal with nowadays,
because jobs are gettingso many applications that, the workplaces
don't have the resources to kind of senda personalised email to everyone
(09:45):
that doesn't get through each round,which is unfair, but, is something
you kind of have to get used to intoday's job market, which is hard.
Yeah.
What advice do you havefor people dealing with that?
I mean,I think you can always be proactive.
You know,
if there's a job that you applied for thatyou had that good feeling about
and you felt like thatjob was really something you wanted to do.
(10:08):
And it's been a monthand you haven't heard anything from them.
So you can assume that it's a rejection.
There is no harm in emailing them
and being proactive with that and asking,what about me?
And my applicationdoesn't quite fit with this role.
Do you have any advicefor what I could search for an experience
to kind of get me closerto getting this role in the future?
(10:30):
Would anyone be upfor kind of sitting down
and having a chat with meabout my application?
And I think that people in workalways really respect
and appreciate someone being enthusiasticabout their company and their job
and and normally always happy to helpif you kind of go that extra mile.
I don't think you need to do thatfor every job you apply to,
(10:50):
but there's definitely been a fewthat jobs
that I've applied to over the yearsthat have felt like
that little extra bit of spark in me,and I really wanted it.
And in hindsight,I think I could have been a bit
more proactive in reaching out to themafter not hearing anything.
Yeah. And you never knowwhere that's going to lead either.
Could have other openings that you like,you get the first dibs on or something.
(11:12):
So you did mention that you sort ofhad watched your friends
go through similar things.
Was were you alone in that sixmonth period or were other people going
through it with you?
I so because it was a
lot, you know, I'm two and a half yearsafter graduating, it was a lot later.
So I felt like my friends
(11:32):
had just gone through itthe year before in that winter period.
And I'd been working at the time,and I can remember wanting to support them
and, kind of offer words of advice,but also feeling like I wasn't
in the position where I was able tobecause I was unemployed,
I was unemployed,and they were unemployed.
So it just felt a little bit wrong.
So then it kind of feltlike when it was my turn,
(11:55):
the tables had reversedand they were all employed.
It's been a yearsince that kind of unemployed period,
and I think that was quite nicebecause they were able to offer me
words of advice,and it not come across wrong
because we've beenin the reverse positions the year before.
So in that sense,
it was really nice having friendsthat had experienced it already.
(12:18):
And it didn't come acrosslike patronising.
Yeah, because I think that can be the casesometimes when your friends in their
perfect job and they're like, oh, sorry,couldn't I don't have a for you too.
Exactly.
Yeah. Yeah.
But also you didn't have theyou weren't then comparing yourself.
That wasn't a race.
There wasn't a reallike stress of like yeah.
Oh God.
We're all like feeling this.
(12:40):
And it sucks like, that's kind of nice.
Okay.
Like, make sure you split it upwithin your friendship group. Yeah,
yeah, It's
almost like there's twokind of, like, parallel things that go on
after universitythat I think young people struggle with.
And one is actually finding workbecause the job market's really hard.
(13:01):
But I think the other is
kind of what I was saying earlier aroundfinding your purpose because
you might be able to land a jobfairly easy in terms of like,
retail or bar work or something, or other jobs,
but finding your purpose and,and whether it's something
that you're passionate aboutand want to do
(13:23):
is actually somethingthat kind of goes hand in hand
because it's really hardto find that soon after university.
And I think you have an expectation thatyou will land a job that you love quickly,
and that's not the case.
I don't think in 95% of people,you have to go through a few jobs
before finding something. That's right.
And that's okay. Yeah. That is okay.
(13:46):
So again during this sort of six monthperiod, you talked about mixing up
the activities in terms of like the jobsearching, the CV tailoring.
Did you ever do any sort of online coursesor try network or anything like that?
I didn't do any online courses, actually.
That was somethingthat was always on my list to do,
(14:08):
but I never got around to doing.
I always prioritised other things.
I think now I've started, now I'm working.
And we have space within the weekto do some developmental stuff
like LinkedIn learningwith these online courses.
They are actually really good.
But I think at the time I justdidn't have the motivation to do that.
Which is, you know, there'sI think it happens to the most of us.
(14:30):
I did do networking in termsof reaching out to people, like I said
earlier, and I got sent a few times,by like family, friends and family
local stuff going on in Bristol,like careers fairs for young people.
And I justdidn't go, and I don't know why I did.
I don't know why I didn't,but I think there are lots of networking,
(14:52):
opportunities to, like,meet companies and work and get advice.
And maybe I wasn't proactive enoughin taking those.
But I thinkif I was going to go back in time,
I would, Yeah,I think it can be overwhelming contact.
You know, at the timewhen you're in that mindset,
when you're in that like slog,you're like,
oh, another thing, like leavingthe house is my treat time.
(15:14):
I do it for the vitamin D.
I don't want to also bring that out
into the outside world,but equally they are there as options.
So yeah, that's good.
The thing I feel like in that six months
I did actually likego abroad for a bit of it.
So it wasn't
I feel like it's sayingI was searching for jobs for six months
(15:34):
is almost kind of unfairbecause I was on holiday
having a really greattime for a part of that.
Was that planned in terms of like,
you were like, I know my jobis coming to an end at this point.
I'm going to book the holidayfor this point.
Like, I think that's that countsas good time management.
Yeah. To be honest. Yeah.
(15:57):
I think that's
if you in the position where you can,if you have the funds that you can.
Because also
I think there's this sort of subsetof like doing the job seeking.
You're possibly in a quite vulnerablesituation where either you'll find
you are running off like any savingsthat you've had, which feels frustrating.
(16:19):
Or you have you've had to have like,
uprootedyour life and moved somewhere that is,
that is more financiallystable or you are still
working alongside it.
And none of those are a good thing.
No, those are good options. Yeah.
And that'sthat's not spoken about as much.
(16:40):
And I think is important too,because I was in a really fortunate
position in the I was currently livingin Leeds, working, unhappy in my work.
I knew I wanted to leave last Christmas,and I
actually moved back home with my parents,for the final few months of that job.
And then when I, ended the jobat Christmas,
(17:03):
and went into that period of unemployment,I was living at home with my parents,
although I still needed money and wasusing my savings, I wasn't paying rent.
And that is a massive privilege.
And I'm aware that there'sa lot of young people in the UK
that finish universitywith the same pressure to find work
and unable, you know, have the pressuresof paying rent and bills
(17:24):
and, living independently,which is so much harder.
A much higher pressure. Yeah, definitely.
I suppose to finish,so you've, you've given quite a lot.
But if you have one piece of advice
for somebody in the jobseeking slump right now, what would it be?
Can I say two things? Yeah, yeah.
(17:44):
One thing, that I found
going back to that kindof searching for your purpose
and what interests you and maybewhat career path you want to take.
I read a book that really helped me, kind of work that out.
And it's called.
What Color is Your Parachute?
Have you heard of it?
(18:05):
No, I haven't, it's a good book,and it's kind of an interactive book.
So it gets you to do,activities and exercises, and I
that was one of the things that I didalongside job searching.
And it kind of takes you throughall of the different domains of work,
and it gets you to really reflect onyour previous experiences of employment,
(18:25):
if you've had any, you know,working in a cafe or supermarket,
or volunteering, and it takes you through, like,
every single aspect of a jobto the point of like,
is it important for you working somewherewhere there's big windows and daylight
coming in, or is it important for you
being able to walk to workversus get the train and commute?
(18:46):
And it takes you throughso many different aspects and it makes
you realise that a job is much morethan just what you do in your 9 to 5.
It's like the wider things,the people, the place.
And it really helped me hone
down on which aspectsof really important for me.
So I really like being able to worklocally to where I live.
(19:07):
I like working with people who are like
minded to meand who are passionate about, their work.
But there's loads of different thingsthat you need to consider,
and it just breaks it down intoa really manageable, enjoyable exercise.
So I'd really recommendgoing through that.
And the other thingI think is it's really important to
just be kind to yourself.
(19:28):
It kind of goes back to whatwe were saying right at the start,
that it is okay to have really rough daysand to not apply for jobs,
and you need to make surethat you're putting yourself first
and that you're getting fresh air,exercise and seeing friends if you can.
As well as, you know,being determined and applying to work.
(19:49):
So I think be kind to yourselfand keep at it.
Yeah. Oh.That's brilliant. Thank you so much.
Thank you.
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