Written by Gina Black, Careers Consultant
The graduation period is such an exciting time. We hope you’re having an amazing summer and enjoying some time to relax and celebrate your achievements. We also know that the months that follow graduation can sometimes be challenging. Despite some gloomy headlines, the job market is still full of opportunities and there are jobs out there. But there are also challenges, and for some, securing that first graduate job is taking longer than anticipated. So today’s post is about how to keep going if the going gets a bit tough.
First off, don’t panic!
Received a few (or perhaps more than a few) rejections? Been asking for feedback but been completely ghosted? It’s not great, and we know it can feel very discouraging, but it won’t be forever. For every graduate who seems to go straight into a great job, there are plenty others for whom things don’t go as smoothly as hoped. And while we can’t promise a silver bullet to instantly fix things, there are strategies you can use to keep going and take positive steps.
Take time to reflect: what’s not connecting?
If it’s been a while and things aren’t going as planned, it’s a good time to take a step back and explore what might be causing a disconnect. In a challenging job market, it’s very easy to get caught up in feeling like you need to apply to everything and anything. Take a moment to reflect on some recent applications and just check in on whether there’s scope for them to be any more tailored or targeted. This isn’t about being self-critical, but just taking a quick objective look in case there are any tangible tweaks that might help your applications land better. Or perhaps the jobs you’re applying to are asking for too many specific experiences or skills you’ve simply not had the chance to acquire yet.
Can you work in a similar job but in a different sector, so you build experience and then transfer it into the sector you’re more interested in? Perhaps you spot a skills request that appears frequently in job descriptions – can you find ways to acquire that skill through short courses/work experience/something else? Dr Kay Barbour’s blog Graduating this summer? Here’s tips on how to get started in a shifting job market, which we published previously, mentioned ways to upskill – why not refer back to that for ideas?
Investigate: who can you connect with?
Sometimes it helps to expand your options and go beyond the traditional route of applying to things you see advertised. This is especially true in a busy job market.
There are two strategies you can employ: the more direct route of speculative applications, where you apply directly to an organisation without waiting for something to be advertised (this works best with smaller or medium sized organisations); or you can play the long-game and find people working in the fields or jobs you’re interested in and reach out for an informational interview. This might sound formal, but it’s just careers jargon for a career focused chat! They can be an incredibly useful way to build connections who can help you further down the line, as well as giving immediate insights and advice specific to your sector of interest. We have plenty of advice to get you started with both speculative applications and informational interviews on our Careers Service website: Create your own opportunity
Focus on your ‘Circle of Influence’
Here at the Careers Service, we’re big fans of the ‘Circles of Influence’ concept. This is a framework designed by Steve Covey which focuses on two main concepts: a circle of concern and a circle of influence. It’s a useful tool to help re-evaluate challenges, such as an unsuccessful experience through a selection process.
The circle of concern encompasses all the things that you care about or are worried about, including things that are beyond our control – the weather, wars, the political views of others are examples of things which might be in our circle of concern. The circle of influence is smaller and includes the things we can actually influence or have some degree of choice about. For example, what we read, where we go, what organisations we give our time to, are all things in our circle of influence. Covey’s assertion is that by concentrating on our circle of influence, we direct energy towards areas where we can make a difference, rather than feeling overwhelmed by concerns outside our control.
Applying Covey’s Circles to the graduate job search
There are a broad range of things that we cannot control about getting a job: the economy, labour markets, how many other people apply, generative AI, assessment processes that employers choose to use – these are in our circle of concern but not our circle of influence. So, to spend time worrying about those things might not be a great use of our energy.
Planning based on what we can influence and control is more likely to support us in making progress. For example, we could spend time researching jobs in less competitive organisations or industries, or looking for smaller organisations who don’t have large budgets to attract potential applicants. Perhaps we can focus on growing our network and having career conversations with people doing jobs that interest us to get advice and ideas. These actions might not always have an immediate effect, but they give us agency and allow us to keep moving forward.
It’s ok to be disappointed. It’s a numbers game, to some extent, and you will get rejected at points, because we ALL get rejected at points. Remembering that sometimes things are not within our circle of influence to control can help. Even though it’s hard, we can acknowledge that and instead focus on what we can influence.
So be kind to yourself, reflect and recharge. And don’t forget, your Careers Service is here to help. You’ve got this.
