Gissa job
Mark in the shadow of Canary Wharf
Monday, 09, Nov 2009 05:09
By Hollie Slade.
New figures released by the Higher Education Careers Service Unit (HECSU) this month found that the number of jobless graduates is at its highest level since 1995-96.
As graduate jobs dwindle and internships mushroom in their place, getting on the first rung of the career ladder is becoming no easy task.
Take the case of Mark (hiretheboxman@googlemail.com), who has taken matters into his own hands after a series of setbacks.
An Oxford University graduate with four languages and experience as president and secretary of prestigious clubs and societies, Mark has been working as a cocktail waiter for the last six months.
Disenchanted with months of trawling jobs websites, Mark is taking the direct approach to job hunting. With thousands of 'good on paper' graduates chasing few highly competitive jobs standing out from the crowd is becoming the only way to get in front of a potential employer.
Standing underneath the glass towers which house Citigroup and Morgan Stanley in Canary Wharf with slogans urging potential employers to 'think outside the box' Mark tells me, "I've been looking for work for half a year. The form and covering letter approach didn't work out."
Reminiscent of the sandwich boards advertising casual labour, Mark's attempt at targeted marketing's approach seems to be working, picking up over 40 leads in the last two days.
"I'm looking for any kind of job where I can use my skills. I can speak Hungarian, English, Italian and German so working in a big multinational would suit me."
The HECSU figures revealed that graduate unemployment has increased by 44 per cent in 12 months with the private sector job market of finance and banking particularly difficult to break into.
However, the research also found the public sector to be the exception with the number of graduates entering healthcare, teaching and social work increasing.
It remains to be seen whether Mark's attempt will bear fruit.