Disheartening searching for a job

[ttcycle]

Another route to try is for your daughter to do some voluntary work with some places that she's interested in - this counts for a lot in terms of the job market...no doubt exploitative as many employers increasingly are seeing a stint for free as mandatory which excludes a lot of people from getting their foot in the door due to practicalities of supporting themselves but if she's at home then that might be an option.

Unfortunately, the jobs she's going for are what graduates are also going for; plus the fact that she has only completed a year at Uni may work against her - is it possible to not include this in her CV - if employers ask then she can expand on the details.

I agree it's not easy out there.

 

[buggi]

i have to agree with the following:

voluntary work thing, and/or offering your services free for a month.

temping.

voluntary work not only shows you are willing, but also helps you to network. she can volunteer at more than one place doing a couple of days a week at different places. it could open all sorts of doors and also she won't be sitting at home getting dispondent about life.

temping is a good route into things like utility companies. for instance, National Grid only take on workers through pertemps. it's how i got my foot in the door there and i've been there 11 years now. and temping also opens a lot of opportunities. i've been offered a lot of work through temping.

another option... has she thought of setting up her own business doing something she likes? you can apply to the Princes Trust for a grant. out of little acorns... big trees grow.

 

[Speicher]

On the subject of voluntary work she might like to look at www.do-it.org.uk. You can specify your interests and how far you would like to travel, by going to "Advanced Search".

All sorts of things are available, from assisting blind people with technology, to maintaining a web-site for a sports club. If she did something that interests her for two days a week, for instance, it would still allow plenty of time for job-hunting etc.

 

[beanzontoast]

Thanks to all who have mentioned voluntary work - it's something we've talked about, but you guys suggesting it too adds other opinions to my voice. It's probably the option I would choose, were it me. Speicher - hadn't heard of that website before. Will get her to check it out. She doesn't drive (yet) so it would need to be something local, but this sounds a reasonable possibility.

 

[Speicher]

That is the only confusing thing about the site. Some of the distances are calculated as if you were travelling to the nearest Volunteer Centre, rather than where the opportunities are. If she can travel to the nearest town, there should be something interesting. Good luck.

Some towns have Volunteer Bureaux, but I have, shall we say, varying experiences with them, and I have contacted organisations direct instead, says I diplomatically.