I can trace this problem back to sixth form, when I was composing my personal statement for my UCAS application. It took me several drafts to write it, and even the finished result elicited a faintly disappointed verdict from my English teacher.

A mystery

It’s an especially puzzling problem because in general a lack of words has never been a problem. I can burble on at length about the Great British Bake-off or Arrested Development. I can cobble together an essay about King Lear, or write a travel blog. What I can’t do is write convincingly on a piece of paper about how employable I am.

I can if necessary wax lyrical about most subjects even if the premise is a bit artificial, yet when it comes to writing a cover letter my writing become stiff and ungainly. Usually, I try to compensate for this by chucking in a joke in order to inject a note of personality, to what impression this leaves on prospective employers reading the finished result I can only imagine.

Being truthful

What I worry about in a cover letter is sounding sincere. Perhaps this isn’t the primary objective of a cover letter for most people but for me it seems important that it seems genuine, that I actually am the person I’m describing in the letter. This doesn’t mean being brutally honest, but rather trying to convey that I’m a real person and not simply an anonymous, characterless recital of my main skills and abilities.

This is why every job application is a protracted, drawn-out affair which usually results in too many cups of coffees and a frenetic editing session at 1 am, after which I limply click ‘send’ on the email, defeated and disheartened.

Recently however I’ve been attempting to change this dire situation. Whilst I try my best to convey that I’m the right candidate for the job, I do so by writing how I’d normally write, with minimal use of jargon and buzzwords. This might sound too simple, but I think the artificiality that I hate about cover letters arises from this: in real life I would never use a phrase like ‘interpersonal skills’, so why would I then employ it in an application?

Whether this strategy will be successful remains to be seen, but for the moment it’s what I’m going with.

The post The dreaded cover letter appeared first on Graduate Game.

Sustainable Living

Whenever the phrase a ‘balanced lifestyle’ is used, I automatically think of running as much as you eat chips. However I have now reconsidered my assumed definition, and find that emotional and mental balance are just as- if not more important as the physical.

The internship was really great- and I am so glad that I went for it. I gained some fantastic experience for the old CV and made lovely friends. It was everything I had been looking for and I was absolutely determined to make it work no matter what. Although I didn’t want to see it at first there was, as there is with all these things, a significant down side. The six day weeks, unpaid work and long hours of travel where not ideal, and eventually made me exhausted, in debt and very hard to live with.

The Fine Line

I had to take a long hard look at what I was gaining and weigh it against the sleep, money and social life I had lost. Unfortunately I had to come to the decision that it just wasn’t conductive to a healthy or sustainable balance to my life.

I loved writing as a professional journalist every week. I can’t explain the amount confidence I gained from those three months. It has made me even more determined to work in the journalism and editing industry. It has also helped me to find the line of what I am able to do and sacrifice to gain that career – and what I cannot.

Variety is the Spice of Life

‘Too much of one thing is bad for you’ even if it is the ‘one thing’ that you really want. It is just as important to make sure that you continue to do other ‘things’ as well.

At an interview I was recently asked what I like to do in my spare time.  My mind went completely blank. This may have been down to nerves, but I think it was also the fact that for the last three months all I had managed to do with the pitiful spare time I had was sleep, attempt to tidy my flat and then survive another week. I eventually managed to mumble something about running and reading, but it was somewhat of a shock that I couldn’t define my life outside of work.

Brains, brainnsss

While it was undoubtedly the experience from my internship which gained me the interview, – it was possibly the lack of anything else which lost me that job.

Ultimately no employer wants to hire a work drained zombie, no matter how much experience that zombie has. Being able to demonstrate that you have a well-rounded and varied lifestyle shows that you have well rounded and varied skills as well.

The post The Balancing Act appeared first on Graduate Game.

This is probably common for many people my age, who are currently negotiating the new reality of being back at home with the folks after being away at university (or in teaching in China in my case). I’m not one of those people who can’t stand with mater and pater, and as a general rule we rub along nicely. There are however definite pros and cons to living at home.

The Pros

I don’t exactly remember the kitchens I used to cook in at university with fondness. Anyone familiar with dingy student lets will probably have used ancient cookers, encrusted with the remains of many month’s worth of meals. So now I appreciate how lovely my parents kitchen is, with its shiny stainless steel cookers and smart wooden worktops. This sense of appreciation extends to the rest of the house, with its sense of space, cleanliness, nice furniture and no sticky floors. The same can be said for the food, as living with the parents means reliable, plentiful access to a fridgeful of goodies, with absolutely no mysterious jars of indeterminate content. The fruit is never mouldy, the milk never sour and they buy the best sausages.

The Cons

Conversely, I do find that there are disadvantages to living avec famille, Firstly, we are a family of dedicated TV-watchers yet I have virtually opposite tastes to most of the members of my family. Whilst we will collectively howl outrage at television during The Great British Bake-off if Paul Hollywood is unduly scathing about a contestant’s choux pastry, the rest of the time is a different story. My sister and mother are avid fans of The Real Housewives of Orange County, and I prefer Doctor Who. This difference in opinion in our household leads to friction, and it can sometimes get messy.

On a more serious note however, the biggest con though is location. My town is not exactly blessed in looks, night-life or jobs, and to get anywhere exciting means at least a twenty minute overpriced train journey. Furthermore, an unpaid internship in London would cost me thousands in rent and maintenance. If however you have generous parents based in the Big Smoke then you have won the graduate wheel of fortune, as you can do as many unpaid placements as you like, particularly useful if you’re looking to find a job in journalism or the arts.

Ultimately however, I still know that wherever my family lived I would still be lucky to have parents prepared to let me live in the house rent-free whilst I find a job. I know it can’t last forever, so I’d better make the most of it whilst I can.

The post Living with Mum and Dad appeared first on Graduate Game.

Bigger than the Stones in South Africa. Bigger than nobody in his native country. Malik Bendjelloul’s documentary Searching For Sugar Man explores the fascinating story of Sixto Rodriguez, a Mexican-American songwriter from the bowels of Detroit, who became a cultural icon in a place he’d never set foot in while his music bombed in the United States. How did this all happen you ask? Well apparently Rodriguez’s debut album Cold Fact was smuggled into South Africa at the height of Apartheid by a lone American hero. This led to copies, or piracy as state the would dub it, and word of mouth until it became something of cultural importance. However, its socio-political themes with a left wing bent and lyrics about sex, jumpers, coke and Mary Jane inevitably fell foul of the ugly beast known as state censorship…the job of which was to outlaw exotic music from the strange world of Detroit. As with  numerous censorship follies this one was a welcome failure. Cold Fact achieved landmark status for a dissenting generation of logical malcontents agitating against a dangerous and illogical authoritarian regime.

Suicide?

Despite the rampant state repression of the time, information about  dangerous subversive lunatics with guitars such as Dylan, the Doors, and the Stones would inevitably slip through the cracks. Rodriguez, however, was an enigma that existed in a vacuum on an uninhabited planet. With such scarcity of information, some aspiring Hollywood writer decided to flesh out Sixto’s story and give it a macabre ending. Now the intensity of Rodriguez’s prophetic words seemingly demanded an elaborate narrative where he had went out in a blaze of glory by dousing himself in petrol and lighting up while on stage. Fantastical stories about gruesome suicide’s gave the Rodriguez legend arms and legs of differing shapes and sizes. Yet, the reality is perhaps more mundane and definitely more inspiring.

Treat Yourself

Along the way this gorgeous film is peppered with some amazing songs by Rodriguez.  Although ultimately it is the amazing story that should resonate with struggling graduates and anyone with a pulse. In times like these, Searching for Sugar Man is like opening your curtains to find a depressing concrete jungle, in the midst of doledrum no less, has been replaced by the Grand Canyon being illuminated by the Aurora Borealis… and that has to be good.

The post A Review of Searching For Sugar Man appeared first on Graduate Game.

Do your homework, don’t procrastinate!

Whether this is a big time interview for your dream job as an alcohol taster on a seven figure salary or a McJob cleaning up milkshake spillages for a screaming teething brat, it helps to be clued up on industry practice, standards etcetera, etcetera. In addition, it is advisable to have a good idea of what you want to say and how to bring your work experience and qualifications into the mixer to prostitute yourself accordingly. If your attending an interview for a well known brand/company it is also a good idea to source potential interview questions and have effective questions to ask of your own. Search the web for student chat rooms that have discussions on interview styles for particular jobs. This will give you an idea of the type of questions you can expect to face. Remember the internet is your friend.

Do try to look presentable, don’t arrive half drunk!

99 times out of 100 you should never judge a book by its cover. Unfortunately job interviews are a different animal altogether. If you go in unwashed straight after a night out wearing an Iggy Pop t shirt, the bookies would probably make you a rank outsider to get the job… unless the interviewer has a good taste in music of course. Unfortunately for those who are that way inclined it means a good wash and suitable attire, plain dark suits, ties… you get the idea. If you have multiple nose rings it is a good idea to tone it down.  As superficial as it seems you will be judged on appearance. If you have a tattoo of a sexual act on your head you may be snookered.

Do try to get yourself into a confident and relaxed frame of mind, don’t freak out!

Being confident and articulate are essential requirements in interviews. Therefore arriving stressed out and plagued with self doubt is counter-productive to your mojo. Put simply, don’t freak out! Breathe and do something you enjoy as long as you have prepared. Get yourself into a confident frame if mind and do whatever it takes to get  there… within the confines of the law of course. It could be anything from dancing like Mick Jagger to a Stones tune, watching an inspiring film or having a mantra or a hired lackey for a day that tells you that could batter the entire cast of the Expendables armed only with a breadstick. Confidence can be a fickle mistress but remember an interview is not the be all and end all.  Don’t let it consume your life to the point it adversely affects your mental health. No one wants to see you sitting rock and back and forth like an extra from One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.

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Don’t fall into the trap of thinking your education ends when University does. Unemployed? Hate your job? Missing Uni? Learn something new. Learning doesn’t have to end when you leave the formal education system, so if you want to take up a new hobby and you’ve been putting it off, do it now. There are plenty of free resources available to adult learners, and learning new things can also help you realize interests and talents you didn’t even know you had. The saying ‘no time like the present’ applies very readily here.

Sort out your finances

Set a budget, and try to stick to it. In the first couple of years after graduation, you’re likely to be feeling the absence of your student loans and grants. You may even have a hefty overdraft or debts to clear, but for this reason it’s all the more important to ensure you can afford the basic cost of living. For many, this will mean rent, bills, food, and entertainment. If you are living at home, sit down with your family and arrange your contribution to the household – it will give you confidence to pay whatever you can, even if that’s only knowing you’re covering your own food or paying a little towards household bills. Learn how to adjust your outgoings in accordance with what’s incoming; consider Uni finance as a practice run.

Network and Socialize

Believe it or not, just getting out and about can help you connect not only to potential employers, but to what it is you truly want from life. Don’t become ‘all work and no play’, it’s no good for anyone, but it’s an easy enough trap to fall into when you’re seeking work or trying to deal with a tiny budget and the demands of ‘the real world’. Build contacts – you never know where it might lead you.

Ask Questions

Don’t be afraid to ask for help if you need it. If you want to know something, look it up. Don’t feign knowledge unless you can ‘fake it until you make it’, and always remain curious about the world around you.

Keep your options open

Apply for internships. If you can afford it, apply to unpaid internships. There are many available now which can be worked from home, giving you experience whilst freeing up some of your time to work enough to pay your bills. The Post-Grad world is all about learning how to remain proactive, imaginative and productive as an adult – don’t worry, it is possible, and you are on your way!

The post 5 Productive Steps for Recent Graduates appeared first on Graduate Game.

Charitable giving.

Obviously, visiting charity shops is a good place to start. Cheap and ethical. Well nearly. Today I was browsing my local Shaw and honestly couldn’t finding anything for under £10. I know I shouldn’t complain and it’s all for a good cause but £30 for an ancient jumper made me wince, even if it was from Jaeger.

Sensible

Be practical. If you’re hunting for bargains in charity shops or Ebay, maybe don’t buy the floor length 1950s cape and instead choose items that can be combined with lots of outfits.

Mend it

In this age of austerity, think post-war thrift and repair your clothing. Whilst I’m not the most accomplished of seamstresses, I find it easy enough to mend small holes and tears. Your clothes will last longer if you keep a small sewing kit handy.

Beggars can’t be…

Don’t be fussy. My sister will regularly dump a pile of unwanted clothes on my floor, which I will then root through to see if there’s anything I like. Take advantage of relatives and friends giving clothes away. Don’t be put off if your sibling says disdainfully to you: ‘I last wore that top eight years ago’. Who cares? It’s new for you.

Hoard

Now is not the time for sleek minimalism. Don’t chuck something away as soon as you’re tired of it. I like to think of my wardrobe as operating in cycles. Different sets of clothes rotate according to my preferences.

Sell sell sell.

On a final note, if you’re unemployed and Jobseekers benefit isn’t quite doing the job, be resourceful, Other people might carelessly give away their expensive clothes to charity shops (which you then snap up) but consider selling stuff on Ebay if you own something that’s of good quality. Ebayers go mad for certain brands and types of clothing, and that old Topshop jumper or French Connection dress you bought years ago can fetch a pretty penny.

Images from www.collegefashion.net

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When I returned from China I spent money like water, mostly through catching up with friends and get started on all the cider I hadn’t drunk whilst living abroad (you can only get Strongbow in China, and it costs EIGHT POUNDS a pint).

It doesn’t help that I get confused about what constitutes  a lot of money.  I think I’m flush if my bank balance is in the black, and every time I received my termly £1,100 student maintenance loan  at university I thought  ‘great, I’m  a MILLIONAIRE!!’.

Now as the dizzying fog of affluence has lifted  I am left with my weekly JSA  benefit and whatever I can scavenge from my parent’s fridge.  This  situation would be fine (my parents buy the good bacon) were it not for my first world consumerist urges.

I go through periods of being in love with my wardrobe, where I look through and think that there’s no need for me to go shopping.  And then there are the phases like now, where I open the cupboard and realise that what I own is  a lot of weird,  badly fitting vintage dresses and strange charity shop jumpers.

Like a lost soul I wonder  amongst the high street shops, gazing mournfully at the  glossy goods on offer, gliding around in an invisible cloud of poorness.  I have taken to obsessively searching Ebay, looking for the ultimate bargain, the results of which are one very nice leather jacket for £10, and a bizarre cross stitched table cloth that I had thought was a 1970s vintage peasant blouse when I bid for it.

I am periodically seized with  the thought that what I really need is a new winter coat, cream cable knit tights, or cowboy ankle boots, and this sparks a frenzied internet search where I try to find the best bargain possible.  Occasionally I’ll toy with investing in  a wardrobe of quality basics, until the thought of spending £45 on three white t-shirts makes me feel nauseous.

Usually, I can rarely bring myself to  actually spend any money. Even if  I’m wistfully looking at  a slinky pair of heels, I won’t buy it because I can’t help calculating how many drinks I could buy with that amount.  In fact the only area where I’m not stingy and seeming to  be cheerfully spending money like there’s no tomorrow is  food and drink.  Particularly as, having previously existed on chiefly noodles and rice for  a year in China, I feel it is now my duty to eat as many rich, stodgy things as possible.

The more skint I get, the more I oscillate wildly between extreme stinginess and bouts of extravagance.  I’ll agonize over whether to buy a new mascara, and then go and spent £20 on ingredients for a risotto.

I seem to be waiting for this mythical point in my future when all the money will come pouring in, and I’ll be able to buy all the expensive bacon, Whistles dresses and designer chairs that I could possibly want.  One can dream I suppose.

The post Skint appeared first on Graduate Game.

Whilst moving out of my last student house I had a terrible time closing down an account with a utility provider. Doubtless some of this was my fault, being much more preoccupied with packing and leaving my housemates, but I found that sometimes companies don’t provide much information to help those new to the process. A lot of operatives handle queries in a friendly and efficient fashion but here are some handy hints just in case.

Tips

-Keep a copy of any correspondence and ask for a reference number for each separate issue. Make sure you also keep a record of your meter readings.

-If you are going to move out ring up as soon as possible to let the bill company know. Some companies require notice and will charge you a cancellation fee if you want to close your account immediately.

-Make sure you give a forwarding address so any further bills are sent to you. This avoids late penalties and third parties being brought in which could damage your credit rating.

-Learn to love the song they play on hold.

Internal Complaints

Should you feel you have been charged wrongly or received bad service, email the complaints team and failing a response from that ask for a written complaints address. Having followed the internal complaints system I was compensated by the company for my trouble. Although complaining can seem like a hassle if your complaint is legitimate your persistence could pay off.

External Complaints

If you have followed the company’s complaints procedure and after 8 weeks you are in a deadlock where neither you nor the company are prepared to compromise you can contact an Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) scheme. The Energy Ombudsman or the Communications and Internet Services Adjudication Scheme (CISAS) are an independent middleman. They will independently look at the complaint, listening to both sides before deciding if any action should be taken. You must do this within 9 months of your original complaint to the company.

Advice

For advice on your rights and the responsibilities of service providers there are a few places you can go:

- Ofcom for communications companies and Ofgem for energy providers are independent regulators whose job it is to make sure consumers are treated fairly. They give advice on a range of issues from billing to customer service but do not handle individual complaints.

-Similarly the Citizen’s Advice Bureau have an online advice guide, a national phone service (that charges) or you can call or visit your local centre.

Images from http://josiebrainfroth.wordpress.com/page/2/

The post Fighting the Bills Companies appeared first on Graduate Game.

No problem, right?

Surely this won’t be a problem? You’re well educated and likely to have some work experience for the unskilled positions that you are applying for to ease the initial financial strain. You will walk into a job without practically any effort. Unfortunately this is not the case. The bar job that you got without any experience when you were eighteen is now out of your reach. You are the same person with added experience except for one tiny difference – you are now a graduate. Employers in these sectors know that you probably didn’t go to university to follow a career in bar tending and the only thing that your degree tells them is that you’re going to run away at the first sight of a graduate job (which you will). So you have two options: you can make the heart-breaking decision to remove your degree from your listed credentials when applying for these jobs or focus your search for employment on the coveted graduate positions, where the employers will appreciate your degree. They will not, however, appreciate your lack of relevant work experience.

The double-edged sword

This is the point where you will encounter the double-edged sword of graduate employment. Unless your degree included a year in industry or you were a mature student with previous professional work experience, you are unlikely to have the average 1-2 years experience in industry that a lot of graduate positions require. So you are over-qualified for half of the work available and under-experienced for the other half.

This is where work experience becomes the best option. Work experience is absolutely crucial and volunteering your services to your chosen industry indicates that you are passionate and committed enough to work for free. Gaining experience within the industry will also re-assure employers that you are worth employing as you would have tried and tested the profession for its suitability to you. The idea of working for free is not ideal or appealing to most people, but the reality is that for many professions there is little other option. Work placements and internships are not only beneficial to your employability in terms of credentials, but also your employability in terms of professionalism and confidence. Entering into a position where you have previous experience will be highly beneficial to you, since you can be content in the knowledge that you have been selected because you have previously done the job and done it well.

No one realistically expects you to have made it by the age of 21 and if they do they probably hold preconceptions about degrees from the days when Greek or Latin was an essential requirement for university entry. The situation for graduates at the moment is difficult, but the intention of this article is not to point out the hopelessness of the situation, but to emphasise the importance of hard-work and persistence. The fact-of-the-matter is that nothing is going to be handed out. Nepotism aside, in most cases you will have to start from the bottom and earn your way to your desired job through hard-work.
It is your own responsibility to prove yourself in your industry of choice and put yourself out there enough to know that you are doing everything possible to enhance your chances of getting a job. Remember that all of the successful people out there had no experience at one point and they too had to overcome the problematic double-edged sword.

Photo by PS Tracks

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