by Carla Gozo

 

Congratulations! The graduation caps have been thrown in the air and robes have come off. After years of hard work, you’ve earned your diploma which is no simple task. This is a time to be proud of what you’ve accomplished.

Naturally, however, for any young-career starter the rush of excitement is mixed with uncertainty over what the future holds as making the transition from an academic to a work environment can feel like a daunting prospect. Up until this point, the progression from school to A-Levels to university has been straightforward, but now you are entering a phase in life where it’s up to you to chart your own future.

Post-university blues

“When you leave university, you’re all of a sudden thrown into this new world that you don’t really understand,” shared Leeds Beckett journalism student, Izzy Miller, “You start asking the big questions of, “What am I going to do with my life? Is there going to be a job for me? Do I even want the same things I wanted when I started the degree?”

A small survey of Leeds Beckett graduates showed specific practical aspects of job-hunting students find intimidating include writing an impactful cover letter, interviewing well, and determining the balance of sending out too few or too many applications.

“Without the pressure of needing to do something for a job, you get to just focus on just getting experience – doing a lot of unpaid work and showing that I am willing to learn,” said Izzy, “I know myself so I have an idea of what I want to end up doing [in my career], I’m just lost on the process of getting there.”

The job market for graduates in Leeds

Graduates from the last two years are also faced with an unusual roadblock in their ability to network with professionals in their industries, having likely lost a few months of in-person teaching to the pandemic.

According to Jo Horton, the team leader of the University of Leeds Careers Advice hub: “We can’t underestimate what a strange time it’s been for everybody and to have [lockdowns] happen at such a pivotal point in their lives is definitely disruptive and can cause a lot of fatigue.”

Research done by the Uni of Leeds careers team showed that roughly 18% of their students look to stay in Leeds after graduating. WhatUni.com shows that number goes up to 39% when factoring in students from the city’s other five universities.

While Leeds is widely recognised by publications such as the Yorkshire Post and LeedsLive for being one of the country’s fastest developing SME hubs, particularly in tech, the struggle to fill vacancies meant for career-starters has persisted. With so many jobs available in Leeds and students choosing to stay, why are recruiters and employers across the region still experiencing a talent shortage?

Knowing where to look

“A lot of [University of Leeds] students tend to apply for the same big blue-chip companies that they’ve already heard of which means there’s a lot of competition for the same job,” said career advisor Pablo Costa, “they aren’t as aware of smaller local businesses where they can get a good start. With SMEs graduates are given more responsibility and typically more opportunities to get in-depth feedback.”

Career advisors from Uni of Leeds and Leeds Beckett University spoke with Graft about the pressures students feel after leaving an educational environment when they think they need to figure out what to do next on their own. Especially for graduates coming from an arts or humanities background, some students feel as though the interests and motivations they’d focused on for 3 or 4 years are not in-line with the corporations they could apply to work for.

“Quite a lot of companies don’t require a particular degree subject and I don’t think a lot students are aware that they can go for the same position that business students are applying for,” Jo shared, “they don’t realise employers find diverse degrees useful.”

Supporting young talent

Of course, the onus is not on students alone to put themselves to tap on the shoulders of every employer in the city and upsell their skills. Employers themselves also need to realise that the job market has changed along with what graduates need to feel like they can excel.

Danielle O’Connell from the Leeds Beckett careers advice team said: “There are practical ways for companies to support graduates joining their teams. Most obviously, it is important to offer proper inductions and training, but in the current context employers also need to be thinking of helping students adjust to social aspects.

“Students are looking for companies they can stay and grow with and that is only possible if they trust or feel comfortable with the people they work with.”

Young graduate, you are living through a whirlwind of time right now. Moving around in uncharted territory is scary for anyone, but the good news is you don’t need to do it alone. This is the time to make use of all the resources available to you and stay connected with mentors rooting for your success. Speak to your career advisors and friends in your area to start building those connections you might have missed out on.

When Melanie Parker started Graft in 2018, she built the business with 10 years of experience employing graduating students from Leeds Beckett, so you know recruiters like herself are exactly the type of people to get in touch with to determine your next steps.

You are by no means expected to have all the answers at this stage in life and all anyone can ask of you is to just be curious, be open, be kind and give it a try.