Some grads question the value of their expensive, debt-inducing degrees.

A round of grad-bashing then ensues:

- you don’t understand the value of hard work
- you think that your degree entitles you to “better” work than you’re being offered
- you have unrealistic expectations
- you don’t have the necessary skills (or attitude) that make you employable
- and, for good measure, you can’t spell, add up, or use a computer

True, if you look hard enough, you will find some grads who deserve the criticism. But such is the nature of lazy stereotyping (not to mention buck-passing) that you’ll also find quite a few of the same grad-bashers, with their feet comfortably under the table.

But why all this vitriol directed against grads?

Is it ignorance? That because it was easier to get a job all those years ago, there’s something wrong with you if you can’t get a job now?

Or is it simple envy? Do your older, jaded critics envy your youth – your energy, ambition and ideals – and resort to that very British tradition of putting you in your place?

Because a lot of the criticism levelled against grads isn’t particularly justified. Rising unemployment may have meant that the bars have been raised, but graduates in the past were no more skilled, employable or work-ready than they are now. Neither were they any more literate or any less entitled.

So how can you counter “generation prejudice”?

Demonstrate your work ethic

Nothing feeds resentment more than giving the idea that everything’s always fallen into your lap. You don’t have to over-egg your case with lurid stories of child labour, but do stress a strong work ethic.

A pattern of holding down part-time jobs from school onwards shows you understand the value of hard work and money. The jobs don’t have to be glamorous. In fact, the more you got your hands dirty, the better. Give the impression that nothing is beneath you.

Reiterate your interest in starting from the bottom and working your way up. Ask what it would take to get promotion and what skills / experiences you’d need for that to happen.

If you’ve undertaken extra courses in your free time, say so. Where possible, link them to the requirements of the role.

Focus on what you offer

This doesn’t need to be years of experience – which you probably haven’t got, anyway. Instead, in his post Skills are the new currency, Bill Boorman writes about the importance of skills. He predicts that in the shift to the knowledge economy, hiring will become less about fit and potential, and more about the new skills necessary for short-term projects.

This is a crucial development. The “jobs for life” ethos has long gone, but if Bill Boorman is right, even a job beyond a year could go the same way as the job for life. Your best bet, then, is to keep your skills current and relevant. You’ll need to demonstrate how what you can do will benefit the company. Have a portfolio of real examples as proof.

Emphasise your ability to learn. Often it’s not that you need to understand a particular system, program or process inside-out: it’s your ability to learn new systems or adapt and bend old ones that’s important.

Incidentally, not having bags of experience can, in itself, be an advantage. You’re not stuck in your ways, can be mentored and moulded, all while you’re applying your skills and getting great results for the company.

Be accurate

Nothing makes a critic feel more vindicated than seeing a mistake, so don’t give them ammunition. Common mistakes are it’s / its; your / you’re; their / they’re / there; should of; and the old favourites: public / pubic; manager / manger… Ask someone to read through what you write after you run the spell check.

Finally: don’t let people or grim economic figures sap your drive, energy and creativity. It would probably be more honest to admit that it’s a terrible time to be graduating (through no fault of those grads) and that this situation is not going to get dramatically better any time soon.

All anyone can do is to try and navigate their way through and stay ahead of the game. In fact, adding “survival strategies” to your work ethic and skill-set will probably make you even more appealing – and earn the grudging admiration of the grad-bashers.

Photo credit: lara604

It’s not looking good so far. Yesterday’s news is that the UK is already in recession, with unemployment predicted to reach three million.

Obviously some people are still getting jobs – maybe even their dream jobs. But for many others, it’s shaping up to be a hard slog to get any job at all. Grads, in particular, are being squeezed hard. While traditional entry-jobs are seemingly being replaced by a revolving door of unpaid internships, the less-desirable “pay-the-rent” jobs now require evidence of relevant experience.

In such a difficult job market, putting your dream career on hold for a year or so might take some of the pressure off – as well as helping you preserve your energy, ambition and enthusiasm.

If your dream career seems ever more elusive, try these two different angles instead:

1. Temping

This isn’t always easy to get into (but what is?) You’ll need the right combination of skills and availability. Then you have to prove yourself on the job. You might have to grit your teeth through boring tasks or tedious co-workers.

But make the right impression, and you’ll get repeat work. All of which can go on your CV to prove you have the right mix of attitude, skills and experience for the job you really want.

2. More than one income stream

Whether you call this a portfolio or slasher career, or whether it’s a looser collection of temping assignments, your own projects, or part-time work, having more than one income stream makes financial sense.

It allows you to explore your entrepreneurial urges while minimising risk and learning about how business works from other employers.

Doing more than one thing is also great for your CV – and especially useful if you have gaps between more traditional employment. As CV writing often boils down to how you make sense of your history, having more than one activity to choose from allows you to paint a picture of yourself that aligns with the job you’re applying for. You can selectively pick out those skills or results that put you in the best light.

Photo credit: NickHiebert

In a recent article in the Guardian, Jessica Shepherd writes,

“At a time of record youth unemployment, thousands of school careers advisers are being laid off and many others are having their hours cut, leaving teenagers to finish school and college without official guidance on their next move.”

Right now, with massive youth unemployment hovering around the 1 million mark, careers advice has never been so important. But what sort of careers advice makes a difference?

I remember very little careers advice at school beyond being given a pile of university prospectuses to wade through. Looking back, I would have saved myself a lot of wasted time and effort if I’d had more grounding in these areas:

Financial literacy

A smattering of knowledge on how a business works and makes a profit goes a long way. If you can figure that one out, you not only know when you’re being screwed by an unscrupulous employer, you also know what you need to do to be a star performer – in an employer’s eyes at least.

It also helps to be able to do numbers in your head. Even approximate adding up, subtracting, multiplying means you can make decisions much more quickly (and impressively) than having to whip out your phone to do the calculations.

Get up and go

Small biz owners love kids who show initiative. Kids who go around shopping centres, restaurants and cafes, and drop off their CVs. Kids who then show up on time and with a smile.

Arguably, this is more a character trait than a teachable skill, but I wish I’d known that often attitude and enthusiasm count for more than an exam result.

Life skills and work-readiness

I left school pretty clueless. On a practical level, I couldn’t cook, change a plug, or the tyre on a car. As worryingly, I had no idea how you’d go about getting a job beyond asking friends, family or neighbours.

Lacking practical skills isn’t so bad when you can ask (or pay) people to do the things you can’t. Not knowing how to shorten a job search, or to look like you know what you’re doing in a work environment – these put you at a serious disadvantage when employers can pick and choose from such a wide pool of candidates.

More links between school and local businesses, work-shadowing opportunities – these would have least given the appearance I was work-ready and clued-up, not to mention giving me self-confidence that I could do the job.

And that’s what it often comes down to: the air of confidence and “can-do” that persuades an employer that you’re not a risky hire.

Photo credit: Finsec

- speeding ahead because you want to get to your destination fast
- getting distracted along the way (multi-tasking your applications)
- not being creative in finding other ways to get to your destination

Everything I hate – and love – about Italian driving habits can (sort of) be applied to your job search.

1. Speed

My biggest bugbear. Especially on badly-maintained roads with no markings.

But although you might need to get a job fast, there’s little to be gained in rushing the process. Here’s a lovely post from Jacqui Barrett-Poindexter (on Glassdoor) on the values of slowing down and reflecting in your job search.

She advocates a 3-point plan that will get you on the right track to a successful career transition – well worth reading if you’re going fast (but ultimately nowhere) in your job search.

2. Not paying attention

Using your mobile while you’re driving? It might get you 5 points on your licence, but that’s never stopped anyone. Texting? Leaning over to the passenger and having a nice long chat? Changing your t-shirt? I’ve seen it all.

Don’t “multitask” your applications. Don’t send off the same CV or cover letter to different companies just to “up” your number of applications per day.

Make every application the best you can. That means targeted, relevant, and researched. Proof what you write (and more than once) and if you can, come back to what you’ve written a day or so later to read with fresh eyes.

3. Relentlessly sticking to the same path

Conversely, what I love about Roman drivers is the way they use the whole of the road. It can be pretty alarming at first to see scooters weaving in and out of the traffic to gain an extra metre or two in the traffic jams, or to see them inch between you and the next car without scraping the paintwork or taking off your side mirror. And in a city where the roads are narrow, but everyone has a car, you need to be flexible. Two lanes marked? Why not create 3 so you can fit more into the space provided? Or 4. Or 5.

You might need to change direction to navigate around obstacles. Be flexible – rather than having only one role in mind, consider taking on temporary work or a job that could act as a stepping stone to your ideal role.

Photo credit: Mr Mystery

- tailor your CV to the job
- don’t sit idle – go and start up a project somewhere, volunteer, work shadow…
- build your network and get your name known

But while this is good advice, it doesn’t take into account that the economy is bleeding jobs faster than it’s creating them. You can be doing everything right, but getting nowhere.

This point is excellently made by Jessica Fuhl, on the Huffington Post:

“Having a 2:1 does noy guarantee you a job; having a Masters degree also does not guarantee you a job; neither does two years previous experience in related roles; nor holding several positions in university clubs or societies; nor does over two months of related unpaid work experience at similar organisations or companies; or glowing references from influential companies; or being recognised for recommended extra-curricular interests such as achieving the Duke of Edinburgh Award and helping on a local community project; or trying to start up your own project or business; or winning awards for previous achievements or work.”

What are the answers? What else should she – and thousands more like her – be doing?

What do you say to someone who’s explored every avenue, tried all her contacts, and is battling to stay positive and upbeat in an increasingly desperate situation?

Unfortunately, I don’t have any answers either. But having lived through a couple of recessions, these are some ideas that worked for me. They’re not guaranteed, and they might not be a permanent solution, but they might restore some self-confidence in your abilities.

Two ideas from a blog post I wrote about grads facing a perfect storm:

- slog it out
… a) get relevant experience where and when you can; b) know how to articulate this convincingly in your application materials; and c) make and maintain contacts.

- go abroad
TEFL is always popular choice, and there’s plenty of demand in Asia and South America. Consider also voluntary work that pays air fare, lodging etc with VSO or other organisations…But go with an exit plan. Give yourself a year or two to build skills and experience. Continue to build contacts in your chosen field and maintain those you have. It’ll make coming back into the market much easier.

I’d add three other options:

1. Forget the perfect job

Go for plan B. Or plan C. Apply for jobs which might get you to your chosen destination the long way round. There’s no guarantee that these jobs will have any less competition, so you’ll still be doing the hard work to create relevant applications.

One caveat: you’ve got to be clear on what you’re good at. There’s no point creating a Plan B or Plan C which doesn’t involve your strengths. Don’t apply for anything where you wouldn’t excel.

Write all your applications around your central “promise of value”, otherwise known as your “brand”. Get into the habit of declaring this brand in your profile section, with everything else on your CV supporting that one key strength. Your brand is what you stand for – what you can guarantee an employer that they’ll get if they hire you.

Self-confidence in your abilities goes a long way. Employers like people who know what they’re good at and what they can offer the organisation.

2. Don’t neglect temp agencies or recruitment agencies

Very often they can give a better picture of your industry – who’s hiring, who’s expanding, areas where there are skills shortages, etc. And temp staffing agencies can be a great stopgap.

3. Consider going freelance

It doesn’t suit everyone, and it’s not easy to start from scratch. But skills are marketable – and the market doesn’t need to be limited to one employer. There’s some great nuts and bolts advice on freelancing on sites such as FreelanceUK and Freelance Switch.

Photo credit: nordique

But if you’re not in this position, and are applying like hundreds of others, establishing your credibility as a candidate worth short-listing is crucial.

Here are three ways you can do this.

Prove your worth

Enrich your CV with solid, relevant achievements that prove you’re able to solve their problems and bring value.

Leave off boasting and empty superlatives. If the last company you worked for was “the best”, top”, “premier” or “market-leader”, qualify it. If your product is award-winning, industry standard-setting or widely acclaimed, say why.

Adding specifics (with detail, or with quantifiable results) gives you credibility. Better still, giving the context of your achievements says even more. (“Increasing sales by 10% in a moribund economy where X competitors lost market share” pulls a greater punch than a mere “increased sales by 10%”).

Keep good company

Learn who the movers, shakers and thought leaders in your company or industry are. Increase your visibility to them through both an online and offline presence. Get a LinkedIn profile at the very least, but comment on blogs, tweet frequently (if appropriate to your industry) and be seen at conferences and industry events. Rubbing shoulders with influencers and industry grandees is a crucial part of your overall career management.

It’s a long-term strategy, but the more people recommend you, the easier job hunting gets.

Act the professional

Management is tribal. As soon as someone gains “manager” status, they get membership to a secret gang with its own rules of loyalty – or so it seems. Sounding off about your ex-boss can make your prospective manager close ranks in loyalty to one of his / her own – even if your accounts of their stupidity and ineptitude are all too believable.

But while tactful comments are required when talking about others and their shortcomings, honesty about your own helps your case. While interviewers have all surely by now heard the “my only weakness is perfectionism”, knowing when (and why) you have made a mistake makes you look more human. Be sure you balance this with what you learned from the situation. Humility goes a long way, but self-awareness builds your credibility even further.

Photo credit: David Armano

It seems that huge numbers of people fresh out of uni are all clamouring for a job in publishing. Editorial and publicity are the big areas. (Not quite so many in book-keeping, production, or warehousing, but that might still change.)

I’m trying to understand the attraction. Is it because publishing is seen as somehow serious, and bookish? A good choice for literature grads or sensitive poetry lovers?

Or is it because it conjures up images of gentleman’s clubs, where deals are done between rakish bow-tie wearing editors and floppy Brideshead Revisited type writers?

If it’s the last, I’d just like to point out: for every ‘Haymarket’ literary agent, there’s an awful lot of ‘Gants Hill’ publishers.

If a job in publishing is what your heart desires, rather than going for the world-famous literary publishing houses, try the smaller, lesser-known outfits. The publishers of train-spotting manuals and trade directories. Vanity publishers and book packagers. The companies that publish seed catalogues, knitting patterns and other special interests.

It’s all a springboard, and what you learn will help you stand out even with the bigger players. If you’ve conducted a marketing campaign on a limited budget, you’re immensely valuable – even to a company with limitless funds. (Hint: there are none that I know of.) If you’ve negotiated with printers, haggled with distributors, or whipped booksellers into taking your stock on favourable terms, you’ve got something to shout about.

The “Haymarket-Gants Hill” principle doesn’t just apply to publishing. In any sector you might find it easier to get a toe-hold in those smaller, not-so-famous or glamorous companies. Don’t neglect them in your job search.

Photo credit: RachelH

Here are four unproductive time-wasters that I’ve come across recently.

1. Using the “Apply with LinkedIn Profile” button inappropriately

Donna Svei, of Avid Careerist, asked around for opinions on this new application. She found that one company has already decided not to use it, as too many people apply with incomplete profiles. The usefulness of the “Apply with Profile” option has been hotly debated, but there’s little point applying for a job just because it’s “easy”. If you are going to use this option, make sure your profile positions you for the job. That means full employment history, and a well-written summary including your specialities at the very minimum.

2. Spending too much time on the wrong thing

Whenever Guardian Careers publishes an article on covering letters, there’s a huge response. Not always of the “how do I write them” variety, but as equally on the value of them. This recent article was particularly interesting, as two issues came up.

- How long should you spend writing them?

- How can you make them focussed when the (online) job spec is vague and there’s no company information.

@AskaManager gives great advice here on how long you should spend, roughly, on each letter. (20 minutes – check her post on how to do it in that time). Any longer – and especially if you’re applying to a number of suitable jobs – and you’ll end up wishing you were doing anything else but.

As for the second problem, the solution comes down to not using online job boards to the exclusion of every other approach. Use them by all means, but don’t neglect other strategies, such as making and using contacts, speculative approaches, and so on.

3. Neglecting your “weak ties”

I can recommend Cracking the New Job Market by R William Holland for a comprehensive analysis of what employers need to see from you to consider you for a role. (You can read my review here.)

One of the areas that he explores is the concept of weak ties. These are people you might know via social media (but perhaps you’ve never met in person) as opposed to your strong ties – people you know well. Although your strong ties are obviously important, your weak ties can also be instrumental in helping people understand your strengths and the value you bring. Get active on Twitter, comment on blogs: in short, let influential people in your industry know about you.

4. Going through the same door as everyone else

You can count on one thing: if an application process is easy, plenty of people will be doing it. The lower the barrier, the more competition you’ll have.

Instead, what often works is finding a way in that other people won’t be bothering with. Find a way to connect with the hiring manager – whether that’s by finding their email address, or by finding an approach that will appeal to them. Research takes time (which is why many people just won’t bother) but it will help you create an angle, or discover something in common.

Photo credit: smaedli

“Understand that loyal, long-term customers and employees are dying breeds. Instead of cradle-to-grave employees, corporations hunger for people who can create value and who are around only for as long as they are needed.”

For those of us who have gone through previous recessions, we know that some jobs can disappear for good. Coal merchants? Pool typists? Obsolete or morphed into something else. But worse off, perhaps, are the hundreds of thousands of school-leavers who go on to university in the belief that a degree will make them more employable. As R William Holland wryly notes, you only need to visit your local Starbucks to see where many grads end up – their career “on hold”.

But the answer isn’t necessarily to return to education or to retrain. Instead, R William Holland explains that the way to get ahead (or even to get your first foot on the career ladder) is through “learning the language of value creation”.

This works for any stage of your working life, and for every type of job – whether traditional, non-traditional or entrepreneurial. The key is to show the value you can bring an employer. As the requirements of each employer are different, that means you have to adapt your applications to be in line with these specific requirements.

The theme of how to create value runs right through this practical, clearly-written book. From how to read the job description to find the key words, to a five-point plan to create a “value-infused” CV, and on to good interview performance and the seven rules for negotiating your job offer; every stage of the job hunt is interpreted through this key principle. Rather than relying on your work history or educational achievement, the ability to draw parallels between what you offer and what the employer wants is crucial.

There’s lots of very good advice here for grads (it’s less what your degree is and more what you do with it) and for women seeking re-entry into the job market. Plus plenty of tips on how to use social media, how to access a splintered (not hidden) job market, and why passion is overrated.

“Job and career opportunities go disproportionately to those who learn to focus on the value others want us to create,” the author states. Whether you’re a CEO, mid-career, getting back into the workforce, or a grad looking for your first role, Cracking the New Job Market will propel you into this category of successful job-seekers.

Buy it here if you’re in the US

Buy it here if you’re in the UK

So forgive me this more navel-gazing type of post, but here are the six things I came up with.

1. People are much the same the world over

I’ve lived most of my adult life abroad, and I’ve also travelled quite extensively. No matter where you go or who you talk to, pretty much everyone wants to create a better life for their children, to stay one step ahead of financial ruin, and just basically get through without too much hassle. This is as true for the rickshaw driver in India as it is for the investment banker in Canary Wharf.

It irritates me to see career-bashers – people who get snooty and judgmental about other people’s career choices. Most people do what they can in an imperfect world. Don’t knock them for it.

2. What goes around comes around

Oh the karma of it all. Was it the Dalai Lama who said that life was too short for you not to be kind? But even for the more cynically-minded, kindness repays itself. You pass on information or a job lead, and you’ll go up in everyone’s estimation. That’s good will you can always tap into. However you look at it – through a nice fuzzy lens, or through gimlet-eyes – it always pays to be helpful and honest.

Tim Tyrell-Smith (one of the most helpful people around, btw) wrote a great post about this: Doing the unthinkable in job search. (His reasons are so convincing, you can’t help but agree.)

3. Look after your interests

Nobody else will look after your interests as well as you can. Don’t rely on an employer – or even an entire sector – to keep paying you. Don’t be caught napping. Skill up, reinvent your career, stay one step ahead of changes in the economy or in your industry.

4. You can find happiness in the smallest of things

Useful this one, if you don’t have a big budget.

5. Take everything – and everyone – with a big pinch of salt

Things are not always what they seem, and people don’t always do what they say they’ll do. A deal (or a job offer) is no deal until it’s been signed.

Particularly in Italy.

6. Everything looks better after a good night’s sleep

Sometimes your brain just hurts. Get a rest. You might not wake up to a better day, or a solved problem, but a new day is the time for new hope.

(And here is my bonus truism)
You can strike up a conversation with anyone, anywhere in the world, by saying that the traffic down their road goes too fast. Nobody ever disagrees.

Photo credit: viZZZual