Graduating from uni. Nobody said it was easy.

Dear University,

You were a part of my life that had the most amazing ups and some quite hard downs. But I’ll treasure you forever. I built a great life, a steady one for quite some time, got to work at the subject I excel at, and genuinely met friends for life.

So thank you for that.

I just wish I really knew how hard getting a job would be in my degree’s job industry afterwards. Even with a very high grade, a range of interests and hobbies, voluntary undertakings, dedication to my craft, and self-made work experience it has been tough.

Kindest,

Tilly

Now on with today’s post.

Let me start by saying that I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to attend university, as I wouldn’t have been able to do so without a Government student loan and the support of my parents making sure I was okay (as I had some health vulnerabilities) and, of course, transporting me and my belongings there and back each holiday. Going to university was a dream of mine since secondary school, and I hoped that upon graduating, I would secure a degree-related, permanent job pretty soon after. Maybe I was too optimistic?

In my first year of university, my studies and focusing on my pre-existing health condition (that was made more vulnerable from the Coronavirus outbreak) took up a lot of my time, therefore I didn’t have a lot of spare time or mental and physical capacity to devote to a job. I lived off my student loan and was extremely careful with my money. As I progressed through my time at university, my health condition became a lot more stable as we exited the Covid-19 era, so to speak. I was able to take on some flexible hours dog walking and dog sitting as my own business; using my degree skillset to run it. This job looked after my mental and physical wellbeing, and I was able to generate some savings. I was also able to join an additional society or two on top of my swimming club as an outlet for my interests and run a freelance social media consultancy business for my short required work placement module. All of which led to meeting and spending time with some great people and working with lovely clients.

Due to the need to build and maintain financial stability upon finishing university, I was fortunate enough to move back home and live under my parents’ roof. They have provided me a very fair rent rate, I am so incredibly grateful for their support. I have been living in hometown since I completed my studies in June 2024, it is now January 2025. I spent a lot of my time applying to almost every job; firstly in my degree sector, then in hospitality, retail, the lot! I completed work experience here and there over the Summer upon my return home (Content Marketing Assistant work at a local sustainable company and Journalism shadowing at BBC Jersey during my visit).

The challenge with moving back to my small hometown is the fact the opportunities in my sector are limited; Advertising and Marketing to be specific. This media job umbrella extends to audio-visual content editing, photography, content creation, journalism, using professional digital software, and so forth. Whenever a relevant job posting arose, I eagerly applied. Some of those applications have led to positive outcomes—such as mentioned briefly above; beneficial work trials in reputable local companies, work experience at BBC Jersey, and receiving compliments on my skills, dedication, and friendly nature—none had resulted in a solid job offer. The rejections were due to other people getting the role: either in-house or externally, for knowing them longer/having more in-person company experience, or other various reasons, such as relocation and financial barriers.

A few months ago I had a meeting with an amazing hiring manager in my area and began working in hospitality to establish myself and freshly grow my network here. While this role is not in my degree industry it gets me out socialising, utilising a variety of skills, learning from and with others as well as taking mental notes from those who complete roles that I might one day like to perform, such as events planning and management of promotions. I do not see this role as a set back at all, it is a positive opportunity that is part of my journey.

A major issue with finding a degree related job after university is the required experience of employees during the hiring process. This is a meaty topic, so let’s begin to discuss it.

You would think that 3+ years spent working toward your degree would be seen as 3+ years of credible industry experience after graduation. Unfortunately, this isn’t always the case—especially for entry-level roles. Job advertisements often demand more, placing unrealistic experience expectations on recent graduates.

I will admit I tried going for executive roles in my qualification sector as well where I feel I have met the description to a T. I’m still met with no luck. What makes it more disappointing is, if I am lucky to receive a reply for my application it will be an automated email the majority of time.

Gaining substantial in-company degree-related industry experience straight out of university is often difficult due to the time-consuming nature of having been studying full-time beforehand, with not a lot of time to dedicate to a regular job. Basically, it is easier said than done. Additionally, not all degrees offer work placement modules, and even when they do, those placements aren’t always high-quality, have long enough hours of module requirement to be substantial, or they are not often paid, which is concerning. Mandatory placements usually don’t guarantee the student permanent employment after graduation, leaving many graduates in challenging financial situations. As a result, many graduates are forced to accept part-time, pocket money roles just to sustain themselves, like they did when they were about 16. This isn’t the case for everyone as some graduates may have parents or a relative perhaps, who works in the same industry that can offer them a job straight away.

Before an employer proceeds to request a meeting with an applicant they frequently overlook qualified candidates due to a perceived lack of “company experience” on a CV.

Rejection may not always be the outcome, as some graduates do get lucky with a hiring manager seeing their potential, though that is quite rare these days with automated emails and blanked applications. It can feel disheartening to see someone else get a job you wanted. Perhaps they studied something else, stayed local, built in-person connections there over time and maybe they were an apprentice from age 16 with the company and worked their way up through them. Even if your qualifications matched the role perfectly, the hiring manager might have chosen someone they already knew or felt had more to show at the time. It’s tough, but it’s important to remember your worth and the amazing standard you can bring in a job that’s meant for you. It’s not that you aren’t good enough; it’s simply that it was someone else’s time and it was meant for them.

As touched on, a person could have known the hiring manager beforehand and built a relationship with them or gained a reputation while staying in the local area to study/work during the time you were away in another town/city completing your studies. Everyone’s calling occurs at different times in their lives.

Sometimes the who-knows-who hiring process can be trusted and reliable. It is profound if you are already established in an area, but it generates a barrier for a recent graduate trying to get established after having been elsewhere and focusing on their full-time studies. It looks as though there is a repeating pattern. Hiring managers come across too scared to take a “risk” in hiring a graduate as they are coming in from somewhere else and have minimal/no recent, pre-existing developed, professional experience, regardless of how skilled they are. Hiring managers are more likely to feel comfortable selecting someone they know better who is still of an educated background, if it isn’t entirely of the same subject type required for the job description. Some companies offer relocation schemes and licenses if they’re extremely willing to hire externally. For anybody it can take a lot of time and working hours to finance a relocation and finding a decent supported scheme is far and few. Graduates may have a harder time with that due to their financial situation being more delicate. Again, this might not be the case for everybody.

Rejection or hindrances to your chosen career path’s progression can feel like a slap in the face. However, you have to tell yourself to know your value as an individual and remember that everyone’s journey is different. Other people still deserves success and was meant for them at a different time to you. It is important to stay strong and trust that your success will come eventually and your hard work will be rewarded. Opportunities FOR YOU and ONLY YOU will arise when the timing is right. Sometimes I think you have to believe that, as cringey as it sounds, and as hard as it might be to accept right now, everything does happen for a reason. The job you thought you were perfect for might not have actually been meant for you in the long run; and something else more perfect for you might be waiting just around the corner.

Hold your head up love. We got this.

Tilly.

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