This September was the first September that I wasn’t going back to school or any form of education since the age of four. This brought on a barrage of emotions, including excitement for the future, but also dread and nervousness as I questioned – what do I do next?
Many graduates find that they fall into a rut after leaving university, applying for jobs and feeling disheartened at the number or rejections it can take before landing a good opportunity. That, paired with the loss of the university routine and the friendships you’ve had to leave behind or the ones that are now long distance, can make some students feel a bit blue. But, here are a few tips and reminders to help ease your mind.
Not everyone finds a job straight away
Everyone seems to believe that with a degree you’ll find a job straight away but now that more and more people are getting degrees, the condition to have one for a role has increased as has the competition of applications. This all makes it harder to find a job within seconds of leaving university, it can actually take a while to find something that suits you.
However, lots of universities run schemes for their alumni in order to continue to support their graduates in finding work after leaving their institution.
Don’t get too down if it takes you a while to find a job, interviews are good practice and over time you’ll get more confident during this stage of the hiring process.
Top tip: make sure to amend your cover letter and CV to suit each role that you apply for, don’t send in your generic CV.
Finding ways to stay in contact
It’s not just the job situation that gets recent graduates down though, it’s also missing the friends you made during your time at university. Whilst you may not see them every day or in person as much anymore, make sure to stay in contact with those you want to keep in your life.
Remember that everyone is busy trying to navigate their own lives post-graduation too and they may deal with the stress differently.
By sending a few messages to check-in on your friends, you might find that feeling of connection helps when you miss them. If you have the means to meet up halfway every month or so this can help too. If not, facetime calls and regular catchups are the way to go.
When life resumes in its new version of normal
Eventually, you will become used to your new routine and that feeling of being blue and missing uni will slowly fade away. You will still remember those times fondly but your new job role will keep you busy. Don’t lose faith in the job search, it’ll all work out.
