New unemployment figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that under-25s are hardest hit by Britain's depressed job market, the number of unemployed people aged between 16 and 24 now being a shocking 20.4 per cent. The problem is exacerbated as those collecting degrees are also competing with recent graduates from 2008, 2009 and 2010, who are still unable to find steady work. Thus, many university students graduating in the next few months will face a new set of challenges unique to their generation.
One of these challenges is to find jobs that are 'the most important for signalling one's career potential to employers, according to Lisa Kahn, a Yale University economist. With so few jobs available, many graduates are forced to take low-prospect, low-level jobs that can create an 'impression of underachievement that may be hard to shed'. Therefore, it is very important for graduates to think seriously and quickly about which career path they want to follow, as there is a danger that taking on too many low-status jobs in a short time-frame after graduation can become cyclical. Don Peck of the National Journal warns that 'The window for getting onto a good track, arguably, is narrower than it used to be', and 'the longer that graduates spend exploring different career paths in their 20s, the harder it becomes to change career five or ten years down the line.'
Therefore, as difficult as it is, graduates must remember where they would like to be in ten, or twenty years time, and avoid rushing into low-prospect, low-level jobs as it may hinder them in the long run. Despite the race to get straight into work after university, one should remember to follow one's passion when job-seeking, as hurrying into an unimpressive job simply to find work can create a bad impression to future employers. Graduates must always bare in mind their interests and talents when job hunting, even if it means that they are looking for a little bit longer than the rest.
Kate, GRB Journalist
