The impact of coronavirus on everyone is undeniable and in so many different ways. One group of people this has affected are students, in particular, the ones like myself, who were supposed to graduate this summer 2020.
Since leaving university I was made redundant from a job role I thought I would be able to rely on until I found something within the legal sector. Of course, it was out of my control so I tried my hardest to focus on searching for a new job which would benefit me in terms of gaining experience. This has appeared to be a mission impossible. The main thing that made applying for jobs so hard is that every ‘entry-level’ job was asking for 2 years minimum experience. I know many students will agree with me in saying gaining 2 years’ experience whilst studying an intense degree is actually really hard to do. I am lucky enough to have experience here at Thrive Law, but I definitely don’t have 2 years’ worth of experience. This makes it so easy to start feeling deflated and demotivated when applying for a never-ending amount of jobs, especially when you don’t hear back from 80% of them and the other 20% are usually rejections.
However, the government have brought a new scheme forward called the ‘kickstart scheme’ if you are a student like myself or are in the age range of 16-24 then I would definitely suggest educating yourself on this scheme. This is honestly such an amazing scheme and will benefit us a lot. At present we are at the biggest risk of long-term unemployment which is why this scheme is coming into place, in the hope that it will change that. The scheme is open to anyone between the ages of 16-24 who are on universal credit (so if you are unemployed at present and not currently on universal credit it might be worth applying for it). The funding will cover 100% of the national minimum wage for 25 hours per week!! This is something you really need to be taking advantage of, reach out to employers and people you are waiting to hear back from and let them know about the scheme. This shows initiative and would probably be attractive to an employer when looking at who to hire.
There are also many other things in place under the kickstart scheme, including payments for hiring new apprentices, also additional funding for high-quality work placements and training for all those aged between 16-24. There are so many amazing things here that we can take advantage of. Please educate yourself on them when applying for jobs and speaking to employers. You can read more on this by following this link.
I know first-hand how hard this is for everyone right now, waking up every day doing the same thing and still having no job/not hearing back from employers but we are all in the same position and there are now things in place especially for us which we can utilise.
Don’t be disheartened when getting rejected. I always say whatever you don’t get was never meant for you anyway. The right thing will come along for you eventually. In the meantime, do things that will increase your productivity and in addition, help keep you motivated and on track. Please have a read of some of my tips below.
- Have a routine –
Settle into some form of routine, this will keep you busy and also give you some sense of normality until you find a job again. - Set yourself measurable goals –
I use my gratitude journal to track my goals and make sure I am achieving what I set out to achieve, I would 100% recommend writing your goals down so you stay on track and automatically feel more productive and motivated. It really does work. - Make a list of your achievements –
Sometimes I get so down and demotivated because I forget how far I have come and everything I have done. Writing down your achievements honestly motivates you so much and lifts you up, it gives you that push that you need sometimes. - Focus on the things you can control –
I am a massive worrier, but there is no point in stressing about stuff that is out of your control. Instead, step back, and focus on all the things that are within your control. - Look for opportunities to volunteer/gain work experience –
I know times are hard at the minute and all you want/need is money, but work experience and volunteering really do go a long way and many companies may be open to it now since having to let people go and could do with the extra hand. Don’t be afraid to reach out to people about opportunities.
I hope this has helped some of you out there and will keep you motivated in these difficult times and maybe you have learnt something you didn’t even know about.
By Mollie Eckersley (work experience student).
