Blogs: Jack's job log: 1

The story so far... As he comes to the end of his degree Jack is starting his job hunt. However, it's not a lack of experience that could threaten his chances but the distraction of a summer of sports.

Under starters orders… and they’re off!

Watching the world’s most famous steeplechase, the Grand National, last week, made me realise how such a race could be used as a fitting metaphor for new graduates entering the job market. There are so many obstacles, so many runners, and fall at one fence and that’s you done.

I recently applied for one of Tesco’s graduate schemes, which seemed to never end. After an application form, there were five mini-essay questions, an equal opportunities form, followed by an employment history page, and then the process of uploading a CV and a cover letter.

Has it always been this difficult? There is a small cynical voice in the back of my head with suspicions that these companies are just playing games. That they’re toying with candidates, and monitoring each individual application with a stopwatch, seeing how long they continue with the forms and questions until they snap and can take no more.

 

It was all dressed up so differently back in school, when you would learn that you merely handed in your CV and then went to interview, go on a  full charm offensive, and take the job, easy peasy.

This new found thorough approach is a lot of fuss, and with companies being flooded with more and more applicants, they could in theory ask interviewees to do anything, juggle, sing, maybe put on a variety show, who knows!

With an upcoming year of sports, this working lark and grafting is in tough competition with a summer of world cup football, test match cricket and top class rugby league, which sounds like a much more appetising way to spend my time.

The volume has to be pretty high, though, to drown out the screeching from the beloved parents, usually to the tune of ‘get a job’, or ‘do something with your life.’ So that requires me to watch the before-mentioned sports elsewhere, preferably a pub, which requires money, and so unfortunately leads us back up the yellow brick road of job hunting.

I have had to ultimately admit defeat, and start the painstaking job search. Having to put the effort in and look for a job is a lot different from browsing and being under no pressure at all to apply. Now it’s a completely different kettle of fish, having to stare straight into the abyss, and jump in, in the same manner one would do a bomb in a swimming pool.

I have started with just a few job opportunities taken from Prospects' website but in the next few months I’m probably going to have to apply to tens, if not hundreds with the hope of somebody liking me and the piece of paper that I am judged on.

It’s going to be emotional.