Internships are the key to pimping up your CV, which is the key to getting a job: everyone knows it, so everyone is constantly reiterating it.

But what happens when your CV isn’t pimped up enough to get you that initial internship?  What then?  Well, the answer is basically that you’re not supposed to sit around moping.  You’re supposed to be proactive about it, and to sort-of createyour own skill-acquiring internship.

That’s what a friend of mine did.  He was turned down by a couple of companies for a few summer internships that he really wanted, and instead of taking it personally, he just decided to bring a little idea he had into existence, and set up his OWN company.  And he was subsequently forced to learn all those skills he would have been spoon-fed over the course of the internship, the hard way.  And with this, the amazing www.unisportonline.co.uk was born.

I’m obviously not suggesting that all the unemployed people out there should set up companies willy-nilly; only that no one should just wait for something to come to them.  People should be practical, and in the midst of sending out their applications, they should keep challenging themselves and adding to their skill-set.

I know that sounds a little bit geeky, but all our lives – up until the time of graduation – we are forced to study.  We have to keep learning in order to get by, and so we do.  But, once exams and compulsory education are all over, it’s just so easy to stop learningand furthering ourselves.  ‘I’m not being tested on it, so why should I bother learning it?’ becomes a popular mantra.

The thing is, that’s just crazy.  Who on earth wants to employ some 2-dimensional graduate who doesn’t want to better themselves now that they’re not being forced to do so?  Very few employers.

So in the gap between university and employment, between internship and next internship, or just in your school holidays, you’ve got to get skill-acquiring!  Teach yourself a new language using tapes, go to magic classes, master the art of spreadsheets, or sit down with a book and learn to write short-hand.  You could even set off on an adventure; travel, become independent, write, and fine-tune your photography skills!

At this point, people always say (understandably) ‘but what about my CV? If I just jet off on a holiday, employers will think I’m a dosser’.  I fell into this trap too, until I was hoisted out of it and lectured by my entrepreneur-of-a-big-sister.  I have subsequently been totally indoctrinated.  I’ve learnt that as long as you think you’d be able to justify your actions to an interviewer, or explain why you travelled for three months (and what you’ve learnt in the process), you can do it.  Soon you’ll find yourself stuck in a job, doing the same thing every day, and you’ll never get the chance to pick up such a wide variety of skills and hobbies again.

Ultimately, I suppose what I’m saying is that unemployment will only be boring and unproductive if you decide you’re going to let it be boring and unproductive.  You need to use your time wisely, and stick to the mission statement: ‘I’m going to make myself even more employable’.  That way, every day you are out of an internship, or jobless, you will feel you’re being productive, and thus making yourself more irresistible to employers.  Which will mean you’ll smile more, which will also make you more employable!!

So here are a few hints and tips about brilliant courses and things to do to ‘fill that gap’.  It’s by no means extensive, but it should help to get your juices flowing:

• Teach yourself a language: there are lots of different online language courses, so just pick one and have a go! Languages are the key to everything, so if you manage to teach yourself even the basics in a new language, the world will be your oyster. Check out www.bbc.co.uk/languages or www.learnalanguage.com, if you’re looking for a place to start…
• Become an au pair: sign up to www.greataupair.com, or one of the other au pairing sites, create a profile, and become an au pair in a foreign country!! That way you can escape the UK, you’ll learn independence and responsibility, AND you’ll end up mastering a new language.  Total immersion in a foreign culture: amazing, and something you rarely get a chance to do.
• Complete an inspirational course whilst on holiday, with www.golearnto.com.  A bit more expensive than some, but worth it if you can!
• COOK!  Everyone needs to learn how to cook, and there are hundreds of courses across the country, spanning from day-long to year-long.  And who knows, doing a cooking course and nurturing a passion might lead to a big fat career change!  Or, if you don’t want to spend a penny, then follow some online recipes and videos, and teach yourself to be a master chef.
• Go abroad, and teach English as a foreign language.  Check out www.tefl.com for more information… This could end up being your only chance to live in Africa, or Peruor anywhere for a prolonged period of time.  And teaching will help you to discover hundreds of new skills you never realised you had!
• Complete a free, online touch-typing course:  there are so many different courses to choose from – from www.typeonline.co.uk to www.goodtyping.com – so have a browse, and pick the one which you think might suit you best.  Being able to touch-type is a massive selling point.
• Set up a blog on www.blogspot.com, and fine-tune your writing.  Once you’re pleased with your standard, and have found your own style, then start entering writing competitions, or sending in articles to magazines.  Everyone needs to be able to write, and once you’re a fully competent and disciplined writer, nothing will stop you!
• Teach yourself History of Art, or Politics, or Maths, or a subject you didn’t study at school or university, but which interests you.  Borrow books from the library, and totally immerse yourself in your studies.  Or, even better, focus on your perfect job, and think about the skills you might need to get it.  If it involves marketing, for example, then read books on marketing!  Work towards becoming their perfect candidate.
• If you’re searching for work-experience, then do not underestimate the power of the start-up company.  At a ‘start-up’, you’ll be given a lot more responsibility,so it’s sort-of like taking a course in itself.  You’ll feel much more valued, and although they might not be a ‘big name’ in the world of business quite yet, you will learn infinite amounts from small businesses: things that yearsworking at a large company may never give you.

Just stay positive, remain proactive, and don’t allow the media – and all the incredibly negative unemployment coverage they’ve been dishing out – bring you down.  Focus on acquiring your new skills, and soon you’ll have your feet firmly on the career ladder, ready to march right to the top.

Check out Nell’s blog nellfane.wordpress.com and follow her on Twitter @NellFane

Times have changed from when getting your most sought after graduate job seemed easy enough as long as you had a degree. There is now a combination of factors affecting a graduate’s ability to land their dream job and the reality is that someone will have to face the inevitable rejection. For those of us who are on that end of the spectrum, we may feel extremely discouraged and disappointed and wonder “what is it I am missing?”

I am sure many of you reading this blog post know that the word “experience” seems to appear in every graduate job advertised. You think to yourself – I need a job to get experience and experience to get a job…a vicious cycle indeed. While you ponder this thought, you are left unemployed and feeling as if you are in a hopeless situation. You may think that the only way to move forward is to continuously apply for job after job after job and hope that something will come of this. However, there are other ways to reach your employment goals other than getting too bogged down on submitting application after application.

There are various opportunities for using unemployment as a way to do things you might otherwise not be able to do if you were currently employed.  One of the opportunities I would most recommend is volunteering. There are so many organisations, both in the private and public sectors who are always willing to utilise a free hand. While you may think, well what’s the point, I’m not getting paid – in the long run a volunteering experience could prove invaluable to any potential career prospects and even land you a job with the organisation for which you are volunteering with.

As an example let’s say you have an interest in pursuing a career in marketing but you lack the experience needed to get a job; you could look at what organisations or companies would like to utilise the services of someone interested in this field and as a result enquire about a volunteering position. Whatever career path you wish to take, volunteering can be a fantastic way to acquire new skills, demonstrate a strong sense of character and most importantly enhance your CV.

Not only are you volunteering, but you are consequently networking with people and getting your name and interests out there, which brings me to my next point. Who you know can have a huge impact on getting the right job – the job you want. With the free time you have, you can make the connections you need to with the right people. For example if there is a company you are interested in working for, most have websites and the emails of various personnel that you can contact. In cases where they don’t you can simply call the company and express your interests and seek advice. While this may not lead to a job immediately it is important that you are putting yourself out there and building connections.

While the above mentioned advice is important to consider, what is even more important is that you combine your job hunt with your own personal interests. Looking for a job is a job in itself and therefore combining the things you love to do along with searching for a job is definitely required.

Remember that you are in control of your future and you can make your dreams into reality – as cliché as that may sound, it is true. However, there are two very important rules to follow; one – you must stay positive, and two – be patient.

I have personally done a combination of things written in this blog and am now working in the marketing department of a global company. The unemployment days may seem endless, but with the right attitude you can embark on your chosen career path before you even know it.

If you have any questions for Danielle you can find her on Twitter @DFurbert.

Universities need to do more to prepare students for life as a graduate, it was reported today.

According to a survey conducted by the CBI and National Union of Students, more than half of students want their university to provide more help for them to understand employability skills.

The survey of 2,614 students showed that 57% want universities to better explain employability skills, including customer awareness, team working and self management. A further 66% would like to be provided with support from their university in developing these skills.

These findings follow last week’s publication of the 2011 CBI / EDI Education & Skills Survey which showed that 82% of businesses single out employability skills as the most important consideration when hiring graduates.  The survey found that 70% of employers believe that students need to do more to prepare themselves for the workplace and make the most of what is available to them at university through societies, internships and volunteering.

With the forthcoming rise in tuition fees the pressure will be on institutions to show how their course can help students achieve a return on their investment by securing graduate jobs. The CBI wants all universities to embed the teaching of employability skills into course structures.

Susan Anderson, CBI Director for Education & Skills, said “Employability skills are the most important attributes that businesses look for in new recruits but graduates are currently falling short of employers’ expectations.

“Competition for jobs is intense and graduate unemployment remains high, so students need to proactively develop relevant employability skills. But at the same time all universities need to explain these skills better and make sure they embed them in teaching.”

Another means to improve your job opportunities post-university is to undertake a graduate internship. This will provide valuable work experience and employability skills, boosting job prospects and industry contacts to enrich your CV.

There is so much negativity about graduating and being a graduate at the moment that you can’t help but feel sorry for anyone with the prospect of finishing their degree anytime soon. Having graduated last summer I felt I was being thrust into the ocean of unemployment with just my mortarboard as a buoyancy device (a flimsy one at that).

The problem I had wasn’t so much that every second geezer seemed intent on highlighting the fact that there weren’t any jobs. Rather it was the fact that even if there were jobs I didn’t know what I wanted to do. What industry? What job role? What company size? They don’t really specify those things across 3 years of a social anthropology degree. I could instead tell you about the postmodern discourses of capitalism and the emergence of a plural sense of selfhood. I must have missed the bit about transferable skills.

I came to London with the hope that with a bit of house hunting with university mates and enough ‘this amazing bar has caged baby elephants’ nights that a job would emerge neatly into my new lifestyle. However I soon found out that jobs don’t grow on trees but in recruitment agencies that hunt for online CVs and rip roaring commissions. Having been approached by one and pretty close to the end of all my monetary funds I decided to pursue their offer for an analytical role at a research consultancy. It turned out that whatever abstract skills I had gained from lectures on the Oedipus complex of Trobriand Islanders was actually quite useful in corporate interviews testing your verbal reasoning. Within a couple of weeks things had turned around from being part of the impoverished unemployed to being gloriously employed and rediscovering the wonders of the calendar on Microsoft Outlook.

However the honeymoon period didn’t last long and I came to realise what a mind numbingly dull 9-5 office job can really entail. It really hit home that no matter how varied the role, if the material you are dealing with doesn’t raise your heart rate above resting level then you really are on a road to nowhere. I suddenly knew I wanted at least some creative element in a job role. However I also knew that such roles are also the most sought after and dependent on prior experience. I just had to go for it.

I went back to my university’s career service and started trawling through jobs again, finding my inadequacy being increasingly magnified by the long lists of abstract ‘candidate requirements’. Then when it was looking particularly despairing I came across a ‘digital marketing’ role advertised at a custom clothing company called Indigo Clothing. Not usually the type of company I would consider working for but it appeared that that the role was offering significant creative freedom with the company’s marketing, a rarity for a (seemingly) graduate level position. I sent in my CV speculatively and next thing I knew I was being interviewed by Indigo’s founder and managing director Alex. It turned out the interview went well and after a months break in between jobs I started in the New Year.

Working at Indigo Clothing has many things going for it, with the watching of football matches for new t-shirt slogans only being the start of it. More than anything though is the small size of the company that allows for a communal rather than a corporate atmosphere. Personally this has made such a difference, as people don’t feel they have to descend into hushed whispers to have a conversation about last night on The Only Way is Essex. In terms of my own role it has been a rare instance where all the hype surrounding the job description has not only been met but exceeded in creative scope. Digital marketing encompasses a whole range of things, and in a small but expanding company it can be filmmaking one day and hosting facebook competitions another. Considering that custom clothing doesn’t have a specific target market it allows for me to explore various avenues. Whereas an entire fashion shoot works for getting our name out amongst students it might take a single funny tweet to engage viewers of a television show.

One recent example of how exciting things can get was our ‘Stay on Your Feet’ t-shirt campaign. It all started with a tweet from Vernon K asking if there was a t-shirt printing company who could print the slogan. Without knowing what it was about we jumped on the opportunity and in no time we had a design, mini-site and blog ready. We also clarified that the slogan stemmed from a phrase repeated to the point of verbal diarrhoea by football commentator Ray Wilkins during the previous night’s Champions League match. Having pounced on allegedly the third largest trending topic globally on twitter at the time things then catapulted for Indigo over the next few days. Vernon K rang the office and tweeted about us, Ray Wilkins signed our t-shirt, we got a mention in the Metro newspaper and a shout out on Radio One! This truly was a case of the company going viral, and although I can’t claim this being an everyday occurrence, its one aspect of working at Indigo which does add a little…’glamour’.

There is no doubting that I have had a couple of lucky breaks to end up where I am, but the last 10 months has helped me figure out what a lot of what I want to get out of a job (including having multiple computer screens and a greasy spoon on my doorstep). Working at a place such as Indigo is not something I would have anticipated after graduating but it has definitely proved the perfect lead in to the creative industry. Boris t-shirt anyone?

Check out our main website at www.indigoclothing.com or if you fancy designing your own t-shirt head to www.indigo2go.com.

The unemployment rate for 16-24 year olds is up by 0.8% to 20.6%, which equates to a hefty 974,000, while unemployment amongst 18-24 year olds is also at an all-time high at 18.3%.  Inevitably, three out of four students worry they will be out of work when they graduate this year.

A survey by PathMotion has found that over 40% of undergraduates also fear their degree has no relevance to the world of the work, making it harder for them to make their first mark in the world of work.

A tough job market and competition for vacancies is exacerbated by those coming towards the end of their careers that have been forced to stave off retirement to compensate for their unexpectedly low pension packages.  The ONS has stated that the number of over-65 year olds remaining in work has increased to a record high of 900,000.

Depressingly, whilst average earnings (including bonuses) in January have increased by 2.3% over the previous year, inflation runs at 4%.

How have you been affected by the job market?  Get in touch and let us know what you are doing to fight back against rising unemployment.

According to the Office for National Statistics graduate unemployment doubled in the third quarter of 2010 compared to pre-recession and soared to its highest level since the mid-90s.

The data suggests graduates have been hit hardest by the economic downturn. It emerged unemployment amongst university leavers increased faster than the jobless rate in the UK as a whole. The figures showed that graduate unemployment rose from 10.6% to 20% compared to the 5.2% to 7.9% total rise of UK unemployment.

The report will be seen as the latest setback to the Government’s plans to stabilise public finances. Liam Byrne, the shadow work and pensions secretary, said: This is grim news for Britain’s graduates. We have to stop this becoming a lost generation. The Government needs to change course to create more growth and jobs.

The report comes one month after government voted to triple the cap on student tuition fees. Student leaders fear that the rise in tuition plus the latest figures will deter more young people from higher education.

In response to the statistics Aaron Porter, president of the National Union of Students, said: Graduates are encountering an exceptionally hostile jobs market and the Government persists with policies that put the burden of the country’s debt on the young.

Sally Hunt, general secretary of the University and College Union, said: Today’s graduate unemployment figures are further bad news for students and young people.

Those who do make it through university are going to face a difficult job market without support, but saddled with record levels of debt.

However it is not all bad news. This report follows recent research suggesting a rise in graduate opportunities took place towards the end of the year. The Association of Graduate Recruiters yesterday reported an 8.9% annual increase in graduate jobs. The improving jobs market was driven by a surge of vacancies at the end of last year, says the survey, with a forecast of a further 3.8% increase for this year.

Carl Gilleard, chief executive of the AGR, says, This is good news the graduate job market is finally picking up, however the fact salaries are predicted to remain the same and fewer employers are offering financial incentives, is evidence demand for jobs still greatly outstrips supply.

With such a demand for jobs and with statistics of 45 applicants for every graduate job in 2011, graduates need extra on their CV to give themselves a better chance of securing a career they want.

Chris Grayling MP, Minister of Employment, says the priority should be creating financial stability, and that a new government work experience scheme would help make young people more employable

At Inspiring we believe an internship can be the perfect stepping stone between university and life afterwards. An internship will give you valuable experience; key skills; and the potential to build up a network of contacts in your chosen industry. As a result graduates will face a far better chance of a securing a job they want and starting their career

The bleak figures revealed that employment levels have fallen, redundancies have increased and the number of people classed as economically inactive has reached 9.3 million.

Employment is falling at its fastest rate since the recession and analysts expect the unemployment total to continue on rising in 2011. They believe it is partly due to the public sector spending cuts designed to cut the budget deficit.

The demographic hit hardest by the tough jobs market is 16 to 24 year olds, with the unemployment rate in this age group hitting 20.3%.  One in five young people are now out of work, after a rise of 32,000 to 951,000 without jobs, the highest figure since records began in 1992.

Martina Milburn, chief executive of youth charity The Prince’s Trust, explains, Britain is now perilously close to seeing one million young people struggling to find work.

With this record number of youth unemployment in the UK, TUC general secretary Brendan Barber argues, With more than a fifth of young people out of work, we face a real danger of losing another generation of young people to unemployment and wasted ambition.

Experts agree the UK economy is not growing fast enough to bring down unemployment and that a radical approach by the government is needed.  Barber believes, With the worst of the cuts still to come, this government risks making high joblessness a permanent feature of our economy. It must change course before it too late.

His call for change is echoed by Inspiring Interns.  The job market remains competitive for graduates, as it does for everyone; graduates therefore need to equip themselves with valuable skills to boost their employment chances. At Inspiring Interns we feel internships are an important route for young people to get into the job market. A meaningful internship will not only boost the economy but create great opportunities for small businesses and most importantly get young people into work.

Further statistics reveal that male unemployment increased by 11,000, while the number of unemployed women rose by 24,000 to 1.24 million, which is the highest total since 1988.

Clearly stating what is on everyone’s mind, the chairman of the Federation of Small Businesses, John Walker said that “with inflation expected to remain above 3% in the foreseeable future, combined with public sector job cuts, these unemployment statistics are a worrying sign.”

So, as a recent graduate, where does this leave you?  For those who work in the public sector, or were looking to do so, the spectre of unemployment is sadly all too real.  However, there is a (dim) light at the end of the tunnel.

At Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday David Cameron was quick to point out that the move away from reliance on public services to raise employment levels was already underway: Over the last six months, we have seen [the creation of] 300,000 new private sector jobs.

Evidently the Government is confident the private sector will be able to fill Britain’s increasing unemployment problems. Although Cameron’s statistics suggest this could be viable, there will undoubtedly be a lot more competition for the available jobs which will only enhance the current cut throat environment surrounding the job hunt. This downward pressure on the market will be felt most acutely by graduates who lack experience but are coming up against candidates with one-two years of working under their belts.

Students and university leavers therefore need to equip themselves as best they can before heading into the job market jungle.  A CV full of transferable skills and experience relevant to the world of work is the key to impressing employers and an internship is a great way to pack your CV with employer-friendly material. So with tough times potentially around the corner act now to insulate your career against the economic cold.

It is something that we know will come as no surprise: graduate salaries are on the decline.

XpertHRs annual graduate recruitment survey showed that starting salaries offered to graduate recruits are 6% lower than in 2009; indicating that they are not keeping up with pay rises across the economy.

Following the student riots over university tuition fee increases last week; this news – though not good – could act as some justification for the protesters. Part of the rationalisation for the substantial tuition fee increases was because it was alleged that graduate salaries were becoming more generous, something the XpertHRs survey disputes.

Half of the 190 employers surveyed offered graduates starting salaries of between £20,000 and £26,000. Overall however, the starting salaries varied greatly: with the lowest graduate earning £12,000, and the highest receiving £42,500.

As the cost of living continues to rise, it is feared that graduates will face further financial pressure in the future, particularly in the context of increased student fees to initially contend with.

Background information

The UK currently has five million people on out-of-work benefits, with it recorded last year that three million working-age people had been receiving those benefits for two years or more. Government statistics further showed that 1.4million people have been on an out-of-work benefit for nine or more of the past ten years. The numbers mean that the UK has one of the highest rates of workless households in Europe; with 1.9m children living in homes where no-one has a job.

What exactly is being proposed?

To try and reduce these figures the government plan to make it compulsory for those unemployed on a long term basis (although ‘long-term’ has yet to be defined) to do community work, such as gardening, litter-picking or working with a charity.

Though the community work scheme is in the process of being officially outlined, initial submissions suggest that the placements will be more like ‘work experience’ than full-time jobs, lasting from two weeks to one month. The claimant would be expected to work a 30 hour week to allow them to “experience…the habits and routines of working life” again.

Any claimant who refused or failed to turn up to work on time could then have their £65 Jobseekers’ Allowance frozen for at least three months.

The ‘Work Activity scheme’ is said to be designed to help reduce welfare dependency, stop claimants from opting to take benefits rather than work, and flush out those claiming whilst doing undeclared jobs on the side.

Points against the proposal

- Unemployed people will be treated like prisoners – Community service is currently the most frequently used form of punishment for those convicted of a crime, with over 20,000 people given a community sentence last year. By making the unemployed also do community service, they are a) being “punished” in the same way as a convicted criminal, and b) reducing the impact of this prevalent court punishment for those that have caused a criminal offence.

- It will cause already vulnerable people into further despair – The Archbishop of Canterbury is against the proposals, saying he believes it could drive people “into a downward spiral of uncertainty, even despair.” He argued that people who are already genuinely struggling to find work and struggling to find a future do not need their unfortunate circumstances turned against them.

- It could cost lower sector workers their jobs – If the unemployed are made to do lower sector jobs such as litter picking and gardening, then the demand for people currently hired to perform such roles will lessen or even cease to exist. If those people then become unemployed, they could end up finding themselves doing the same role as before, but on a far smaller income provided by the benefit system.

-  It will force the wages of the average worker down – If people are made to work for free, then the whole employment system could end up restructuring.  Unemployed people, feeling that a certain job is more desirable than community work / that any money paid is better than nothing, may feel forced to accept jobs for less pay than other competitors. The result is that those competitors then also have to take less money to get another job, and so on and so on, eventually impacting the average workers wage bracket.

- Forcing people into work will mean they have less time to find better employment – People who are made to work 30-hour weeks will have less time to search and apply for job posts, meaning that they will be even more unlikely to acquire themselves a permanent position.

- It is slave labour – Forcing people to work for free is being deemed as unlawful and has been accused of being the modern day equivalent of ‘slave labour’.

Points for the proposal

- It will help to flush out ‘benefit scroungers’ – By making people do community service, it will teach those who have opted for a life on benefits rather than employment that they can no longer have their lifestyle funded by those that work. It will also put a stop to those claiming benefits whilst unlawfully working, as they will not be able to carry on their undeclared position whilst carrying out the compulsory work scheme.

- It is fairer to the taxpayer – The unemployed should give something back to those paying for their benefits by helping out in the community. There are many people who have never claimed jobseekers, and have always managed to maintain a working life even if they had to take less desirable positions. Why should they then fund people to ‘sit at home’ when these people could be filling many important roles within the community?

- Allows people to experience the workplace again – Danny Alexander, the Lib Dem Secretary to the Treasury, told the BBC’s Politics Show that the scheme was intended to “support and encourage”  people to get back into the habit of getting up and going out to work, rather than remaining isolated at home. He also said it would help people demonstrate their employability to prospective employers, after many employers said they look more favourably to people who had done some work recently than those who had been unemployed for a long time.

- It gives people more of a push to find something better employment wise – If people are forced to do jobs such as litter picking and gardening, then it may a) motivate them to up the job search to look for something better, or b) make them consider taking jobs which they may have previously felt were beneath them.

- Breaks the cycle of welfare dependency – With the current benefits system meaning that some claimants are no better off – and sometimes poorer – if they come off the dole to take jobs paying up to £15,000 a year, many have admitted they purposely didn’t take work offered to them. With the new system, those who refused to take work, take jobs that were offered to them or do voluntary work would have their handouts stopped, and so the cycle of welfare dependency at the taxpayer’s cost would come to an end.

- It will save money – 14% of Britain’s national income is currently spent on welfare. As the country struggles to pay back its £156 billion budget deficit, the benefits system is being seen as a significant area where costs can be reduced. Iain Duncan Smith, the Work and Pensions Secretary said, “The benefits system is a deeply ineffective and costly way of subsidising people’s lives. We obviously have a limited amount of money and our purpose is to improve the quality of life for the worst-off in society so they can play a part and hopefully pay tax one day themselves.’

What do you think? Let us know below!