Published on 12, July, 2020
Hello. This is my first time posting on this site so hope it goes well.
So, for context, I've been living most of my life with ASD and I managed to slog along and graduate from uni in Cyber Security. Before I went to uni, my family moved to the Forest of Dean, in a house in the middle of nowhere (the type of place that makes it hard to travel without a car) and ever since graduating, I've had to move back here to find post-graduate work.
I've applied for almost 100 post graduate jobs, and despite getting very close after a couple of interviews, I'm still not employed. The reason is usually due to a candidate being more qualified, due to the fact that I had a hard time doing an internship during university, and have no practical experience in the working world. I also tried applying for some part time work based on things I did part time during uni (bar / hotel work), etc and again, no dice. I don't know why it's waay harder to find work that I've already done, but there you go.
So I decided to take out universal credit; I know I sound like a scrounger, but at this point, I don't really care. I have been applying for jobs pretty much every day (including basic admin work) and no luck, though my work coach says that I have been putting the effort in and then some. I need to have some leisure, in order to not get cabin fever in this house and everything is so expensive these days. I've even had to fork out some money on hotels, due to trains constantly being cancelled (the railway line that takes me to where I live is prone to landslides).
To avoid any stigma surrounding this, any advice would be appreciated. Thanks for reading.
You don’t have anything to feel guilty about but I can understand that feeling. You are obviously making an effort, which is what counts. Do you think your interview skills might be holding you back? It’s something I have struggled with myself.
I can't say for sure if it is definitely my interview skills. I do sometimes stumble or forget certain points, but that happens to everyone, regardless. Most of the time, the feedback consists of finding someone more "suited to the role".
Don't feel guilty, UC is there for people who can't get work or are unable to work. Do you have a support worker for UC? If so they should be able to help you find the appropriate help with things like interviews and how to do a CV, etc.
I've got a very strong CV and my previous feedback often doesn't mention poor interview skills. Here's an example of a rejection email I've gotten (from an actual person, not automated):
"Overall the feedback on your interview was very positive, but unfortunately they have decided to go with the other candidate who interviewed as they had some more relevant experience to their specific projects/technologies."
I think my biggest ***-up was not doing any internships during uni, but I found it incredibly difficult to find one, especially since it was after COVID and many companies were hiring less people.