How realistic are today’s youth when looking for employment? With various statistics released in the past week, this question raises an interesting topic that is increasingly pertinent in the economic climate that we all currently face in the UK today.
Youth unemployment has continued to increase (963,000 total at the end of February 2011) despite an overall drop in unemployment during the past quarter. This continuing rise demonstrates the ongoing struggle that faces many young people in securing long-term, viable employment. With many employers being cautious over their hiring plans, it is becoming more apparent that their current preference lies with recruiting skilled workers who are more flexible with their salary expectations at a time where securing the ‘perfect role’ is very challenging.
Another statistic released this week has shown the average starting salary for a graduate in 2011 is likely to be just over £26,000 per annum. Whilst this demonstrates a fall in real terms (due to the RPI remaining consistently high over 3.7% all year), the average will have increased from £25,166 in 2010. With competition for graduate roles continuing to increase in 2011 (44 applications per vacancy in 2010), many of the highest achieving graduates will still have successful starts to their chosen careers later in 2011. They will be paid above the stated salary level and will have many opportunities open to them in the future. What of the many other graduates who enter the job market in the next few months that are yet to secure employment; will they enter with a set expectation that £25-26K is realistically achievable in a tight job market where vacancies are at a premium and are incredibly competitive?
My own experience of securing my first permanent role after completing my degree was in 2001. I was offered the role prior to taking my finals and I happily agreed to a starting basic salary of £12,000. I saw the potential gain through the outlined commission plan and wanted to have the opportunity to prove myself in a challenging and targeted environment. Now being in a position to set starting salaries for my current employer, I want our employees to be able to live off their starting basic salary but to still have the ambition and drive to earn the commission available to take them well in excess of the £26,000 mark.
This type of employee is what many of today’s unemployed youth should strive to be. By being flexible and approachable to starting in roles that allow them to get a foot in the door, the experience gained will see their salaries rising within a short space of time. People should not be afraid of considering lower salaried roles if it is a viable route to improving their long-term career options. Whilst a % of today's youth will always rise to the top of the current market, the bulk of the population sitting within this demographic will find a difficult employment market waiting ahead of them.
In my opinion, the 16-24 year old range of applicants inevitably holds the future for our country but we are at risk of wasting a generation of talent through a ‘safety-first’ hiring approach and also through a lack of proactivity from the youth market. There are many inspirational stories of leading businessmen and women who pushed themselves when they sat within this age range. Inevitably names include Sir Alan Sugar and Sir Richard Branson and more recently Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook. Whilst all these people share the common entrepreneurial spirit, many of today’s unemployed youth still need to strive to want to succeed within a difficult employment market. Many want to be successful but don’t feel as though they are getting the breaks needed to start their careers. What follows is a short list that many of today’s unemployed youth and tomorrow’s graduates should consider to ensure they aren’t a part of the ever increasing statistic of unemployment.
- Take time to have a clear understanding of what work you want to undertake. A scatter bomb approach shows uncertainty in your decision making and often leads to instability in your early career.
- If you have limited commercial experience, don’t sell yourself short but don’t have an overinflated expectation of your salary demands. Set a mark in your mind and make applications for similar roles. You will quickly be able to gauge whether this mark is achievable when you see the level of response coming back to you.
- Ensure you use all avenues open to you to make job applications. Traditional press, online job boards, direct employer’s websites, recruitment consultancies, Job Centre Plus and networking with friends and family are an immediate handful of approaches to consider.
- Rigorously check your application (CV and cover letter) for spelling and grammar errors. Get this proof read before sending it through. Nothing harms your initial chances more than sending through an application which shows a lack of care and attention to detail.
- Ensure your CV highlights the positive attributes you can bring to a potential employer. Focus on your strengths and achievements and tailor your CV to each role that you are applying for.
- Follow up on your applications. Respect closing dates if stated but then don’t be afraid to call to speak to a decision maker to competently demonstrate your suitability for a particular vacancy. If you know your CV is not the strongest, then this becomes even more important to consider.
- Act professionally at all times irrespective of who you are speaking to, no matter how frustrated you may feel by the process of finding employment. With recruitment businesses, remember that we are an extension of our client’s hiring functions. We get paid to send applicants that we have the utmost confidence in representing our business in-front of our client. If you treat a recruiter as someone who is getting in the way of you finding employment, you should never expect to receive much back in return.
- Learn from every interview you attend. Any feedback that you get will assist you in the future so use every meeting as a learning experience to improve your chances at later interviews. The smallest points such as body language and demeanour can often be attributable to your chances of success and failure.
The more realistic they are and the greater efforts that are put in to secure employment by the youth of today will inevitably address the upsurge in an unwelcome statistic. Too many rely on others to change their own lives and it’s down to this generation to want to be tomorrow’s success stories in the world of business. There still are plenty of opportunities out there for this age range and many are still achieving very strong salaries. These are the youth who are following through and pushing themselves to be successful. Learn to rely on yourself to be a success and the rewards will soon follow.
