The job market is still a tricky place at the moment, especially for graduates. This does not mean however that you should be lazy, and allow that laziness to leave holes in your CV.
The important thing is to always be doing something, and there is always something to do. If you are unable to gain paid employment, you most certainly should get yourself into a volunteering position to fill your days and to plug the holes in your employability that have led you to be in this position.
You should spend two hours a day continuing to search for paid work, and follow the start from the top and work your way down plan of attack. Start by applying for your dream job and work downwards to supermarkets and coffee shops. Keep your CV, LinkedIn and online presence up to date and relevant to the end game.
Being unemployed is a great time to really reflect on what is important to you in your life. You can reassess where you are, and most importantly where you want to go. Volunteering can really help develop you as a person and make you far more employable than sitting on your ass watching Jeremy Kyle re-runs.
Do a little research into local charities and businesses that sit with your morals, and the issues in the world that you care about. Volunteering opportunities are always there, and nine times out of ten you will get into the organisation you want. No business that survives on volunteers will turn you down.
Being a volunteer gives you a foot in the door, and if a paid position comes up you will be top of the pile. It also makes sure you keep the routine of a working person, which may sound trite but lay-ins and late nights can become all too attractive if you don’t have responsibilities to face in the morning and employers can sense this.
If you have no office experience, try to volunteer in an admin position. No customer service experience; retail. Want some marketing experience; PR. Is sales your week point? Fundraise. In the charity sector you can shadow people who have been in the working world for years, and have ample experience for you to learn from – use it!
It is also worth looking into freelance work and one off projects advertised on sites such as people per hour, or elance, or total freelance. Businesses that can no longer afford to hire full time members of staff still need the work doing and so the world of freelancing is actually doing quite well in the market of today.
Being unemployed does not need to be the drag it once was, you can get involved with all kinds of worthy causes and search for that pay packet at the same time. You never actually need to be unemployed because there is so much work to do out there.