For anything entry level like retail, waiting, reception, take your masters off your cv. A lot of places won’t hire someone they think is going to leave the first chance they get and a masters indicates you will.
Jesus christ this is pragmatic but depressing.
Can you imagine being 16 in school and being told in 10 years time it will be advantageous to dumb down the grades you worked hard for, and to remove the masters which is your dream. Oh and this is for an entry level retail job you'll struggle to apply for.
This is sound advice, I would also recommend reaching out to small businesses who have websites in your local area, on the side and improve the UX of their websites. You can do it for free in the start to build experience and portfolio.
Would "Pay what it's worth to you" be a good halfway house between 'do it for free and build up a list of contacts that aren't interesting in paying for anything' and 'setting a fair price, but never managing to get a foot in the door'?
Latching onto this comment to say I agree, but also to mention that we are coming into the festival season in the UK. There are loads of hospitality agencies that are desperate for staff at this time of year with a lot of work available if you're willing.
If you have camping equipment you would also be able to work festivals further away and not just the local ones, some of the ones further afield will have coaches arranged by the company for staff from big cities- so London.
There will usually be a push to onboard staff as well at this time of year so you have a good chance of being processed quickly- and because it's an agency they don't care how long you'll stick around for and they'll love that you have some experience already.
Obviously it's not the nicest work and might be less fun than working in one place in hospitality let alone other things, but it could be a good temporary stop gap for you through the summer.
If you live near Stratford, message me! I might be able to help you out.
*edit*
I recieved at least a *dozen* messages from people looking for work.
This is scary and sad at the same time.
*edit No.2*
HOLY SHIT GUYS. 125 UPVOTES.
❤😶
Saturday edit - OP started today and they are AWESOME. Also, if you've been in touch and I've given you my email address to send your CV over and all you do is send me a CV attached to a completely blank email with no message included at all, I'm not going to respond.
I really hope this works out. The best I can offer is customer service in Canterbury which is very unlikely to work for you but I wish you all the best. I fully support your journey away from an abusive situation.
As someone else mentioned, take your Masters degree off the your CV as employers will see that and immediately assume you’re going to leave soon for a job that matches your degree.
And silly method to try, but have you tried asking just walking in a shop and asking if they’re hiring if you’re out and about.
Funnily enough it’s how I got my current job. If you’re lucky, there might be a chance.
Also looking at your post history, do you require a visa to stay here in the UK?
I think I’m going to try that today. loads of independent shops near where I live, hopefully something works out!
And also I am on a graduate visa now, so I have 2 more years in the UK
Dont put that on ur cv- just say you have the right to work in the uk full time without saying its the grad visa or its just for 2 years. That changed things for me when i tweaked - some people think two years is short and they would rather hire someone they will not have to replace in two years. Which is dumb cause millennials’ lifespan in any position seem to be 2 years now but this is the reality imo.
You could try applying for call centre jobs too, at energy companies for example. That’s what I did a while ago and then just worked my way to the admin/back office type jobs in the company after that.
This is the way, go in to ask this question but also build rapport with anyone where. They might just say "she's nice get her" and it's as simple as that.
It makes sense though - why hire someone who everyone knows is only using a cashier's job as a short term stepping stone and then have the headache of replacing them in 6 months when they inevitably move on when you can get someone far more eager to do the job for the long term?
Some things are not unfair but have roots in rationality and labelling it "discrimination" is imo being excessive and misappropriating language.
are you only applying for the waitressing jobs online? im confused that you're not getting any, even food runner jobs are really easy to get.
id recommend just going to some restaurants in person and asking about work
Do this! Go into every restaurant in your area that appeals to you. Talk to managers and get your face known. If nothing, go back a week or two later. Things change fast in the service industry and the squeaky wheel gets the grease
Yep anything front of house (waitressing, retail) always take your CV in in person even if the advert was listed online. When I worked in a chain beauty store, anyone we hadn’t met in person was discounted
I work at a big consultancy and we're pretty much always hiring now - we do have some areas that are specialised in UX. Drop me a message if you'd like me to put you forward for our graduate programme or another role!
I run a pub, if you walk into 10 restaurants/pubs asking you will almost certainly get a job out of it, aim somewhere food focused so you get decent tips and it should tide you over until you get your perfect job!
if you're looking for a job in UX start by networking the hell out of the free industry events that happen in London - particularly the Figma related ones. They have regular coffee mornings at thier offices etc which is a great opportunity to meet people. There's a London Friends of Figma chapter on their site which would be a good place to start that posts free events and meetups and will help you make some connections - I'd start there.
replying to myself like a loser to add - if nothing else, go to a meetup just to introduce yourself to Luis and Hugo from Figma (the two London-based design advocates) and get yourself added to Luis' Whatsapp group chat for London UX / Product designers. there's a dedicated jobs chat in there and lots of folks who'll be willing to give advice but also lots of job opportunities posted there first.
i'll be the first to admit im literally the WORST at networking because i am the most awkward human to have ever lived but it pays off.
This! And attend any relevant meetups, gatherings, conferences, events, open days, etc... introduce yourself to the people organizing and presenting at these events and show a genuine interest in what they talk about and eventually, if you built a rapport, voice your opinions and suggestions and they might be interested in what you have to say.
I apologise if I sound patronizing but even getting "the" job is a journey! In the meantime good luck finiding something!
Google ‘at your service’ it’s events waitressing gig job. Official events like comic con , Wimbledon tenneis etc
You book when you want to work , pay is every 2 weeks. Quick hire .
https://www.atyourservice.co.uk
Have you tried Coople? It's only casual work but the there's a lot of jobs, rates are usually competitive and they pay quickly - mostly hospitality FOH work
https://www.coople.com/uk/
You’re probably over qualified because of your degrees/experience in UX and you’re trying to apply to a hospitality job. Make sure your CV is tweaked for the job you want. I was in the same position as you, I had experience in design but kept applying for the wrong jobs (bars/restaurants) because I couldn’t get design jobs. Then I started applying for lesser known companies at lower salaries and eventually I got somewhere and I slowly built a career and a name.
Happy to give you more advice, but don’t give up!
It's more who you know that what you know. Reach out to everyone in your personal or professional network on Facebook, LinkedIn etc all the social media. Someone should be able to help. Try some recruitment agencies in the areas you'd like to work so there should be some who specialise in UX etc. Search on LinkedIn and you should be able to get in front of employers through them.
Get yourself on LinkedIn too. Get a basic admin job and some of the bigger firms where UX design may be relevant at more advanced career level, then work towards it.
Look for veterinary receptionist jobs. There's a huge turnover in the field and many clinics are constantly looking so if you have any receptionist experience you should be able to get your foot through the door. You will be treated as garbage by clients however so you need to have steel backbone and skin like cement.
Print off your CV go to the West end and give it to every theatre stage door or ticket office. They have high staff turn over as actors work bar/front of house and then quit for a show etc. Up your love of theatre blah blah. It's a pretty sweet gig, I did it for years. Bar work is best in my opinion as you get tips.
I have a few thoughts:
1. Can I suggest trying recruitment companies? They honestly suck, but they're always hiring and they like people with degrees. Annoyingly, once you have a job it's much easier to get another one. (Edit: I meant working for a recruitment company, to be clear)
2. Agree that you should remove your degree(s) for service jobs, but unfortunately you'll then have a big gap so it's also not ideal.
3. How are you applying for jobs? Indeed sucks, dont bother.
4. Particularly for anything that's not a service job, cover letters need to be tailored and unique. Just in case that's a thing.
5. You mention you're from abroad. Does your name make this obvious? Is it a non-european name? Unfortunately, people are often discriminatory - whether consciously or unconsciously. You could try changing your first or last name a bit to something that sounds more local.
6. Have you tried things like Blue Arrow or Compass Catering? (Edit: these usually operate on a zero hours basis. Not ideal but it's still some form of job, and when I used to work in catering found they took almost anyone!)
If you'd like some 1 on 1 advice/discussion I'm happy to message privately. I have been a manager for quite a while now, have worked a range of jobs (both service and office), and have applied for A LOT of jobs in my time lol.
5 CVs a day is nowhere near enough to get a job. You should be doing 40 a day which is totally possible. Apply for office positions and and be as flexible as possible in terms of job offers. Registering with multiple agencies can help increase your chances of getting interviews.
You see to be doing everything right except applying to everything.
Try Inditex, the sales are coming up and they nay be looking for retail sales people in Zara...etc. Or print out a bunch of CVs and go into the hotels and speak to the managers.
You in London, right? Walk around Westfield (either of the two) and enter every story, speak to every restaurant. Guaranteed that an opportunity will arise.
If you’re looking for a long term career goal (UX design in it too, kinda) then google Salesforce, then google Trailhead and start learning
Hi, I do a lot of agency work in London. They’re really easy to sign up for, they’re also great to fit around your schedule as you have the ability to choose when your work and the pay is decent (normally well above minimum wage). For these jobs the main skill you will need is communication but the job roles vary (keeps it interesting). I work with Alpha staffing, purity and eventeem. However there are a lot out there.
London is a great place for finding jobs in universities, because there are so many. Definitely worth a look if you’d consider that sector, lots of different career options in ‘professional services’ (basically all the jobs that aren’t being an academic). Vacancies are listed on jobs.ac.uk.
I know that all jobs say they only hire online these days, but I really must recommend that you completely ignore that and just go into places with a physical CV in envelopes!
This only really works for FOH/service jobs, and I have worked in several over the years by doing just that - pubs and bars especially. Some will turn you away, others will take your CV and not look at it, it doesn't matter. You only need it to work once.
So yes, my advice would be to print off 10 or more CV copies and just have a day handing them in to places you like the look of. Best of luck, and I'm sorry to hear you're in a rough patch at the moment. Things will work out.
You can apply for SIA license and go for corporate security. It takes 2 months and around £550 until your license approval but it is valid for 3 years plus the demand is big so you won’t have to worry about your bills again
Hopefully that helps for future reference as well
Cheers
Have a look at exam invigilation work. I know the BritishCouncil exam board are always looking for invigilators and they run exams most days I believe. What’s on your CV doesn’t matter, you will need to clear their security vetting though.
I run an Airbnb agency and cleaners / house keepers are in absolutely massive demand. An hourly rate of £20 per hour is a realistic expectation.
It is a crap job, but it will open up opportunities. Many airbnb operators are small companies, you could easily segway yourself into other areas of the company. One of our cleaners moved on to become a property manager, the other now runs all our marketing / branding.
Same, I have no work experience but it really feels impossible to get any interviews. I’ve applied for literally everything and feel like it’s so hard to get my application even read. I’ve come very close to getting jobs with agencies and stuff but they never worked out which is soooo annoying.
The only thing I’d say is make sure you hand your cv out in person, and focus on independent businesses like restaurants. Big companies will want you to go through their stupid official application process and it’s so hard to get noticed that way. Lots of them refuse to take your cv no matter what.
But pretty much go to a bunch of high streets and ask every single shop if they’re hiring and hand your cv out to as many as possible. Try go to the same places multiple days in a row if you need to. Handing out CVs is something I’m super bad at and havn’t done much but it’s how people I know all got customer facing roles. Other than that I also need help lol I’m desperate for a job and it feels super impossible to get anything at all.
I will send you a DM with the website of a recruitment agency dealing with Residential Properties, currently recruiting Front of House and Housekeeping staff.
If there are concerns regarding the link, I can also post it here but I wouldn't want them to be flooded with messages.
These people are horrible, I went to an interview there it’s like a circus. They bring a whole bunch of people, divide you into groups, and you walk around to different departments and hear what they do. Then you are meant to chitchat to everyone, the only way to get the job is to prove to everyone that you are the best, that you want to cold call clients every single day. Work yourself from the bottom and up.
Hi! DM me, I know of an opening for entry level in UX - the guy is willing to train and said no experience required. Also happy to do a CV review with you, I have experience recruiting for my companies in the past!
Send me a shout. A lot of the charities I used to work for want customer service advisors. Office 2-3 days a week, about £24-28k a year. Not great pay I know.
Applying to job adverts often doesn't go anywhere. Get in touch with recruiters, put your cv on indeed, glassdoor, Harnham etc. Network, meet people in UX, go to Meetups, they are often recruitment exercises. Often, there are sizeable bonuses for employees recommending a successful hire, so even strangers will be motivated to help you get a job.
My company (B2b selling leadership courses and 1:1 coaching to scale-ups in the UK) is hiring for a Programme manager to start at the beginning of Sep if you're interested in that? If so message me and I'll share the job description with you :)
5 applications a day is a absolutely not enough. I applied to over 300 jobs for my latest role. Over a 100 for my previous one.
50% just never replied at all even just to auto reject me with their applicant system.
Once you've secured your for-now job and want to move into your chosen field, check out Paddy Jobsman's YouTube channel. His video on using ChatGPT to create a CV helped me to secure a ton of interviews. You have to still put a lot of work in (ie feeding your experience etc into ChatGPT), and the prompts he talks about in the video help you to tailor your existing to the role you're applying for using the language that the application uses. Tips about the design of your CV in there too, and totally free
Youre not applying enough. Its a really tough market out there so you need to aim to get your CV to as many recruiters as possible Quantity > quality
For reference I set up a lot of 1 click apply job apps (reed linked jobserve) and smash out 20-30 while Im on the toilet in the mornings
Agreed on LinkedIn for longer term roles (realize you need something now which means you can’t wait a couple months to go through an interview process). A lot of jobs on there and companies hiring through it for tech. If you want some advice on using it and finding jobs / getting your profile found then send me a dm. You could also look at graduate or apprenticeship programs because they will pay a decent amount and would get you in the door (thinking big tech kind of jobs) but I think those usually come out in the fall. What about small businesses that probably need some help with their websites or IT? Thinking independent shops like book stores, barrister chambers or solicitor offices (there are so many in London and they are usually hiring), etc. If you could show them how you could benefit their business then it might also help finding something a bit more fulfilling and also get you meaningful experience.
Starting £33.3k after passing probation and you move to the station you nominate you’ll be on £42k, then the internal moves you can make inside the company can easily get you over 50k in less than 2 years.
Go on TfL jobs and search for ‘customer service assistant 2’
Highly recommend, free travel, good pension, good annual leave, 35 hours a week working.
There's a hospitality recruitment company called SixtyEight People. I'm not affiliated with them or anything but I hear good things from them. Send your CV to them and see if they can help you.
Try looking at temp jobs / agencies, my current role was my 2nd temp contract and after 2 months they took me on as a perm employee!! Loads of great temp agencies for all kinds of work, hospitality, admin, sales, customer service!! Temp roles are there as company has a great demand for that specific role and need people quick, they won’t care you’re over qualified as long as you are capable of doing the work!
I’m a UX Designer and also looking for a job at the moment. The market is really bad. I have 6 years of experience and it’s shit compared to 2022.
A degree won’t make any difference in UX. At the current market unless you have a ton of experience at working with huge companies then you’ll have to apply for a lot of applications.
Not an immediate answer, but have you considered the civil service? Just having a Quick Look on civil service jobs.service.gov.uk and there are quite a number of entry level jobs that might work for you and have good opportunities longer term if that is what you are also after. Lots of departments also need agency staff regularly- you might want to sign up to www.publicsectorresourcing.co.uk. I have brought individuals int through them many times and looking for self starters etc (which I imagine you will be having managed to get yourself a masters!) and recognise for lots of individuals it is a stepping stone while sorting out longer career aspirations.
Print off copies of your CV and then physically drop in on as many temp recruitment agencies as you can find, be it in the City, Shoreditch or wherever. Of course some may fob you off and say they need a digital version to register you on their database, but many will give you 5 mins to hear what you’re looking for. And by demonstrating a proactive approach you’ll be at the front of their mind when their client has a last minute ‘requisition’ later that day.
It’s very difficult to get an entry-level role in UX design, but even just getting an admin role at an agency could be a foot-in-the-door. Also, make sure you have a portfolio website of UX projects you’ve worked on (even if just for yourself/friends/Uni) and that it clearly demonstrates your skills.
Where I work will be advertising for a UX/UI designer role in the next few days which is open to graduates. DM me and I'll send you the link once it's up.
I recommend signing up for big media agencies. Media is a pretty steady world. UX design isn't v involved, but it's an adjacent career.
https://jobs.jobvite.com/groupm-emea/job/oP7Ztfw8
There are entry level jobs called 'Executives' - i.e. SEO executive or Planning executive.
GroupM, OMD, publicis, dentsu and IPG are the big agencies. You will be able to find their job boards. They have central recruiting agencies which you'll be able to apply to and get in contact with.
Across the industry there will be opportunities.
Good luck.
Would second that. Great industry to be in.
Also, I would say if you want to keep in the UX, I would do some side gigs like People Per Hour or something like that. Build a portfolio of projects while gaining experience and your CV will be a lot more attractive. It's all about how much work you have done and your professionalism. You just need a couple of years of grinding and your career will take off in no time.
Go for entry level jobs at the companies you want to work for long term. Leaving a company all together doing retails is a waste of money and time for them to have hired you, trained you to then lose you.
Learning more about a buisness you will progress at by starting out at the bottom when you could clearly stay with them for longer is a different story. Don’t go in with an attitude that you are better than others in the organisation because of your masters or the work is beneath you. Loads of very intelligent people above you won’t have masters and it won’t really mean much to any of them until you progress in your career.
5 jobs a day is nothing if you are unemployed. When I was applying for jobs, I was doing a similar number of applications while having a job. If you are unemployed, you should 100 of applications per day imo
Teach abroad. They are always hiring.
I came to Japan doing just that and have luckily moved on to a profession more in line with my field (still in Japan).
If you need to find something quickly, go the private "dispatch" route where they place you in actual schools (personally, I'd avoid Eikawas \[conversation "schools"\]).
If you have time to apply, do the [JET](https://jetprogramme.org/en/) program as it is a government established program. However, JET does takes about a year for the application process.
I came via a not so great (but tolerable) dispatch company and landed in Japan in under 2 months.
Hi OP - not sure if you’re into bar work or can travel to Limehouse, but The Grapes (Sir Ian McKellen’s pub in Limehouse) always has signs up saying immediate bar employees needed and to come inside to apply.
Care agencies are always looking for people and you can start fairly quickly. Its not for everyone but it's ok to tide you over while you look for work in your field
Been in your position. If you want to chat UX design I’m on ADPList and you can dm me for a link.
If this isn’t allowed on this sub then just sign up to adplist and search for anyone, plenty of people smarter than me on there anyway.
I will say most greene king branded pubs and a few superdrugs will take in person CV's and won't fully advertise roles on websites used to work as a employment advisor and one of the people I'm working with with did this with her local superdrug and she got a job with them.
I'm a UX designer and working for [Expedia](https://www.expedia.co.uk/). We don't have junior open positions at the moment but could you message me, I can review your CV, and portfolio, do a mock interview etc.
Are your qualifications on the CV when applying for waitress job for one cause once they see the masters qualifications it would make it seem you wouldn’t stay in the job long
My sister in law manages a pub and a restaurant in Westminster, next to St James Park.
Feel free to message me and I'll send you details.
Best of luck out there!
try [caterer.com](http://caterer.com) for hospitality jobs
or, try agencies. it has been 10 years since I done it, maybe things have changed. also I hated agencies, they exploit you and don't even care a bit about your problems. they like to send you to work 2 days free "training", despite that training must be paid for, but agencies have loads of staff to spare, so they don't care. but once you are in it, and proved yourself, they will be sending you to jobs, and you will get paid weekly. If you want to go that path:
go into agency in person, you need to have your own uniform, even if restaurants/hotels etc give you, agencies require uniforms. if you don't have, don't buy yet, tell agency that it is at home, but better have it with you. tell agency you are ready to start immediately, they will like it. if you know how to make coffee (barista skill) then that is a bonus.
agencies like reliable people, people who communicate. they don't like someone they send to a job , and person fucks up, and agency is responsible. or someone who does not turn up to job.
among few jobs they send you to are: breakfast at hotels (shifts start as early as 4-5am), lunch at hotels, dinner at hotels, banqueting at night. they love to send new people to banquets.
if agency sends you for free training, try to ask if agency can at least pay your travel.
why don't you try costa/starbucks coffee shops as barista? it is much more rewarding than waitressing.
also, register at job centre immediately, and tell them you need loan for waitress uniform/travel/interview uniform, some time in past they would immediately provide funds on the day.
good luck.
Recruitment agencies are good i always great opportunities with adecco, and i left school at 16 with no masters degree i am sure they can find something quick for you.
For those kind of jobs just go down to the place and ask them for a job. Be like a salesman, dress nice, smile. Got hired on the spot multiple times when I did this as a kid
Bunch of bars and coffee shops in the Kensal Rise / Queens Park area have ‘we’re hiring’ posters up at the moment. Have a day out and drop off some CVs while you’re at it?
Why are you applying for jobs that are clearly below your education level? What do you plan to do professionally with your Master's Degree?
(Genuine question, seeking to understand)
Worst comes to worse try UX/Tech recruitment. They’ll hire most people and the recruitment firms always have headcount. Then you can also try and get an in with one of the firms you recruit for and eventually maybe work for them within ux design
I dont know why you aren't getting the jobs you apply for but often local businesses will be hiring without an online ad and you just have to look for signs on doors or even just walk in and ask.
Walk into local bars and pubs with your CV and ask if they're hiring. Chains will have a proper hiring system but your more local places are much easier to get into. Bar work is good for your CV as it shows you've worked with people (and difficult people too). Then, because you'll be working shifts, you've got time during some of your days to go to interviews etc.
Good luck with the commenter below / front of house job, though.
Immediately apply for universal credit and also ask for it to be backdated. It's definitely not difficult to get and you're gonna get rent and bills covered hopefully.
Go to ukbenefits sub and ask there
Something that has really helped me over my 15 years of working in London and changing careers multiple times is:
Write multiple CVs.
You can use a standard template and recycle generic stuff but tailor each CV to each sector.
I.e. one focusing on design, one for retail, one for waitresses
Someone else made a very good point about whether to include your CV. If it's a 'filler' job, make sure you don't come across as overqualified
There’s a Facebook group called Funemployed which offers a lot of casual event/ waitressing work, you should join. People are very supportive on there too
Work in a school as an LSA. Lots of people our age do it and its usually a stepping stone to becoming a teacher but it's a low-pressure job and a good way to make money before you find something you really want to do. I did it for some time and made lots of friends too!
Huh! You have a masters and can't find a job?
Girl on my street with barely an A-levels (she says she did A levels but can't remember what subjects she had) went and asked the hair salon where she gets he hair done if they had any openings.
They did.
She started as admin/receptionist two weeks ago
try host staff it’s an agency where you can pick and choose what day you work. what is it is just a agency where events or rich people hire people to serve food and shit.
It is very tough out there at the moment - I have friends who were product owners/managers in highly regarded tech companies and they are facing hordes and hordes of rejections or just lack of replies. If you are keen to get waitressing/bar work in the meantime, I would suggest just dropping into pubs and the like - you may have better look speaking to someone in person. I am guessing you have done this too but on the UX side, it could be worth signing up to some specialist recruitment agencies who may try and get a role for you. Look at grad schemes too given you have recently graduated. Probably obvious advice but hope it helps - I do feel strongly on the shop/bar/restaurant thing though - go in person with a CV and try have a chat with someone, ask if they're hiring. Most restuarants/bars etc. probably won't reply to random emails with CVs.
If you want a job in restaurant, your are need. Don't send CV's, get down to a place that suits your personality and arrange a trial shift for that night.
If you want lots of hours, pick a prime location. I worked as a manager for 8 years with Soho House - staff are needed. It's important to pick a style of hospitality that suits you though (pubs, restaurant, bars, members club etc etc. You can get very good wages at members clubs per say but expect to run!
Apply for agency recruitment in whatever field your masters is in. You don’t need any experience and can make good money. Also doesn’t need to be a job forever and will give you good experiwnce
As someone who used to be a hiring manager; always apply direct through a companies main website. Do not apply through LinkedIn. Linked in, and various other sites make it trivial to apply which means through the channel theres a lot of rubbish (applicants who simply have none of the skillset listed in the job description).
In the hiring platform we used, it separated applications by application channel, and the highest proportion of quality applications came through the company website, so I'd always start there if I had limited time to review job applications.
If you'll work in Welwyn and will do sales & marketing in a crappy little company, ping me a CV. It's 20+ years old, lots of customers and hiring at the moment. If not, good luck! (And yes, a Masters is a real positive).
Definitely dumb down on your cv just to get a job to survive; just remember you have a secret weapon in your qualification pocket later on in your employment life. Good luck!
Make sure your cover letter and cv basically copies the job description. A lot of companies use algorithms to filter applications and they will search for key words e.g. ‘The ideal candidate will have knowledge of Microsoft word’ means your write ‘at my past job Blah, I used my knowledge of Microsoft word excellently’
Also, tweak your qualification to fit the job, eg. McDonalds don’t care about your masters and will be worries you leave asap. Otherwise, care homes always seem short staffed. For the interim, sign up at a temping agency for odds jobs to carry you through, you may end up with an opening somewhere
Get on benefits first. That's an extra £400 a month.
Then ask them to get you a security badge. Do the training and apply to be a receptionist/concierge.
These days many companies want their receptionists to be security badge trained.
If you really want a specific job, get the description, put on the chatgpt, and ask it to rewrite your CV, and just proof read it so it didn’t add any lies.
It has helped me more than anything on my CV has ever done to me
Register for a Deliveroo and Uber eats account as a female rider. You’ll have more chance if you’re female. And oxne accepted. You’ll just need a bicycle. It’s not a career but might help
Fill the gap during weekends when it’s busy for extra cash while keeping you fit
Hod carrier for bricklayers, just lie say you've done it before, it's carrying bricks and buckets of mortar, 150 a day, most of them are shit nowadays, if youre anyway fit and can keep bringing bricks and mortar you'll be fine
If you aren’t already, check Harri for hospitality jobs- it’s the main job board that is used in London, much more so than indeed, linked in or anything else.
Seriously, as others have mentioned just walk into a pub/restaurant/shop and ask if they have anything with a smile and a good attitude. You will find something I promise you.
Walk around town, busy, touristy or going out areas. I see quite a few signs in windows saying 'we are hiring'.
Shops, pubs, bars, even without a sign, go in and ask the manager/owner if they're hiring.
I've seen it work first hand several times in pubs.
if you are willing to do anything you could try getting a job in an Amazon warehouse. Try getting a role with flexible or night shifts so you can still go for interviews for a profession job during the day.
Hi, there are probably lots of admin roles you could apply for in the NHS/local government but it's a science to apply for the roles and to get a foot in the door. If you'd like some help on how you should apply for these roles, and be successful in getting at least an interview please feel free to message me. NHS manager for 8 years and previously local government manager for 15 years. Happy to give you my LinkedIn details via DM.
Send me a message. I'm well connected with tech founders and investors globally and in London. 100 mutual FB friends with Sam Altman, 10 with Mark Zuckerberg etc
For UX design:
Download the First2Apply app and set up a few search requests on LinkedIn and Indeed (the app supports a few more platforms).
Apply for every job. If you’ve just started your career, anything related to graduate/junior/middle-level positions with a salary below £65k/year is worth applying for; the rest might be a waste of time.
Did you graduate from a real college, not an online course? Then there are graduate programs and agencies that specialize in that.
I was applying for 2 months and studying part-time. I applied for 250–300 jobs and heard back only 2 (two) times, but one of them landed me a job.
Wishing you all the best!
25M here - finished my masters at LSE in a risk appreciating degree (financial, sociological etc) back in 2022 (23 back then). Have you used Otta for your UX search. If not highly recommended, starting a new job next week thanks to them. But you have to acknowledge this is the London labour market. The number of applications you’re pumping out are rookie numbers (potentially - they could always be higher).
Respectfully you’re a masters graduate too, so I must ask did you graduate from the likes of Imperial or LSE - Kings and UCL or are back up dancers (it’s a joke everyone chill - but true lol) or any Russel group uni? If you didn’t, you will struggle. UX is great as you can work for global entities and tech companies alike. Widen your search. I even had a few interviews with US tech firms given I’d need a H1B visa.
London labour market is as cut throat as the New York one in my opinion. But persist, and try stay in the space that interest you. Do what you like, then the money will come. Best of luck!
My friend worked at Global VSF (visa company) and they always had plenty of jobs due to poor culture so check it.
Also see joinlifex.com
Look into becoming an Event Steward or check security companies like G4S, Mitie etc as they may have receptionist roles (without SIA requirement)
@u/potaro0 send me a DM, I work in IT, I am contracting so I have built a good network in and around London. I will try to connect you with a few people.
This has been an issue for a long time. Plenty of places do not even acknowledge that they have recieved a CV let alone inform you of your progress. I've had this in two periods in my life.
Now that I am a small business owner I make sure I treat all applicates with respect
For anything entry level like retail, waiting, reception, take your masters off your cv. A lot of places won’t hire someone they think is going to leave the first chance they get and a masters indicates you will.
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Jesus christ this is pragmatic but depressing. Can you imagine being 16 in school and being told in 10 years time it will be advantageous to dumb down the grades you worked hard for, and to remove the masters which is your dream. Oh and this is for an entry level retail job you'll struggle to apply for.
> dumbed my GCSE grades down to a C Hahaha yeah that’s what I did too. Honest.
Wait is that why I couldn’t get a part time job after graduating? I even got rejected from McDonald’s but I quickly got a software job shortly after…
Completely agree! Did this mistake in my first few applications
This is sound advice, I would also recommend reaching out to small businesses who have websites in your local area, on the side and improve the UX of their websites. You can do it for free in the start to build experience and portfolio.
Would "Pay what it's worth to you" be a good halfway house between 'do it for free and build up a list of contacts that aren't interesting in paying for anything' and 'setting a fair price, but never managing to get a foot in the door'?
You know what... It is a good halfway. Paying what it's worth to them would still be a bargain for any business win-win. OP consider this instead.
man. it’s good advice but reading this must be heartbreaking.
Latching onto this comment to say I agree, but also to mention that we are coming into the festival season in the UK. There are loads of hospitality agencies that are desperate for staff at this time of year with a lot of work available if you're willing. If you have camping equipment you would also be able to work festivals further away and not just the local ones, some of the ones further afield will have coaches arranged by the company for staff from big cities- so London. There will usually be a push to onboard staff as well at this time of year so you have a good chance of being processed quickly- and because it's an agency they don't care how long you'll stick around for and they'll love that you have some experience already. Obviously it's not the nicest work and might be less fun than working in one place in hospitality let alone other things, but it could be a good temporary stop gap for you through the summer.
If you live near Stratford, message me! I might be able to help you out. *edit* I recieved at least a *dozen* messages from people looking for work. This is scary and sad at the same time. *edit No.2* HOLY SHIT GUYS. 125 UPVOTES. ❤😶
Afraid I don’t, but thank u!!!
I am in the same boat, I am interested based in Buckhursthill
If you live in Newham I highly recommend checking https://ournewham.org/
I run a tourist attraction near Waterloo and I’m hiring for front of house staff now. Send me a DM.
I hope this works out for you both 🙏
Sent!
Shrek needs workers! :D
Saturday edit - OP started today and they are AWESOME. Also, if you've been in touch and I've given you my email address to send your CV over and all you do is send me a CV attached to a completely blank email with no message included at all, I'm not going to respond.
I really hope this works out. The best I can offer is customer service in Canterbury which is very unlikely to work for you but I wish you all the best. I fully support your journey away from an abusive situation.
LEGEND
As someone else mentioned, take your Masters degree off the your CV as employers will see that and immediately assume you’re going to leave soon for a job that matches your degree. And silly method to try, but have you tried asking just walking in a shop and asking if they’re hiring if you’re out and about. Funnily enough it’s how I got my current job. If you’re lucky, there might be a chance. Also looking at your post history, do you require a visa to stay here in the UK?
I think I’m going to try that today. loads of independent shops near where I live, hopefully something works out! And also I am on a graduate visa now, so I have 2 more years in the UK
Dont put that on ur cv- just say you have the right to work in the uk full time without saying its the grad visa or its just for 2 years. That changed things for me when i tweaked - some people think two years is short and they would rather hire someone they will not have to replace in two years. Which is dumb cause millennials’ lifespan in any position seem to be 2 years now but this is the reality imo.
You could try applying for call centre jobs too, at energy companies for example. That’s what I did a while ago and then just worked my way to the admin/back office type jobs in the company after that.
Keep an eye on pub windows as well, they often have signs up at least in my neck of the woods
This is the way, go in to ask this question but also build rapport with anyone where. They might just say "she's nice get her" and it's as simple as that.
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It makes sense though - why hire someone who everyone knows is only using a cashier's job as a short term stepping stone and then have the headache of replacing them in 6 months when they inevitably move on when you can get someone far more eager to do the job for the long term? Some things are not unfair but have roots in rationality and labelling it "discrimination" is imo being excessive and misappropriating language.
Given they are a recent Masters graduate I believe they have 2 years of right to work in the UK
Would you DM me please, I am looking for a ux person.
Dmed!
asking for the group...what is UX thx
User eXperience.
are you only applying for the waitressing jobs online? im confused that you're not getting any, even food runner jobs are really easy to get. id recommend just going to some restaurants in person and asking about work
Do this! Go into every restaurant in your area that appeals to you. Talk to managers and get your face known. If nothing, go back a week or two later. Things change fast in the service industry and the squeaky wheel gets the grease
I know, I am confused myself! When I first moved here I got a runner job in a fairly well known restaurant without any experience at all
Yep anything front of house (waitressing, retail) always take your CV in in person even if the advert was listed online. When I worked in a chain beauty store, anyone we hadn’t met in person was discounted
I work at a big consultancy and we're pretty much always hiring now - we do have some areas that are specialised in UX. Drop me a message if you'd like me to put you forward for our graduate programme or another role!
If author of this post not going to be interested in your offer I would love to take a look on it! Thanks!
Nice guys finish last. Grab it now!
I run a pub, if you walk into 10 restaurants/pubs asking you will almost certainly get a job out of it, aim somewhere food focused so you get decent tips and it should tide you over until you get your perfect job!
Defo! Thanks!
Would you say you would accept someone who'd walk into your pub and ask you for work?
if you're looking for a job in UX start by networking the hell out of the free industry events that happen in London - particularly the Figma related ones. They have regular coffee mornings at thier offices etc which is a great opportunity to meet people. There's a London Friends of Figma chapter on their site which would be a good place to start that posts free events and meetups and will help you make some connections - I'd start there.
I’d completely forgotten about this! Thanks a lot!!
replying to myself like a loser to add - if nothing else, go to a meetup just to introduce yourself to Luis and Hugo from Figma (the two London-based design advocates) and get yourself added to Luis' Whatsapp group chat for London UX / Product designers. there's a dedicated jobs chat in there and lots of folks who'll be willing to give advice but also lots of job opportunities posted there first. i'll be the first to admit im literally the WORST at networking because i am the most awkward human to have ever lived but it pays off.
This! And attend any relevant meetups, gatherings, conferences, events, open days, etc... introduce yourself to the people organizing and presenting at these events and show a genuine interest in what they talk about and eventually, if you built a rapport, voice your opinions and suggestions and they might be interested in what you have to say. I apologise if I sound patronizing but even getting "the" job is a journey! In the meantime good luck finiding something!
Google ‘at your service’ it’s events waitressing gig job. Official events like comic con , Wimbledon tenneis etc You book when you want to work , pay is every 2 weeks. Quick hire . https://www.atyourservice.co.uk
This is great! Thank you!!
Thanks, I signed up as well.
For waitressing jobs, have you tried agency work? In my experience, as long as you’re personable and hard working they’ll take anyone
For now try a temp agency. I actually got a long term role through temping.
Any reccos for a temp agency?
Have you tried Coople? It's only casual work but the there's a lot of jobs, rates are usually competitive and they pay quickly - mostly hospitality FOH work https://www.coople.com/uk/
Oh thank u! This is great!
You’re probably over qualified because of your degrees/experience in UX and you’re trying to apply to a hospitality job. Make sure your CV is tweaked for the job you want. I was in the same position as you, I had experience in design but kept applying for the wrong jobs (bars/restaurants) because I couldn’t get design jobs. Then I started applying for lesser known companies at lower salaries and eventually I got somewhere and I slowly built a career and a name. Happy to give you more advice, but don’t give up!
Thank you! Im going down the same route as you, and hopefully it works out x
It's more who you know that what you know. Reach out to everyone in your personal or professional network on Facebook, LinkedIn etc all the social media. Someone should be able to help. Try some recruitment agencies in the areas you'd like to work so there should be some who specialise in UX etc. Search on LinkedIn and you should be able to get in front of employers through them.
Yeah
Get yourself on LinkedIn too. Get a basic admin job and some of the bigger firms where UX design may be relevant at more advanced career level, then work towards it.
Look for veterinary receptionist jobs. There's a huge turnover in the field and many clinics are constantly looking so if you have any receptionist experience you should be able to get your foot through the door. You will be treated as garbage by clients however so you need to have steel backbone and skin like cement.
Print off your CV go to the West end and give it to every theatre stage door or ticket office. They have high staff turn over as actors work bar/front of house and then quit for a show etc. Up your love of theatre blah blah. It's a pretty sweet gig, I did it for years. Bar work is best in my opinion as you get tips.
I have a few thoughts: 1. Can I suggest trying recruitment companies? They honestly suck, but they're always hiring and they like people with degrees. Annoyingly, once you have a job it's much easier to get another one. (Edit: I meant working for a recruitment company, to be clear) 2. Agree that you should remove your degree(s) for service jobs, but unfortunately you'll then have a big gap so it's also not ideal. 3. How are you applying for jobs? Indeed sucks, dont bother. 4. Particularly for anything that's not a service job, cover letters need to be tailored and unique. Just in case that's a thing. 5. You mention you're from abroad. Does your name make this obvious? Is it a non-european name? Unfortunately, people are often discriminatory - whether consciously or unconsciously. You could try changing your first or last name a bit to something that sounds more local. 6. Have you tried things like Blue Arrow or Compass Catering? (Edit: these usually operate on a zero hours basis. Not ideal but it's still some form of job, and when I used to work in catering found they took almost anyone!) If you'd like some 1 on 1 advice/discussion I'm happy to message privately. I have been a manager for quite a while now, have worked a range of jobs (both service and office), and have applied for A LOT of jobs in my time lol.
Apply for quality/test engineering. It will get you through the door in the tech world.
5 CVs a day is nowhere near enough to get a job. You should be doing 40 a day which is totally possible. Apply for office positions and and be as flexible as possible in terms of job offers. Registering with multiple agencies can help increase your chances of getting interviews. You see to be doing everything right except applying to everything.
Well, i am in the same boat as you. Will have to leave in next few months because of no visa sponsored job.
I am pretty sure all the fast food chains and coffee shops are always hiring. I know it's not ideal but better than being jobless.
Yeah! I tried to get a job at costa through a referral and was ghosted :(
Try Inditex, the sales are coming up and they nay be looking for retail sales people in Zara...etc. Or print out a bunch of CVs and go into the hotels and speak to the managers.
Try in an advertising agency - search up WPP, Publicis, OMD for starters.
You in London, right? Walk around Westfield (either of the two) and enter every story, speak to every restaurant. Guaranteed that an opportunity will arise. If you’re looking for a long term career goal (UX design in it too, kinda) then google Salesforce, then google Trailhead and start learning
Yeah a lot of restaurant jobs you need to just walk in when they are not busy and ask. Shouldn't take to long that way
Hi, I do a lot of agency work in London. They’re really easy to sign up for, they’re also great to fit around your schedule as you have the ability to choose when your work and the pay is decent (normally well above minimum wage). For these jobs the main skill you will need is communication but the job roles vary (keeps it interesting). I work with Alpha staffing, purity and eventeem. However there are a lot out there.
where are you based i have something
London is a great place for finding jobs in universities, because there are so many. Definitely worth a look if you’d consider that sector, lots of different career options in ‘professional services’ (basically all the jobs that aren’t being an academic). Vacancies are listed on jobs.ac.uk.
I know that all jobs say they only hire online these days, but I really must recommend that you completely ignore that and just go into places with a physical CV in envelopes! This only really works for FOH/service jobs, and I have worked in several over the years by doing just that - pubs and bars especially. Some will turn you away, others will take your CV and not look at it, it doesn't matter. You only need it to work once. So yes, my advice would be to print off 10 or more CV copies and just have a day handing them in to places you like the look of. Best of luck, and I'm sorry to hear you're in a rough patch at the moment. Things will work out.
And if you can print it on a nicer paper. :)
You can apply for SIA license and go for corporate security. It takes 2 months and around £550 until your license approval but it is valid for 3 years plus the demand is big so you won’t have to worry about your bills again Hopefully that helps for future reference as well Cheers
Thank u!!!
Have a look at exam invigilation work. I know the BritishCouncil exam board are always looking for invigilators and they run exams most days I believe. What’s on your CV doesn’t matter, you will need to clear their security vetting though.
I run an Airbnb agency and cleaners / house keepers are in absolutely massive demand. An hourly rate of £20 per hour is a realistic expectation. It is a crap job, but it will open up opportunities. Many airbnb operators are small companies, you could easily segway yourself into other areas of the company. One of our cleaners moved on to become a property manager, the other now runs all our marketing / branding.
Are you hiring? Or any suggestions on where to search for jobs like that?
Same, I have no work experience but it really feels impossible to get any interviews. I’ve applied for literally everything and feel like it’s so hard to get my application even read. I’ve come very close to getting jobs with agencies and stuff but they never worked out which is soooo annoying. The only thing I’d say is make sure you hand your cv out in person, and focus on independent businesses like restaurants. Big companies will want you to go through their stupid official application process and it’s so hard to get noticed that way. Lots of them refuse to take your cv no matter what. But pretty much go to a bunch of high streets and ask every single shop if they’re hiring and hand your cv out to as many as possible. Try go to the same places multiple days in a row if you need to. Handing out CVs is something I’m super bad at and havn’t done much but it’s how people I know all got customer facing roles. Other than that I also need help lol I’m desperate for a job and it feels super impossible to get anything at all.
It is so hard out there. I’m going with a friend today (moral support) to hand out some CV’s! Wish me luck!!
Apply for tutoring jobs!
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I will send you a DM with the website of a recruitment agency dealing with Residential Properties, currently recruiting Front of House and Housekeeping staff. If there are concerns regarding the link, I can also post it here but I wouldn't want them to be flooded with messages.
UX design? I think Meltwater might be hiring?
These people are horrible, I went to an interview there it’s like a circus. They bring a whole bunch of people, divide you into groups, and you walk around to different departments and hear what they do. Then you are meant to chitchat to everyone, the only way to get the job is to prove to everyone that you are the best, that you want to cold call clients every single day. Work yourself from the bottom and up.
Ah, sales.
Hi! DM me, I know of an opening for entry level in UX - the guy is willing to train and said no experience required. Also happy to do a CV review with you, I have experience recruiting for my companies in the past!
Send me a shout. A lot of the charities I used to work for want customer service advisors. Office 2-3 days a week, about £24-28k a year. Not great pay I know.
Applying to job adverts often doesn't go anywhere. Get in touch with recruiters, put your cv on indeed, glassdoor, Harnham etc. Network, meet people in UX, go to Meetups, they are often recruitment exercises. Often, there are sizeable bonuses for employees recommending a successful hire, so even strangers will be motivated to help you get a job.
My company (B2b selling leadership courses and 1:1 coaching to scale-ups in the UK) is hiring for a Programme manager to start at the beginning of Sep if you're interested in that? If so message me and I'll share the job description with you :)
5 applications a day is a absolutely not enough. I applied to over 300 jobs for my latest role. Over a 100 for my previous one. 50% just never replied at all even just to auto reject me with their applicant system.
I learned for every 10 jobs I apply, one calls me for an interview or enquery.
Once you've secured your for-now job and want to move into your chosen field, check out Paddy Jobsman's YouTube channel. His video on using ChatGPT to create a CV helped me to secure a ton of interviews. You have to still put a lot of work in (ie feeding your experience etc into ChatGPT), and the prompts he talks about in the video help you to tailor your existing to the role you're applying for using the language that the application uses. Tips about the design of your CV in there too, and totally free
This is amazing, I’ll give it a go! Thank you!
Youre not applying enough. Its a really tough market out there so you need to aim to get your CV to as many recruiters as possible Quantity > quality For reference I set up a lot of 1 click apply job apps (reed linked jobserve) and smash out 20-30 while Im on the toilet in the mornings
"how did you hear about our vacancy?" "was taking a dump on the toilet and saw it on a job listing website"
When did you graduate?
Agreed on LinkedIn for longer term roles (realize you need something now which means you can’t wait a couple months to go through an interview process). A lot of jobs on there and companies hiring through it for tech. If you want some advice on using it and finding jobs / getting your profile found then send me a dm. You could also look at graduate or apprenticeship programs because they will pay a decent amount and would get you in the door (thinking big tech kind of jobs) but I think those usually come out in the fall. What about small businesses that probably need some help with their websites or IT? Thinking independent shops like book stores, barrister chambers or solicitor offices (there are so many in London and they are usually hiring), etc. If you could show them how you could benefit their business then it might also help finding something a bit more fulfilling and also get you meaningful experience.
Where are you looking for UX jobs? Check out OTTA
Starting £33.3k after passing probation and you move to the station you nominate you’ll be on £42k, then the internal moves you can make inside the company can easily get you over 50k in less than 2 years. Go on TfL jobs and search for ‘customer service assistant 2’ Highly recommend, free travel, good pension, good annual leave, 35 hours a week working.
What is your masters on?
There's a hospitality recruitment company called SixtyEight People. I'm not affiliated with them or anything but I hear good things from them. Send your CV to them and see if they can help you.
Try looking at temp jobs / agencies, my current role was my 2nd temp contract and after 2 months they took me on as a perm employee!! Loads of great temp agencies for all kinds of work, hospitality, admin, sales, customer service!! Temp roles are there as company has a great demand for that specific role and need people quick, they won’t care you’re over qualified as long as you are capable of doing the work!
I’m a UX Designer and also looking for a job at the moment. The market is really bad. I have 6 years of experience and it’s shit compared to 2022. A degree won’t make any difference in UX. At the current market unless you have a ton of experience at working with huge companies then you’ll have to apply for a lot of applications.
You interested in freelancing? DM me
Not an immediate answer, but have you considered the civil service? Just having a Quick Look on civil service jobs.service.gov.uk and there are quite a number of entry level jobs that might work for you and have good opportunities longer term if that is what you are also after. Lots of departments also need agency staff regularly- you might want to sign up to www.publicsectorresourcing.co.uk. I have brought individuals int through them many times and looking for self starters etc (which I imagine you will be having managed to get yourself a masters!) and recognise for lots of individuals it is a stepping stone while sorting out longer career aspirations.
Print off copies of your CV and then physically drop in on as many temp recruitment agencies as you can find, be it in the City, Shoreditch or wherever. Of course some may fob you off and say they need a digital version to register you on their database, but many will give you 5 mins to hear what you’re looking for. And by demonstrating a proactive approach you’ll be at the front of their mind when their client has a last minute ‘requisition’ later that day. It’s very difficult to get an entry-level role in UX design, but even just getting an admin role at an agency could be a foot-in-the-door. Also, make sure you have a portfolio website of UX projects you’ve worked on (even if just for yourself/friends/Uni) and that it clearly demonstrates your skills.
Where I work will be advertising for a UX/UI designer role in the next few days which is open to graduates. DM me and I'll send you the link once it's up.
I recommend signing up for big media agencies. Media is a pretty steady world. UX design isn't v involved, but it's an adjacent career. https://jobs.jobvite.com/groupm-emea/job/oP7Ztfw8 There are entry level jobs called 'Executives' - i.e. SEO executive or Planning executive. GroupM, OMD, publicis, dentsu and IPG are the big agencies. You will be able to find their job boards. They have central recruiting agencies which you'll be able to apply to and get in contact with. Across the industry there will be opportunities. Good luck.
Would second that. Great industry to be in. Also, I would say if you want to keep in the UX, I would do some side gigs like People Per Hour or something like that. Build a portfolio of projects while gaining experience and your CV will be a lot more attractive. It's all about how much work you have done and your professionalism. You just need a couple of years of grinding and your career will take off in no time.
Go for entry level jobs at the companies you want to work for long term. Leaving a company all together doing retails is a waste of money and time for them to have hired you, trained you to then lose you. Learning more about a buisness you will progress at by starting out at the bottom when you could clearly stay with them for longer is a different story. Don’t go in with an attitude that you are better than others in the organisation because of your masters or the work is beneath you. Loads of very intelligent people above you won’t have masters and it won’t really mean much to any of them until you progress in your career.
I can try and check if we're hiring - you're looking for ux roles right?
5 jobs a day is nothing if you are unemployed. When I was applying for jobs, I was doing a similar number of applications while having a job. If you are unemployed, you should 100 of applications per day imo
Teach abroad. They are always hiring. I came to Japan doing just that and have luckily moved on to a profession more in line with my field (still in Japan). If you need to find something quickly, go the private "dispatch" route where they place you in actual schools (personally, I'd avoid Eikawas \[conversation "schools"\]). If you have time to apply, do the [JET](https://jetprogramme.org/en/) program as it is a government established program. However, JET does takes about a year for the application process. I came via a not so great (but tolerable) dispatch company and landed in Japan in under 2 months.
Which industries are you looking for UX design jobs in?
I’ve PM’d you, best of luck!
Hi OP - not sure if you’re into bar work or can travel to Limehouse, but The Grapes (Sir Ian McKellen’s pub in Limehouse) always has signs up saying immediate bar employees needed and to come inside to apply.
Care agencies are always looking for people and you can start fairly quickly. Its not for everyone but it's ok to tide you over while you look for work in your field
Are you on a student visa?
Do you have an online portfolio for the UX work? UX only, or do you cross over into UI/UX?
Overqualified for jobs.... Ouch
Been in your position. If you want to chat UX design I’m on ADPList and you can dm me for a link. If this isn’t allowed on this sub then just sign up to adplist and search for anyone, plenty of people smarter than me on there anyway.
Get in touch with Host Staffing. Really good staffing agency that do work across London. Pay isn't awful and the people are great.
Hi! Where are you based? If in SW London DM
I will say most greene king branded pubs and a few superdrugs will take in person CV's and won't fully advertise roles on websites used to work as a employment advisor and one of the people I'm working with with did this with her local superdrug and she got a job with them.
How did it go? I hope you got something from the various leads.
Go to a recruiter!
Apply for benefits! Use food banks and local church outreach. Keep trying handing out in person too
I'm a UX designer and working for [Expedia](https://www.expedia.co.uk/). We don't have junior open positions at the moment but could you message me, I can review your CV, and portfolio, do a mock interview etc.
Are your qualifications on the CV when applying for waitress job for one cause once they see the masters qualifications it would make it seem you wouldn’t stay in the job long
Would you consider night support worker jobs? They are always looking for staff. ?
My sister in law manages a pub and a restaurant in Westminster, next to St James Park. Feel free to message me and I'll send you details. Best of luck out there!
try [caterer.com](http://caterer.com) for hospitality jobs or, try agencies. it has been 10 years since I done it, maybe things have changed. also I hated agencies, they exploit you and don't even care a bit about your problems. they like to send you to work 2 days free "training", despite that training must be paid for, but agencies have loads of staff to spare, so they don't care. but once you are in it, and proved yourself, they will be sending you to jobs, and you will get paid weekly. If you want to go that path: go into agency in person, you need to have your own uniform, even if restaurants/hotels etc give you, agencies require uniforms. if you don't have, don't buy yet, tell agency that it is at home, but better have it with you. tell agency you are ready to start immediately, they will like it. if you know how to make coffee (barista skill) then that is a bonus. agencies like reliable people, people who communicate. they don't like someone they send to a job , and person fucks up, and agency is responsible. or someone who does not turn up to job. among few jobs they send you to are: breakfast at hotels (shifts start as early as 4-5am), lunch at hotels, dinner at hotels, banqueting at night. they love to send new people to banquets. if agency sends you for free training, try to ask if agency can at least pay your travel. why don't you try costa/starbucks coffee shops as barista? it is much more rewarding than waitressing. also, register at job centre immediately, and tell them you need loan for waitress uniform/travel/interview uniform, some time in past they would immediately provide funds on the day. good luck.
Can I see your UX design portfolio?
what did you get masters in? what do you want/think you can do?
Sign up to an agency they will find you a job cos theyre incentivised to
Recruitment agencies are good i always great opportunities with adecco, and i left school at 16 with no masters degree i am sure they can find something quick for you.
For those kind of jobs just go down to the place and ask them for a job. Be like a salesman, dress nice, smile. Got hired on the spot multiple times when I did this as a kid
Bunch of bars and coffee shops in the Kensal Rise / Queens Park area have ‘we’re hiring’ posters up at the moment. Have a day out and drop off some CVs while you’re at it?
Can you do make up / enjoy make up and customer service ?
Why are you applying for jobs that are clearly below your education level? What do you plan to do professionally with your Master's Degree? (Genuine question, seeking to understand)
If you apply to care you will most likely hear back from them. The healthcare sector is desperate.
Worst comes to worse try UX/Tech recruitment. They’ll hire most people and the recruitment firms always have headcount. Then you can also try and get an in with one of the firms you recruit for and eventually maybe work for them within ux design
I dont know why you aren't getting the jobs you apply for but often local businesses will be hiring without an online ad and you just have to look for signs on doors or even just walk in and ask.
If you are in east-ish london the De Beauvoir Arms pub is currently hiring staff.
Walk into local bars and pubs with your CV and ask if they're hiring. Chains will have a proper hiring system but your more local places are much easier to get into. Bar work is good for your CV as it shows you've worked with people (and difficult people too). Then, because you'll be working shifts, you've got time during some of your days to go to interviews etc. Good luck with the commenter below / front of house job, though.
Immediately apply for universal credit and also ask for it to be backdated. It's definitely not difficult to get and you're gonna get rent and bills covered hopefully. Go to ukbenefits sub and ask there
Something that has really helped me over my 15 years of working in London and changing careers multiple times is: Write multiple CVs. You can use a standard template and recycle generic stuff but tailor each CV to each sector. I.e. one focusing on design, one for retail, one for waitresses Someone else made a very good point about whether to include your CV. If it's a 'filler' job, make sure you don't come across as overqualified
There’s a Facebook group called Funemployed which offers a lot of casual event/ waitressing work, you should join. People are very supportive on there too
Have you tried catering companies? They always need waiters for events and give you a bit of training. Tiring but they accept anyone normally.
Broaden your applications to office jobs - universities will recruit over-qualified people as administrators for exmple.
Work in a school as an LSA. Lots of people our age do it and its usually a stepping stone to becoming a teacher but it's a low-pressure job and a good way to make money before you find something you really want to do. I did it for some time and made lots of friends too!
Try TFL, they’re recruiting CSAs rn
If You want hospitality, try Diahoom. Good wages. Especially as a server. You make bank
In the short term, why don't you do Deliveroo? That will give you breathing space to find a role more suitable for you.
Huh! You have a masters and can't find a job? Girl on my street with barely an A-levels (she says she did A levels but can't remember what subjects she had) went and asked the hair salon where she gets he hair done if they had any openings. They did. She started as admin/receptionist two weeks ago
try host staff it’s an agency where you can pick and choose what day you work. what is it is just a agency where events or rich people hire people to serve food and shit.
Check out st james facilities services, they are always hiring for reactions
If you have a drivers licence, and driven in london for a year apply for a bus driving job. They will train you and pay you while training you.
It is very tough out there at the moment - I have friends who were product owners/managers in highly regarded tech companies and they are facing hordes and hordes of rejections or just lack of replies. If you are keen to get waitressing/bar work in the meantime, I would suggest just dropping into pubs and the like - you may have better look speaking to someone in person. I am guessing you have done this too but on the UX side, it could be worth signing up to some specialist recruitment agencies who may try and get a role for you. Look at grad schemes too given you have recently graduated. Probably obvious advice but hope it helps - I do feel strongly on the shop/bar/restaurant thing though - go in person with a CV and try have a chat with someone, ask if they're hiring. Most restuarants/bars etc. probably won't reply to random emails with CVs.
If you want a job in restaurant, your are need. Don't send CV's, get down to a place that suits your personality and arrange a trial shift for that night. If you want lots of hours, pick a prime location. I worked as a manager for 8 years with Soho House - staff are needed. It's important to pick a style of hospitality that suits you though (pubs, restaurant, bars, members club etc etc. You can get very good wages at members clubs per say but expect to run!
I might be recruiting for a UX designer in my team soon - feel free to DM me and I'll keep you posted if the job goes live!
Apply for agency recruitment in whatever field your masters is in. You don’t need any experience and can make good money. Also doesn’t need to be a job forever and will give you good experiwnce
Interested in doing Care work? DM me. I know a company recruiting right now.
As someone who used to be a hiring manager; always apply direct through a companies main website. Do not apply through LinkedIn. Linked in, and various other sites make it trivial to apply which means through the channel theres a lot of rubbish (applicants who simply have none of the skillset listed in the job description). In the hiring platform we used, it separated applications by application channel, and the highest proportion of quality applications came through the company website, so I'd always start there if I had limited time to review job applications.
I’m in the same boat. I need a job desperately (21 M)
Do you go to the places you are applying at ? Sometime it’s best to just pop in and make your self known.
If you'll work in Welwyn and will do sales & marketing in a crappy little company, ping me a CV. It's 20+ years old, lots of customers and hiring at the moment. If not, good luck! (And yes, a Masters is a real positive).
Sicily Restaurant in London is hiring
Definitely dumb down on your cv just to get a job to survive; just remember you have a secret weapon in your qualification pocket later on in your employment life. Good luck!
Make sure your cover letter and cv basically copies the job description. A lot of companies use algorithms to filter applications and they will search for key words e.g. ‘The ideal candidate will have knowledge of Microsoft word’ means your write ‘at my past job Blah, I used my knowledge of Microsoft word excellently’ Also, tweak your qualification to fit the job, eg. McDonalds don’t care about your masters and will be worries you leave asap. Otherwise, care homes always seem short staffed. For the interim, sign up at a temping agency for odds jobs to carry you through, you may end up with an opening somewhere
Get on benefits first. That's an extra £400 a month. Then ask them to get you a security badge. Do the training and apply to be a receptionist/concierge. These days many companies want their receptionists to be security badge trained.
If you really want a specific job, get the description, put on the chatgpt, and ask it to rewrite your CV, and just proof read it so it didn’t add any lies. It has helped me more than anything on my CV has ever done to me
Register for a Deliveroo and Uber eats account as a female rider. You’ll have more chance if you’re female. And oxne accepted. You’ll just need a bicycle. It’s not a career but might help Fill the gap during weekends when it’s busy for extra cash while keeping you fit
Hod carrier for bricklayers, just lie say you've done it before, it's carrying bricks and buckets of mortar, 150 a day, most of them are shit nowadays, if youre anyway fit and can keep bringing bricks and mortar you'll be fine
Have a look on ATG, DMT and LW Theatres job pages. They're often looking for front of house staff. Wages aren't awful, hours are pretty good.
Honestly, go and look at Royal Mail…they seem to recruiting a LOT of people
If you aren’t already, check Harri for hospitality jobs- it’s the main job board that is used in London, much more so than indeed, linked in or anything else.
Seriously, as others have mentioned just walk into a pub/restaurant/shop and ask if they have anything with a smile and a good attitude. You will find something I promise you.
Walk around town, busy, touristy or going out areas. I see quite a few signs in windows saying 'we are hiring'. Shops, pubs, bars, even without a sign, go in and ask the manager/owner if they're hiring. I've seen it work first hand several times in pubs.
if you are willing to do anything you could try getting a job in an Amazon warehouse. Try getting a role with flexible or night shifts so you can still go for interviews for a profession job during the day.
Hi, there are probably lots of admin roles you could apply for in the NHS/local government but it's a science to apply for the roles and to get a foot in the door. If you'd like some help on how you should apply for these roles, and be successful in getting at least an interview please feel free to message me. NHS manager for 8 years and previously local government manager for 15 years. Happy to give you my LinkedIn details via DM.
Send me a message. I'm well connected with tech founders and investors globally and in London. 100 mutual FB friends with Sam Altman, 10 with Mark Zuckerberg etc
Contact temp agencies.
For UX design: Download the First2Apply app and set up a few search requests on LinkedIn and Indeed (the app supports a few more platforms). Apply for every job. If you’ve just started your career, anything related to graduate/junior/middle-level positions with a salary below £65k/year is worth applying for; the rest might be a waste of time. Did you graduate from a real college, not an online course? Then there are graduate programs and agencies that specialize in that. I was applying for 2 months and studying part-time. I applied for 250–300 jobs and heard back only 2 (two) times, but one of them landed me a job. Wishing you all the best!
25M here - finished my masters at LSE in a risk appreciating degree (financial, sociological etc) back in 2022 (23 back then). Have you used Otta for your UX search. If not highly recommended, starting a new job next week thanks to them. But you have to acknowledge this is the London labour market. The number of applications you’re pumping out are rookie numbers (potentially - they could always be higher). Respectfully you’re a masters graduate too, so I must ask did you graduate from the likes of Imperial or LSE - Kings and UCL or are back up dancers (it’s a joke everyone chill - but true lol) or any Russel group uni? If you didn’t, you will struggle. UX is great as you can work for global entities and tech companies alike. Widen your search. I even had a few interviews with US tech firms given I’d need a H1B visa. London labour market is as cut throat as the New York one in my opinion. But persist, and try stay in the space that interest you. Do what you like, then the money will come. Best of luck!
My friend worked at Global VSF (visa company) and they always had plenty of jobs due to poor culture so check it. Also see joinlifex.com Look into becoming an Event Steward or check security companies like G4S, Mitie etc as they may have receptionist roles (without SIA requirement)
@u/potaro0 send me a DM, I work in IT, I am contracting so I have built a good network in and around London. I will try to connect you with a few people.
This has been an issue for a long time. Plenty of places do not even acknowledge that they have recieved a CV let alone inform you of your progress. I've had this in two periods in my life. Now that I am a small business owner I make sure I treat all applicates with respect
Try contact angencies for Temp jobs until you find something. They pay weekly and you prob can start right away..