Law graduate couldn’t get a barrister or a barista job

Law graduate James Harrison left university with high hopes of landing a role in the sector he trained for.

But reality soon sank in, as James’s inbox became littered with no’s from legal roles to coffee shop work.

In November seven million people watched James’s video on Instagram detailing his rejection from a role as a barista.

“Nine out of 10 people I know didn’t enter a role within nine months of graduating,” James explained.

During his struggle to find a job, James started posting online with advice and tips about life after university.

“It went a bit crazy,” James laughed.

James thought the viral video was slightly controversial and it received a mixed reaction.

“A lot of people said I shouldn’t feel entitled to get a job just because I have a degree whilst a lot of other people are said they were in the same position,” James said.

The 22-year-old started his law degree at The University of Lincoln in 2020 and graduated in 2023.

“It was extremely hard, I took a year out to focus on applications,” he said.

Applying for roles became a daily routine; from applications, tests and video interviews, he became immersed in finding a job.

But he was getting turned down for everything.

James believes the sparkle of degrees has faded a little and they are now “overly saturated”.

“Thousands of people are leaving university with great experience and amazing grades.

“There are not enough jobs to go round for everyone.”

“I’d gone through three years of a law degree and got experience at law firms,” he added.

Data from the ONS shows the number of graduates aged 21-30 in highly skilled jobs has fallen from 61.7% in 2022 to 60.4% in 2023.

Stephen Isherwood, joint-CEO at the Institute of Student Employers, said it had always been a challenge to land a graduate job.

Mr Isherwood said many students experienced a “wake-up call” when leaving university as course places often did not correlate to the amount of industry positions.

“The number of applications students are making means there’s a lot more competition for jobs,” Mr Isherwood explained.

“Most employers do not limit who can apply, which means more students can apply for jobs, which means more students will be rejected,” he added.

After a 15-month job search James secured a role as a paralegal at a law firm in Hull.

He still posts on social media, in the hope of helping people who are in his position and feel “lost”.

“Social media paints this picture with law where you go to university and you come out with a training contract,” he said.

He advises graduates struggling to find roles to “not take rejection personally”.

“Take it in your stride.”

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