Oxford university students speak on 'frustrating' job market

It is certainly no secret that the current job market graduates face as they leave university is one of the toughest in years as fewer spots are available for roles.

This leaves many graduates concerned about the probability of obtaining a job, never mind in an area which they love.

In response to an online call-out by The Guardian, Emma, a recent first-class graduate from The University of Oxford said she has been sending out five applications each week but to no avail.

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In total she has only received four interviews and a minimum wage internship opportunity.

Emma described this feeling “like throwing myself at a wall”.

The job market is increasingly becoming more frustrating every year.

“My parents idea of ‘if you work hard, you’ll get what you want’ doesn’t really work anymore. The older generations’ expectation that if you’ve got a ‘good degree and good skills you’ll be fine’ is no longer tenable," Emma said.

However, she is certainly not the only student who feels like this.

She was just one of dozens who replied to The Guardian’s call-out to speak to students, who detailed their experiences similarly saying that job hunts have become “soul destroying” and many applicants have been “ghosted” after completing online assessments and in turn the companies have taken months to respond.

Furthermore, the lack of graduate schemes also adds to this issue, as the majority of students who leave university usually opt for a scheme as it automatically implements a strict structure into their day-to-day lives just like at university.

Securing a job is not easy for many students (Image: Pexels) The bonus of these schemes is that they act as a mentorship, letting graduates get a foot in the door, often with the promise of a position at the end.

However, in April of this year an article was written by The Times stating that “the reality is that the prospects for graduates are increasingly bleak. Advertised graduate roles were down by a third in September compared with the previous year, and pay is at historically poor levels".

Another aspect which has influenced the current job market is the influence of the pandemic.

Lots of larger companies have decided to scale down as working from home has become normalised.

Some companies have cut back costs by completely ditching their offices, meaning that it is incredibly difficult for students to find work experience or internship opportunities as there is no hands-on experience available, only remote.

Students from Oxford University and Oxford Brookes queued for accommodation in 2023 (Image: SWNS) As we head further into the unknown world of artificial intelligence (AI), the impact on the job market has been said to cause significant changes in the last decade.

According to a report by McKinsey, a management consulting company based in Chicago, AI could apparently lead to around 12m occupational transitions by 2030.

This would be a similar pace to the job shifts seen during the Covid pandemic.

This evidence opens wider questions about the future of artificial intelligence, as well as adding another layer of uncertainty amongst students that AI bots could soon be taking over their potential roles.