by ILoveChristmas » Wed Mar 30, 2011 3:07 pm
The marketing industry is no different to any other - you need experience to get experience. A lot of graduates leaving university have done 'sandwich' years, meaning they had a job in the relevant industry during years 2 and 3 of their degrees.
If you have 2 graduates applying for a position and one has that year's work experience they're instantly more attractive. I suspect similar situations are arising with the jobs that your son is applying for.
There are a couple of things i'd do. First and foremost i'd make sure he's getting proper feedback from any interviews he has gone for. That would hopefully lead to him improving his interview technique (which is critical, and ideally should be tested by you or someone else and critiqued) and finding out where his CV falls short.
You don't mention what other employment your son currently has if any, but the next thing i'd do is find out if there are any summer, or even better full time, placements available at any local firms. He may have to accept that these will either be very low paid or not paid at all, but it will give him the crucial experience he lacks.
Working somewhere to gain experience in that way shouldn't over qualify him for a graduate position. In fact in my industry (software), the term 'graduate position' is used more to describe the level of responsibility and pay grade of the job than it is anything to do with us actually seeking out a graduate. You should bear that in mind. There is no guarantee that your son is interviewing against fresh graduates, which makes my points above all the more critical.
Lastly, remind you son that universities regularly post jobs on their notice boards and intranet systems from employers who don't go anywhere near the usual recruitment channels. He would be wise to take a walk round the various noticeboards in his university and see what's on offer. There isn't a moment to lose though. A lot of graduate positions are actually filled well in advance of the end of term.
Christmas to a child is the first terrible proof that to travel hopefully is better than to arrive. - Stephen Fry.
The reason we struggle with insecurity is because we compare our behind-the-scenes with everyone else’s highlight reel. — Steve Furtick