A new dress for our summer graduation ceremony; a spot of sun, sand, and sea to celebrate; a 2-week work placement with Penguin before finding and jumping into a job.
Of course, 2020 had other plans. University is one of the hardest things I’ve ever put myself through academically, financially, and mentally, yet my final year was far beyond my expectations. Graduating in the time of coronavirus meant swapping the graduation gown with a dressing gown as I wrapped up nearly 19 years of education on a random Saturday afternoon in my bedroom. This isn’t exactly how I and thousands of other graduates intended to end our degree: I guess the celebrating will have to wait until things are a little less dystopian.
But, what’s next? Well, a global pandemic has only rendered job hunting more difficult. Some of us were lucky enough to secure a graduate job before the pandemic flared up. Meanwhile, others sit in perpetual wait not knowing when an opportunity will come their way. Work experience schemes have been cancelled or postponed. Internships are in high demand. The only other option at this point is to bag a job that requires no qualifications, but even that position remains uncertain with lockdown measures potentially changing at the drop of a hat.
While I know I want to work in publishing, I couldn’t help but feel despondent when I saw a tweet float around Twitter that an entry-level editorial job received over 1000 applicants. With news such as this, it’s easy to feel bewildered and disheartened about the graduate job-search. I’m sure I’m not alone in swinging from feeling optimistic about the beginnings of my career to feeling uninspired and that job-hunting may be an exercise in futility. So, what can we do?
Stay Present
When job hunting wears me down, my mind spirals into panic and peddles forward to the future. That being so, I’m trying to focus on the present; falling into the anxiety pit isn’t going to help matters. Some activities that help me stay present include:
Meditate: courses on Headspace dedicated to sleep health and managing anxiety have worked wonders.
Listen to podcasts: ‘Unlocking Us with Brené Brown’ and ‘The Lavendaire Lifestyle’ are just two podcasts on personal development that tackle managing anxiety and sparking your creativity in times of uncertainty.
If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude.
– Maya Angelou
Exercise: I began Heather Robinson’s 12-Week Workout Guide a couple of months ago and it’s now become a staple part of my morning routine. I finish by incorporating some yoga stretches before a hearty breakfast.
Journal: I end my days by writing down my thoughts; be it a couple of lines or a couple of pages, whatever I need to offload before unwinding for the evening. My bullet journal is from Papier: get £10 off your first Papier order here!
Upskilling
To thrive in this time, as a graduate, it comes down to adopting a new and creative approach to lockdown. We can start by boosting our skillset:
Career-boosting courses: research what skills you need to transform yourself into the ideal candidate and take some online courses. LinkedIn Learning, FutureLearn, and Google Digital Garage are just a few websites that offer excellent remote courses.
Work on your CV: having applied for so many jobs, my CV has been tweaked more times than I can count. However, by honing my CV, I’ll be best prepared for when the job market opens up again.
A lack of structure is strange, but I try to remind myself: what’s the rush? For now, I’m maintaining my blog, signing up to webinars, talking to people in the same position as me, and most of all, embracing the downtime. It’s important to remember now more than ever that life isn’t a race.
The most important thing we can do right now is to just be gentle with ourselves. We don’t always need to be productive. Instead, it’s just as important to listen to our bodies and do what we can to stay happy and healthy. Graduating in the time of coronavirus may not be anyone anticipated, but we’re all in the same boat. We’ve all just been thrown into the deep end a little sooner than we expected.
“We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.”
― Oscar Wilde

Are you graduating during the coronavirus pandemic?
Also read: Little Things 25
Congrats on graduating!! It sucks that this virus has pretty much stopped almost everything. But I’m glad ykyee looking forward!!
Lyndsay | http://pandas-space.blogspot.com
Thank you so much!
It is such a strange time at the moment I know it must be really difficult for everyone. That’s great though that you did graduate and you have uni behind you. I hope all goes well and things start getting better! X
Thank you so much x
Huge congrats on graduating, even if the celebration circumstances are far from what you’d imagined! (hopefully you’ll be able to have a proper celebration in the near future). The struggle for jobs is so real isn’t it. I graduated last Summer, did a few different jobs here and there but still haven’t found a full time career. Now with the virus it’s seeming like I’ll never find one! But it’s important to try and stay positive and build up our skills! I’ve been teaching myself a few different Adobe Suite programs in the hopes that I’ll be more qualified when the jobs DO come up! x
https://www.femaleoriginal.com
Thank you so much! Ah I’m so sorry to hear that, but exactly! I do have days (or weeks) where my motivation hits an all-time low, but I’m trying to build up my skills as much as possible for when the job market opens up again! Good luck with your job hunt x
Congrats again on graduating!! I continue to sincerely wish you the very best in your job hunt; working in publishing used to be a dream of mine as well, and it can be overwhelming enough without everything going on in the world right now. However, you’re talented, and you’ll certainly be a valuable asset to whatever company you end up at, and I hope you have an expedited process in that regard :’) xxx
Ah thank you so much, Macey, you’re too sweet ? It can feel so overwhelming at times, but I’m trying to keep positive! xx
Congratulations on graduating Evie, you should be so proud of yourself! It’s just such a shame that you and so many other students can’t celebrate properly x
Lucy | http://www.lucymary.co.uk
Thank you so much, Lucy! x
Great post! As if this year wasn’t weird enough as it is. I’m sorry you didn’t get to celebrate as you should have done. Maybe somewhere down the line you can have a proper celebration of your achievements of graduating. These are great tips – there’s so many people in a similar situation x
Thank you, Jenny! I think a graduation ceremony is in the works for 2021, so fingers crossed! x
This is exactly what I needed to read today! I handed my dissertation in late last night and now am officially no longer a Masters student. I’m 22 (and a half) and I’ve never not been in education before, so it is the strangest, emptiest feeling this morning. Truly the end of an era, and not at all the one I anticipated when I applied last year having just finished my other degree. So weird, but at least we are all in it together this year! For now I am trudging along with a receptionist job that requires no qualifications but hopefully things will be looking up for us all soon. 2020 will end eventually!
Ah congrats again on handing in your dissertation! Same here, I’ve felt lost for a good 3 months now and I’m not sure what to do next. But exactly! At the moment, a job is a job, hopefully 2021 will make it up to us! x
Congrats on graduating! That’s such an achievement and you should be so proud of yourself. I have a year left of uni before I graduate and the panic is beginning to set in. The things you’ve shared in this post are super useful, and I’m I’ll need them this time next year!
Jemima x
anotherrantingreader.co.uk
Thank you so much! Hopefully 2021 is kinder to us! x
Congratulations! I completed my MA and ‘graduated’ in July. Strange, isn’t it? I hope your job search yields results soon! X
Thank you! Congrats on completing your MA! x
Congratulations on graduating, even from your own bedroom that’s a huge achievement! And best wishes with the job hunting, I know how draining it can be. My heart sinks when I see over 100 applicants, let alone 1000. I hope you find something soon 🙂
Anika | chaptersofmay.com
Thank you! It’s so difficult, but fingers crossed something stumbles my way soon! x
omg I so relate to having to stop to ask myself, “What’s the rush?” I feel like my anxiety about time has intensified during q*arantine even though this is probably the most time I’m going to have in my life for awhile. -Audrey | Brunch at Audrey’s
I feel your pain and disappointment, I also graduated during the pandemic and I’m so upset our ceremony has been pushed back. All I wanted was to celebrate with my friends and wear a nice dress. Its a hard time and looking for work is super difficult too. But these are great tips and great advice, we’ve got this and hopefully it’ll all work out!
Lucy | Forever September
It’s such a shame right? Job hunting feels so futile right now. But you’re right, it’s always reassuring to know that so many others are in the same position! Best of luck girl x
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