If you're the sort of final year student who'd like nothing better than to turn the clock back three years when you hear each fresh tale of woe from graduate job-seekers, look away now.
Rosie Percy recently blogged on Guardian Careers about her nightmare job search - she's applied for no less than 200 jobs but has been promptly rejected from each one. Even a Tim Westwood-style Pimp My CV makeover hasn't been enough to convince employers that she's the one for them.
Plus, up in Lancashire things aren't looking to rosy for graduate job seekers either. A butcher was left bemused when he received a glut of applications from graduates clamoring for a £6-an-hour assistant role on his market stall. There was bad news for the law, surveying and engineering grads who applied though - Doug Ewen told This is Lancashire: "We don't want to take on a graduate who will be off as soon as another job comes along."
So, if these glum tales sound rather familiar to you, or you're about to graduate and the thought of what comes next leaves you in a cold sweat, we're here to help. We've asked a panel of experts to share advice on everything from crafting the perfect CV to how to use LinkedIn to look for work. Whatever your job-seeking issue, join us on Monday 23 May from 1pm until 4pm.
To keep up-to-date with our regular Q&A sessions, you can now sign-up for our newsletter here.
Our panel:
Clare Whitmell is a qualified business communication trainer who specialises in writing and presentation skills coaching. She also blogs CV writing and job hunting tips on JobMarketSuccess.com.
Elizabeth Bacchus is a career coach, change management consultant and founder of The Successful CV Company - a CV and cover letters provider.
Dr Fiona Robson is a senior lecturer in Human Resources Management at Newcastle Business School, Northumbria University. Prior to her academic career, Fiona was the HR manager for a public sector organisation.
Jonathan Black is the director of the Careers Service at University of Oxford.
Marc Fels is a director at video recruitment specialist Meet The Real Me. Marc has worked in the recruitment industry for more than ten years.
David Shindler is the author of Learning to Leap, A Guide to Being More Employable and a careers consultant who runs Dash Coaching, a business helping people to be more employable.
Laura Hooke currently combines working for the careers service of City University London with freelance career consultancy. Her experience in guidance covers more than 20 years and includes working with university students and graduates, school and college students and career changers.
Carole Ann Rice is a life coach and career coach at The Real Coaching Co and co-author (along with Sarah Wade) of Find Your Dream Job.
Candice Brewer is a leadership and personal development coach who runs About Time Coaching. Candice works with and mentors graduates - helping many secure work through succeeding at assessment centres.
Steve Thompson is senior careers adviser at Aston University Careers and Employability Centre. Steve is link careers adviser for undergraduates in Aston Business School and the School of Languages and Social Sciences.
David Lurie is the managing director of Setsights - a career coaching, skills training and graduate development consultancy
