Hi guys,

Firstly, to anyone reading this, if you have recently moved away to university from home then good for you. For some, it takes a lot of strength to start fresh and move away from everything you know and love or hate if you are looking for a change. When I moved, it was a way to meet new people and maybe start the beginning of a new chapter in my life, yet on the other hand, I was also leaving behind a few good things such as family, my boyfriend and of course my part-time job.

I loved my part-time job. Loved the staff and the work in all aspects. I worked in a library every Saturday with kids and elderly people, which were all the sweetest. But university in Bournemouth was something that I decided to be my next choice in education and career-wise full time, which meant I had to leave behind my job, update the old CV and move on.

I started applying to jobs even before I moved into my university housing on my campus, just a week before so they have enough time to get back to me. Then I applied in September for the whole month, Then October and so on till the middle of December.

I got nothing back.

I was positive that at this point I have applied to about 100 different jobs, Retail, Customer Service, Office, Warehouse even! You name a business in Bournemouth Square and I have probably applied to work there. As a student the loan you receive is not much most of the time, so I was really desperate, but I was still left with no employment. But none the less I needed to keep applying.

From such experience I gathered two main things, the first being the number of negative feelings that arise with constant rejection. By the time of the end of October, I was so sick of rejection that I was on the phone to my boyfriend saying I wanted to go home and quit university. Not because I was failing, finding it difficult or had no friends, simply due to the constant rejections of employers who were specifically looking for students, yet when given they rejected them. This also started to make me think if there is something wrong with me? am I not good enough for a simple student job that requires the bare minimum? Such self-doubt made me feel even worse on top of the already occurring stresses of being a university fresher and was not good for my mental health.

Advice for such feelings coming from constant rejections from employers from me would be to take it lightly as I wish I did. I know this is also easy said than done but once you think about the way employers look at you and your application you will understand more why you should not be upset over such rejections. They take your CV and if they see one thing they may not like they won’t take you and that’s it! Sometimes they might find the person they are looking for and not even get to your CV, It is honestly nothing personal and none of you should think about it to the point that I did. Do not let something that is a small area of your life take over, focus on your study, I know money is important, but you should always and always put your mental health first. If any further help is needed then talk to family, friends or even facilities offered by the university or institution you are studying at, but don’t sweat it alone.

Another thing is you have to think about, as mentioned earlier, think about the employers. They also have a set criteria for the person they are looking for and in that instant, it might just not be you. I know when you get rejected they seem like the worse people in the world but think, it might just not have been meant to be.

So, the main pieces of advice here are:

1. put your mental health first. Don’t let a part-time job as a student take over your life.
2. Get used to rejection. It will happen a lot so take it as something to learn from.
3. There is always another way. It being help from friends or family financially for a bit or even getting funds from your university.

For me, in the end, it all worked out somewhat positively. I now have a summer job and will be saving all that money for my new flat for year two of university with my best friend. Try your best but if it does not work out there’s always help and alternatives like I took advantage of. Don’t risk your own sanity over a job for some extra cash, stay healthy.

Love, Kasia x