Can't find work one year after graduating, considering masters!

Pictures Of Lilly

I graduated last year with a 2:2 in microbiology from UCC. I've been trying to secure a job now since well before I graduated. I've been keeping track of things, and I've now applied for about 198 course related jobs online... since June of 2016. I've applied through the likes of gradireland, monster jobs.ie, irishjobs.ie. Of course I've also applied for quite a few other lab jobs in different ways too.

The masters is Bioprocessing Technology - https://www.itsligo.ie/courses/msc-bioprocessing-science-fulltime/ Has anyone else applied for this masters? The contents seem good, but I don't know it it'd be much of a year in Sligo? This seems my only masters option at the moment.

A regards the job search, since I've little lab experience outside college, I rarely apply for jobs that require more than "12 months experience". You don't really get many positions advertised, that effectively say that no experience is needed, so even when it's 6 months experience that's needed, I'm still being told that I don't have the experience. But on the other hand, on the rare few occasions I've applied for 'lab assistant' positions, I'm basically being told that I'm over qualified. It seems there's no way of getting my foot in the door without a masters!

I have recently managed to find work experience in one animal testing laboratory, where I'm working my ass off three days a week for free, while holding down a job in Dunnes! It's a pity that this experience didn't come earlier in the year, and I'd get to know what value it holds. As well as this work experience, I also have covered a month's lab work as part of a placement with the EPA. So in my cover letter, I always try and stress the two of these... the combined time of which fall far short of 6 months, but it's enough to make it worth a try!

However, in the animal laboratory, I'm not being given a lot of responsibility, and funnily it was mainly the previous (outgoing) work experience students that actually trained me up on the tasks I'm doing! After much patient and carefully chosen questions, I've finally been given the straight answer from senior staff, that I won't be getting to carry out ELISA and PCR because they're "accredited". I fear experience only counts if you're getting paid! At that place, I don't know if I'm really any different to a TY student!

Martina1991

Pictures Of Lilly wrote: »

The masters is Bioprocessing Technology - https://www.itsligo.ie/courses/msc-bioprocessing-science-fulltime/ Has anyone else applied for this masters? The contents seem good, but I don't know it it'd be much of a year in Sligo? This seems my only masters option at the moment.

on the other hand, on the rare few occasions I've applied for 'lab assistant' positions, I'm basically being told that I'm over qualified. It seems there's no way of getting my foot in the door without a masters!

I'm sure that masters in Sligo would be quite useful in the Pharmaceutical industry. But why is it the only option?

Other colleges offer Biotechnology masters which I assume would be just as useful.

It seems everyone these days is doing a master to get the edge on other applicants.

Sometimes approaching people face to face gets better results than applying online.

Try contacting lab managers directly via email. They may remember you when hiring new staff.