To carry on with our Stemettes SOS series, we reached out to our Stemettes to ask them to share their STEM & STEAM dilemmas with us, so we could ask our wonderful role models to answer. Here’s our next dilemma:
“I am job hunting in Europe and the UK, but I will need a sponsored visa to stay in the country. I need help and tips for a job searching strategy. I haven’t had any interviews for the applications I sent out over a 2-month period. I am very stressed out about finding a new job, setting myself up and helping support my parents financially as the eldest child with the previously most stable job.
I feel like there is a lot of content online about using AI, overcoming ATS, utilising LinkedIn and getting internal referrals – that all becomes a bit overwhelming and disheartening if you don’t see any results. I would appreciate any support in networking or securing internal referrals for a new job.”
Here’s what our role models said…
- I just want to start by saying – I see you. I’m genuinely in a very similar situation, so everything I’m sharing here comes from lived experience.
First, make sure your CV is tailored to each job description. Not a complete rewrite every time, but pick up the language they use and reflect it back. Don’t be afraid to also say what you’re hoping to gain from the role. It shows you’ve thought seriously about it, not just that you need a job, and that lands differently with hiring managers. Now, on sponsorship – this is where being strategic really matters. Not every job board is worth your energy. The ones most likely to offer sponsorship given your background are jobs.ac.uk, NHS Jobs at jobs.nhs.uk, and Civil Service Jobs at civilservicejobs.service.gov.uk.
And honestly, on the emotional side – being the eldest, the one everyone is counting on, while dealing with visa stress and a job search that isn’t moving fast enough… that’s a lot. It really is. It’s okay to have bad days. Just don’t let them become bad weeks. – Ruth
- First, I want to say you are not alone in this. What you’re experiencing is incredibly common, especially when navigating visa constraints alongside a career pivot. It’s a lot to carry, so the fact that you’re still being intentional with your applications already says a lot about your resilience. When applying, anchor your experience in the problems you solved, the populations you impacted, the decisions you influenced, and the outcomes you can point to. You’re right to prioritise quality over volume, and it is also worth expanding your search geographically. Many organisations you’re already targeting will have offices or branches in other cities or countries that aren’t always prominently advertised. Marking yourself as open to relocation on your LinkedIn and CV immediately widens the pool of opportunities available to you, and given that a number of these roles are now offered on a hybrid or remote basis, you may find more flexibility than you’d expect.Also, don’t rely only on applications; reach out directly to recruiters or hiring managers on LinkedIn or via email and consider reaching out to people who already work at organisations you’re targeting for a chat about their experience. Lastly, try to create some structure so the process feels less overwhelming. Set days for applications, set days for outreach and networking, and protect time to rest without guilt. Consistency will carry you further than trying to do everything at once. – Jessica
- You are not alone; it is a very tough time for those seeking work, including UK citizens and graduates, and unemployment rates have been rising. Here’s a few tips from an ex- technology recruiter. For making applications, I would say to be consistent. All CVs, applications and covering letters should be tailored to each role, and apply to companies you admire, whether they have advertised a vacancy or not! Then, consider the return on Investment for the employers; It costs extra time, effort and money to hire a non-UK citizen, so think about how you can convince a new employer that it will be worth their while to hire you. Analyse your past wins, achievements and successes to get ideas for how you might justify this to a prospective employer. Last but not least, use companies designed to help you like https://www.ascendia.org.uk/, which is a start up run by one of my mentees – an African migrant who has been successful in securing quality work in the UK, and is now helping others to achieve the same. Good luck!
- Leverage your connections – old colleagues, people you once met at a conference and added on LinkedIn, and former classmates. They’re all great places to consider starting to network! Furthermore, the UK government maintains a list of sponsors for skilled worker visas, and whilst it doesn’t guarantee that the organisation will offer a visa for that current role, it at least may help you focus efforts on those who are already in a position to be able to offer. Start to feel comfortable reaching out to organisations that have jobs posted that you’re interested in and asking for sponsorship for the role. That way, you save your time working on applications that go nowhere. Morale-wise, it’s much harder to create a solution from afar, but finding a way to separate the rejection from your sense of self (easier said than done) is ultimately the only way to get through this. Have a way to recognise the loss of the opportunity and then let it go. It might be a small treat, screaming into a pillow, dancing to a favourite song, cursing wildly for 30 seconds, or any number of things that help you draw that line and redirect. Best of luck – it is tough at the moment. – Bethan
