For Parents: How to Actually Help Your Graduate (Without Taking Over)
You can see they're struggling.
They're sending out applications. They say they're "working on it." But weeks turn into months, and the interviews aren't coming.
You want to help. But you don't know how.
The Reality They're Living
You may be seeing clear signs of strain, or you may simply sense uncertainty beneath the surface. Research supports both experiences. Studies from the Office for National Statistics and the Institute for Employment Studies show that early-career job searching can increase anxiety and self-doubt for some graduates, particularly when progress is slow and feedback is limited. At the same time, the same research shows that graduates who receive structured guidance early, even when they appear confident, make stronger applications, navigate the market more strategically, and transition into suitable roles more quickly. Support isn't only about fixing problems; it's also about building clarity, confidence, and momentum from a stronger starting point.
Your graduate is navigating a market where 45% of job seekers now use AI to enhance their CVs, where everyone sounds professionally written, and where standing out requires more than just good qualifications.
They're dealing with comparison anxiety, financial pressure, and the genuine fear that they've somehow already fallen behind.
What Not to Do
Avoid trying to rewrite their CV for them, not because your experience isn't valuable, but because the way applications are processed today is very different from when you last applied. In the UK, around 70% of larger employers now use Applicant Tracking Systems to screen CVs before a human ever sees them, and these systems prioritise specific formatting, keywords and structure rather than the narrative a parent might value most. Well-intentioned edits that sound polished can still miss the markers these systems look for, meaning a good graduate could be filtered out before a recruiter ever reads their CV.
Don't suggest they "just call employers directly." Recruiters spend an average of 7.4 seconds on initial CV screening. If the CV doesn't pass that test, a phone call won't help.
What many parents don't always see is how demanding the process has become. Encouragement like "just keep trying" comes from a good place, but it can miss the reality that many graduates are already applying consistently. UK employers now receive around 140 applications for each graduate vacancy, and it commonly takes five to six months for graduates to secure their first professional role. What shifts outcomes is not effort alone, but strategy. Research from the Institute for Employment Studies and the International Coaching Federation shows that candidates who receive structured career coaching submit more targeted applications, reach interview stage sooner, and move into roles faster than those navigating the process alone.
What Actually Helps
Validate the difficulty. Acknowledge that this market is genuinely tough. Generic CVs get rejected regardless of qualifications, it's not about effort, it's about strategy.
Ask what specific support would help. Do they need:
Time and space to focus on applications without financial stress?
Professional guidance to identify what's not working?
Someone to practice interviews with?
Help researching companies or roles?
Consider investing in expert guidance. Not a CV template service. Not AI tools. Bespoke one-to-one coaching with someone who:
Understands the current UK graduate market
Can uncover strengths your graduate hasn't recognized
Builds confidence alongside competence
Creates language that works for both ATS systems and human recruiters
Quality over quantity wins in applications, invitations to interview go to candidates who have tailored their documents and done their research.
The Conversation to Have
Not: "Have you applied for jobs today?"
Instead: "I can see this is really hard. What would actually help you right now?"
Not: "Let me look at your CV."
Instead: "Would it help if we found someone who really understands today's market to work with you on this?"
Why Bespoke Professional Coaching Makes Sense
From a parent's perspective, the hardest part is knowing how to be useful. The graduate job market offers very little guidance: rejections are rarely explained, silence is common, and expectations are often unclear. Bespoke professional coaching provides the kind of support the application process itself doesn’t, clear insight into what employers are actually looking for, an objective view of how your graduate is coming across on paper, and a structured way to improve results. Instead of second-guessing or endlessly applying, graduates learn how to target the right roles, communicate their value clearly, and approach applications with confidence and direction.
Your graduate may have already used their university's career service or tried online resources. These are valuable starting points. But if months have passed without results, it often means the support they've received so far has been too general for the specific challenges they're facing.
Bespoke one-to-one coaching provides something fundamentally different: a personalised approach that identifies exactly what's holding them back and builds a strategy around their individual strengths, target roles, and the specific obstacles in their applications.
Premium coaching offers:
Expertise in what's changed in graduate recruitment
Objective perspective on their genuine strengths
Strategic approach to standing out in a saturated market
Confidence that carries into interviews and beyond
This isn't about you doing the work for them. It's about giving them access to bespoke expertise that levels the playing field in a market where nearly half their competition is using AI and where thousands compete for dozens of roles.
What one graduate experienced:
"When I first started working with Nick, I genuinely had no idea what direction I wanted to take my career in. He took the time to listen and ask meaningful questions about my interests and experiences. Through these conversations, he helped me uncover a career path that not only suited my strengths, but also excited me.
What I appreciated most was how he helped me develop my confidence, not just in my CV, but also in how I spoke about myself in interviews. He doesn't just give you the answers, he teaches you a different way of speaking, and he does it so naturally that you almost don't even notice the development you make until you are sat in front of an interviewer.
The skills I have learnt from Nick have not only helped me in the application process, but also in the working environment, and they are skills I am sure I will carry with me for life. With his help I was able to land a role I really wanted from my first ever interview."
JJ | Age 23 | Master's Student
The Investment That Matters
You may already be supporting them in various ways. Consider this: one missed opportunity could delay their career by 6-12 months. The right guidance now could be the difference between months more of stress and clarity that leads to movement.
This is a significant investment in your graduate's future. Bespoke professional coaching isn't about quick fixes. It's about uncovering what's been overlooked, building language that lands, and creating confidence that carries through their entire career.
When they secure the right role, not just any role, but one that fits who they are, the stress lessens for everyone.
Helping doesn't mean taking over. It means knowing when the right expertise can make the process clearer, calmer, and more effective for everyone involved.
If you're ready to help them move forward with someone who understands both the market and what they're facing, let's talk.
Get in touch with Nick:
We will discuss your graduate's specific situation, what's been holding them back, and whether bespoke coaching is the right fit. No pressure, no hard sell, just an honest conversation about the clearest path forward. Because this is truly bespoke work, I work with a limited number of families each month. If you're reading this and recognising your situation, now is the time to reach out.
P.S. The difference between a graduate who's been searching for 4 months versus 10 months isn't just time—it's confidence. Every passing month makes rejection feel more personal, makes comparison more painful, and makes the whole process harder psychologically. The graduates who move forward fastest aren't the ones who've been trying longest. They're the ones who got the right support at the right time. Early intervention doesn't just save months—it protects their belief in themselves.