This post is taken from Face Youth Lab, Youth Lab is the place for marketers and researchers to keep up to date with youth movements and trends. To see more please visit www.faceyouthlab.com.

To coincide with the release of our Tech Tribe report we got in touch with some of our Headboxers to give us an insight in to their lives during the recession. The first topic we approached them about was job hunting during the recession, has it been as bad as everyone makes it out to be? Or is it still a fruitful market for the young professional?

Here is what the Headboxers had to say:

“A few months ago i was trying to ignore the recession, i thought that it was still in firms best interests to hire graduates because in a year or two things hopefully will be looking a bit better and i didnt think firms would want to miss out on a round of graduates. I was wrong, 45% of firms that hired graduates last year are not hiring this year.

I had a job interview at a huge PR company, “£$&%*%”. The assessment day was not great, i left feeling pretty rubbish because i thought i had screwed it up, a bit nervous and didn’t sell my skills as best as i should have but i had got out of a microeconomics exam so i had at least had the experience AND got out of an exam but to my surprise i got a call back for a second interview. Now i got my hopes up, the second interview went brilliantly and i was excited. They seemed to really like me and were interested in everything i had to say.

A week passes and i get a phone call. Its “£$&%*%”, i didn’t get the job, they really liked me and thought i was really enthusiastic about the job and they usually hire 2 graduates each year but economic conditions blah blah, can only hire 1, the other person had more experience but thanks for applying.

Gutted. “

Recent Graduate, 21.

“I have taken a year out this year before i start University in September. I had hoped to get a job but no… I have handed out tons of CV and application forms and have not even had 1 interview. At least i have a definite place for Uni so that is sorted. Hopefully i will be able to get a part time job when i start but i am not holding out much hope for that

When i decided to take a gap year before Uni, the recession wasn’t even on the horizon so i thought i would just walk into a job… i wasn’t really bothered where i got a job so it would be easy”

Soon To Be Student, 18

Part 2 coming soon…