While many of his peers are sleeping in or devouring fancy cafe breakfasts, Nick Jones, 23, spends Saturday morning scouring newspapers for jobs and handing in resumes.
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The 23-year-old lives with his mother in Hawthorn and has been on the hunt for work for about 10 months. During that time he estimates he has applied for between 300 and 400 jobs.
He is not fussy and says he wants to do "anything to do with customer service".
"I've applied for jobs in cafes, washing dishes, any bar staff work. The problem with having so many people looking for work and so many people who may not have as much experience is that employers can pick and choose from hundreds of applicants."
He says the most demoralising thing about applying for jobs is not getting any response - not even an email saying he has been unsuccessful.
Before he was unemployed Nick worked in a call centre, but he lost his job. Before that he studied public relations at TAFE but was unable to finish his course due to depression and anxiety.
He is taking part in a Jesuit Social Services training and employment program called Ignite, which involves working in a cafe at Camberwell library. He is learning food preparation skills, customer service and restaurant management and says he will "become a fully trained cafe allrounder" once he has finished the program. He hopes these skills strengthen his resume and help him find work.
"It has given me a great sense of self-worth and motivation. I am not employed to work at the cafe, my money comes in the form of a Newstart payment from Centrelink which equates to $6 an hour. But the great thing that comes from this is the training."
He would like to return to study one day but says the most important thing at the moment is finding a job and gaining financial independence.
"I've been very fortunate that I have been able to find a way into this program. There are thousands of young people in worse situations and I am very fortunate."
