In a survey of more than 2,000 16-24 year olds who are seeking work, 42% stated poor interview technique let them down. A quarter (23%) said they struggled to identify how skills learnt in school activities such as Duke of Edinburgh's Award and voluntary or part-time work could be transferred to the workplace.
The report found this lack of confidence is worsened by many employers failing to provide interview feedback to applicants, with more than a third (35%) of respondents saying this was the most disheartening part of their job search.
Besides wanting to improve their interview technique, many 16-24 year olds said they would also like help with the basics of a job search, such as writing a cover letter and CV, the report found.
The report revealed in spite of a number of large employers using psychometric tests, just 9% of young jobseekers felt they would benefit from advice on how to prepare for these, suggesting that they are unaware of how some employers use these tests as a first stage 'filtering' process.
Of those surveyed over a third (37%) have spent more than six months looking for a job, while a fifth have been actively looking for more than a year. In the last month, 93% had applied for at least one job with 32% applying for more than 20.
Paul Halliwell, managing director of Fish4jobs, said: "Many young jobseekers are falling at the first hurdle and lacking the confidence they need to sell themselves to a prospective employer.
"They are facing a very competitive job market and often find themselves up against candidates with more experience of the application process and greater confidence in presenting themselves.
"With youth unemployment standing at just under a million, younger job seekers could arguably be said to be the hardest hit by the recession."
