Work is work - or why job application forms and CVs are bullsh!t

[smithy]

This is really, really starting to get me down.

Have you considered applying for jobs outside of your field?  For example in a call centre, doing data entry, or maybe in a shop or a bar?

It might not be what you want, but:

a. it'd only be temporary while you find something in your field
b. the experience will look good on your CV & applications
c. it'll provide a bit of a confidence boost in the world of work and will help you with future applications
d. it's easier to find work when in work
e. it'll provide you with some cash

[smithy]

There's no way I would work in a call centre or shop/bar. That's not that I disrespect people who do, but they're like teaching - jobs that clash with me so much that I'd rather starve even than think about them. Talk to people constantly? Not for me.

What about a job in data entry, say?  You don't have to talk to anyone, the money's reasonable and it's very easy.

I agree with all these apart from b. The experience will make me look less like a total layabout, but it's not relevant to my field and will hardly make me look great compared to other graduates.

I don't think it would.  There is a small danger of appearing to de-skill yourself in front of an employer yuo want to work for if you take a job in an another area, but this'll only happen if you play it wrong on your applications.  Rather than just listing the (say) data-entry job on CV, you can also mention on your covering letter that you are particularly enthusiastic to become involved in and make it clear that you don't consider your current job's field as a long term thing, although don't say that - say you're keen to apply to the skills you learned at uni.  You can also extract a whole load of Good Things out of any job.  Even with data-entry you can talk about self-motivation, attention to accuracy/detail, etc, etc..

By the way... you've mentioned working on your CV and application forms in the past - have you got a decent covering letter too?  It seems to be "good form" at the moment to write about 3 or 4 paragraphs and pull out the highlights of your CV.