Job Hunting: Is it really this hard?
 

So, its been roughly about 2 months that I've been looking for a job to get out on my own, and well, I still haven't gotten hired. No matter how many times I send out applications to various places, I don't seem to get farther than that. I've gotten a few phone interviews, but they want someone with some experience, which kinda rules me out.

Is it really this hard and even a bit discouraging? or am I just getting unlucky?

And if anyone lives in Tucson, AZ, know any place that is hiring on entry level? I could really use a job (use this as a offer for getting any special benefits if you refer someone :P)

some people take 6 months or more to find a job. i think the shitty economy has something to do with it...

It took me 11 months to find my first job with pretty much no experience. I at least did a college project that was the type of thing they were looking for.

It also depends on your job and your location. Arizona is a hard place to get into right out of college. You have retirees that know what they are doing and can do a part-time job, you have people moving into the area with experience (who wouldn't want to live there when you've worked for a few years in DC, New Jersey, Connecticut, RI, Pennsylvania, Michigan,...), and there are hard working Hispanics.

Just remember to take some time off because it's hard to come by once you are working. And when you apply for these jobs, try to provide examples of how you will be able to get the job done.

Have you tried sending your resume to companies that are out of your immediate area? My friends have had the most luck when they leave their options completely open and apply to places that are out of their state.

Have you tried searching for volunteer opportunities in your field of interest? If you are able to find a local club or organisation that will allow you to interact with those in your field, they'll recognize your face and name when they see your application come up later.

You also might want to try a temporary staffing agency such as Volt, Robert Half International (Accountemps, Office Team, Robert Half Law), etc. Pay won't be anything spectacular, but it'll give you a little office experience and maybe a few local references. It'll also help you pay the bills while you're looking for that dream career position.

It took me three months to find even a part-time job in my field, and I have abundant experience. The job market is just that tight right now, and there's a lot of competition out there. My advice is to apply for anything and everything you might qualify for. If you really want a job, they're out there, but you need to be willing to apply anywhere. I've applied myriad places, but only got two interviews--lucky for me one of them was the job I got. Because it's part-time, I'm also working a patchwork of jobs--I clean an office once a week, work part-time in a church nursery, babysit, and substitute as an aide for the local school district.

That's another thing you might look into--subbing for your local school district as an educational aide, especially in special ed. They always need male subs to pair with male special ed students and/or severe behavior disabled students (the kind that might need to be restrained), and typically special ed subs get paid a little more than regular subs. It's not regular work, obviously, but it would get you some experience.

And GG's suggestion of volunteer work is a great one. Volunteer work is definitely something you can put on an application/resume if it's relevant to the position you're applying for (say you volunteer to do some canvassing; well that's valuable experience working with the public if you were applying for a retail position).

Only problem with me sending applications to companies that are out of state is that I'm still in college (mix of on campus classrooms and online classes to free up some time to get a job), so unfortunately until my semester ends, I'm limited to within city.

Almost three months here. Make sure your resume or CV stands out, as well as your cover letter. Be willing to align yourself with positions you may feel are slightly below you or the salary you want to get your foot in the door.

Is there something you're discounting from your resume that could be added? An experience that maybe you weren't paid for but that could count as actual experience?

Are you eligible for work-study? Fill out a FAFSA and find out. Even if you're not eligible for other forms of aid, you might still qualify for work-study. There are typically lots of work-study jobs available on campus, and they're not necessarily looking for someone with a lot of experience.

And even if you're not eligible for work-study, there are likely jobs for regular students on campus. Does your college have a career services department? If they do, I suggest you utilize them to help you find a job, on campus or off. They're a great resource.

As an employer, I understand that college students may not be immediately available for interviews. Unfortunately, that means they may be SOL if I need someone immediately. But if I'm hiring an entry level person (i.e. 6 months or less experience), then its usually not a big deal.

If you have somewhere you specifically want to be, I suggest finding a temp agency (some specialize in placing recent college grads). That way you have a job and can contine your search, even if your first placement isn't what you want.

I'll underline Jazz's statement.

Most of the time in your career you'll get jobs or find jobs by people you know. This includes just being somewhere that you can get exposure to jobs within a company.

While other graduates are "waiting" for that perfect job, you can be networking and already making an income by temping within the field that you want, or even just to be an admin assistant until something comes up.

I've found personally that once I got into the executive admin assistant temp pool, I was sought after because they want people who they can trust with secrets and protocol and understand just how to mesh with an executive's needs.

My current job, some people remember me from temping here in that capacity almost 7 years ago.

I graduated from a university in May 2006. From May 2006 to January 2007 I applied for 275 jobs. I got 1 interview the whole time and it was for my current job which I was hired for in January 2007. Yes it sucks, no you're not the minority. Unless you have 5-10 years REAL JOB experience in your field then you will be searching for a long time unless you get lucky. I had a 3.93 major GPA, knew a ton about useful software and hardware, etc. doesn't matter. All that matters is that some employer can say if you suck or not (in other words, you need years of job experience).

Tucson sucks. Start whoring your resume around Phoenix.

The last time I looked, it took 17 months. And that's with years of experience. sometimes it the luck of the draw. Do you have a contingency? Something that you can work at while you are looking? Example: Aspiring actors work as waiters. I drove a truck in off hours while looking.

It's not what you know but who you know.

I've been in my industry for over ten years and it's gonna take me at least six months to find another good job.


Good luck.

I've been searching for a few months now. I have a nice resume with lots of experience. I have a bunch of recruiters calling me every week. I am getting pretty good with my phone spiel, too. But I'm not getting any jobs. So yeah, I think it IS that hard.

I showed up in my lycra bicycle shorts and bike jersey to apply for my job before this one (I was biking across the western half of the country). Even though I was not told this until months after working there, apparently the HR Assistant and one of the Managers thought I was cute and brave for showing up like that asking to submit my resume and have at least an introduction interview with the HR Director, and was willing to wait all day if needed since I was leaving town that day.

You never know? I don't recommend necessarily doing exactly the above, but often times doing something out of the normal will get you noticed enough to at least land that initial interview that can be so hard to get in the first place.