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[pipsqueaky]

I haven't posted in the past week because ... well ... it wasn't a good week. And whenever I get depressed I withdraw from the world, which apparently includes the online world as well.

Comments

[tzikeh]

I got my first job out of college by working for a temp agency. I got a lot of training and a lot of experience doing many different things. Then I could use all of that when I applied for permanent positions. Also temping helps you meet a whole bunch of different people and see different kinds of office settings.

[pipsqueaky]

Thank you - this is actually really helpful. I never thought of working for a temp agency, but that probably would be the best place to get my foot in the door. I'll see if I can find some good ones that are hiring locally. Much appreciated!

[par_avion]

I had a lot of trouble getting a job after college. It was so irritating! I went to a good school, I'm willing to work hard...no joy. I even had a recruiter tell me that I had the job only to find out a week later, whoops, she thought she was talking to someone else

[pipsqueaky]

I even had a recruiter tell me that I had the job only to find out a week later, whoops, she thought she was talking to someone else.

OMG. Wow. That's awful. And here I was feeling sorry for myself for getting a simple rejection. Heh.

The companies that are too cheap to hire a recruiter / put an ad in the paper are the ones that are likely to respond to direct resumes

Unfortunately, I'm sure you're right. I've mainly been responding to online & newspaper ads, which probably explains why I haven't gotten anywhere. Damn.

If your college(s) have any kind of help to offer, take them up on it.I tried this, actually; I met with a career advisor from the SFGS. But since I never actually got my masters degree, I'm not considered a proper alumnus, and technically they're only allowed to help alumni and current students, so there was very little they could do for me. (Which irked me, since my undergrad college considers you an alumni member after your first semester, whether you ever formally graduate or not. So I feel gipped by the SFGS

[par_avion]

Stupid FGS. Can your undergrad help?

Wow. That's awful.

It wasn't that bad. It was incredibly unprofessional of them, but there were worse things going on in my life at the time.

Best of luck and lots of sympathy. Would taking some kind of certification class on databases help? Can you switch your access database project to something more mainstream (like organizing your CD collection) and impress people with it?

[pipsqueaky]

Can your undergrad help?

Well, they're 350 miles away in another state, so probably not. :) Although I haven't completely ruled them out.

Would taking some kind of certification class on databases help?You know, I was thinking about looking into certification classes just yesterday. I think it might give me a lot more credibility. I actually do have quite a lot of different computer skills, it's just that most of them were obtained in a very informal fashion; teaching myself, for example, or learning from a friend, rather than being officially trained or doing any kind of professional projects. So far, all the people who have interviewed me have been impressed that I took the initiative to learn SQL on my own. But if you're looking for someone who's already really experienced with the language, hearing "I taught myself from a book" isn't too reassuring, you know? So certification classes are definitely something I will keep in mind

[sdwolfpup]

Stupid fucking college. *kicks it on your behalf* You have to wonder what you're paying them for sometimes.

My first job out of college was a luck thing; I knew somebody who worked for a small company that was looking for a tech writer. I'd been a (paid) student tech writing intern at a previous place so I had a little bit of experience to show, and my friend to vouch for me. Do you know anyone in your area that might know someone who's hiring? Unfortunately, a lot of getting a job is - blech - networking.

Getting a job as a temp sounds like a good, um, temporary solution. That way you're making contacts and building up some experience. However, in the meantime I will be hoping that the perfect job falls into your lap so you can focus your energy on other things.

[pipsqueaky]

Well, technically the SFGS was paying me (I was a research assistant), so even though they screwed me over, at least I was getting something out of it. :) (Although that was the whole problem, really; they offered me lots of cash, so I blindly jumped in without really considering whether this was the right school or program for me or whether I would be happy here. All of which can be answered with a resounding NO.)

Do you know anyone in your area that might know someone who's hiring?My mom's former boss has been passing my resume around and looking for positions that I could apply for, so I'm really hoping he'll be able to find me something. Do you remember the Really Small Company that I interviewed with a couple months ago? He got me that interview. He also works for the company that turned me down yesterday (but in a completely different dept, so he had no influence there). I told him this morning that I got rejected, and he said he would contact the manager in that dept and chew him out. Hee

[dualbunny]

The job I have right now was complete luck, and I actually fell into it before graduating, since it's based out of the same university. It's also grant-funded, so if they stop getting money, I stop having employment. And when that happens, I have no idea what I'll do. I have a degree in Art of all things. And the art department wanted to do nothing but pretend that everyone was going to go on to graduate school and become...non-starving artists? Or maybe college professors?

I really really sympathize. And I wish I had some secrets to share. I think there were some other commenters with pretty good advice though. I hope there something in there for you to get a step up with.

[pipsqueaky]

It sounds like most people just got lucky with their jobs, so you're not alone. I hope they keep the grant money coming!

And the art department wanted to do nothing but pretend that everyone was going to go on to graduate school and become...non-starving artists?

Tee hee! Boy, am I familiar with this attitude. The SFGS is *extremely* geared towards academia rather than the workforce, which is why they had me doing obscure research for two years instead of learning anything useful. I think I was the only person in that department who just wanted the masters degree and not the PhD. I wish they would have just been upfront about that when I applied to go there, so that I wouldn't have wasted my time.

It's okay if you don't have any advice; sympathy is good too! ;) Thanks.

[river_boat]

I'm so sorry. This sounds supremely annoying

[river_boat]

It would even have to be paid experience that you "had"

That was clearly supposed to be "wouldn't". I shouldn't write things at 9 o'clock in the morning.

[pipsqueaky]

Ha! You are forgiven. (I probably shouldn't have written this entry at midnight.) ;)

[pipsqueaky]

I firmly believe in the power of exaggeration

I think you are totally right. Hee. That's one thing that I'm particularly bad at: bragging about myself and drawing attention to my accomplishments. I've done a bunch of volunteer work recently; I'm sure I could spin that into something useful.

It sounds like work experience is a bigger deal in the UK than it is here (compulsory? Wow.), but yeah, it's still pretty important. Theoretically, it's not necessary to have previous experience in order to land a job here. But with the current economy in a state of suckage, employers are starting to downsize and hire fewer people and raise their standards on the ones they do hire, so new grads like me are getting the shaft.

Thanks so much for the advice. And it wasn't crappy at all - you gave me a lot of good ideas! I'm so glad to hear that your job is going well for you. It sounds like a great situation. Hopefully I can find something similar.