If I Had a Second Chance
2005 is coming to an end as 2006 is eerily lurking around the corner. This coming May it will have been one full year since I have graduated. I still have no full-time job and am making small strides in attaining my career goal as a writer. Now that I have entered the rat race of job hunting, I continually kick myself for not taking up an internship in college.
I cannot stress enough about the importance of doing an internship. Besides the experience, the networking that can be established is mind-blowing. Every person that I have talked to in regards to attaining an entry-level position always asks about my internship history. Though I was heavily involved on campus during my college days, I still could have found the time between my part-time job and college organizations to do some sort of writing internship. Of course, everyone has heard the success stories of those who did and did not do internships. However, if one decides not to, he/she is taking a big chance. Employers want to see that desire. They want to know that one is strongly motivated and interested in his/her field. They need to be assured that an individual is willing to invest in their company or organization and in return they will invest in that person's future. Interning manifests that passion. It shows that the candidate wants to be successful and is determined to reach his/her goals. I guess I had to learn that the hard way.
What bothers me most about job hunting is that I know that
I am capable. I simply want the chance to prove my abilities. I can send out a thousand resumes along with winning cover letters but they seem to get lost in an electronic abyss where resumes are sent to pasture. Do not get me wrong, I still believe in resumes. Yet, what are important are the hands that these resumes touch, which leads me back to the power of networking and gaining experience. So the lesson of the day for aspiring employees: Intern!
Devon,
You're absolutely right that completing a quality internship is a very component to finding a good job upon graduation. But there's no reason that you can't intern for a company or volunteer for a non-profit after graduation. Employers want to see that you have work experience that is closely related to the work that you'll perform for them. Your ability to successfully do that work for another organization, for pay or not, is proof that you'll be able to successfully do the work for the organization to which you're applying.
So don't spend all of your time sending out resumes. If it hasn't been working to-date, why should it start working now? Any job search strategy that you've tried for a long-time and which has not generated dividends should be adjusted or scrapped. Don't keep beating your head against a wall. It hurts and doesn't get you anywhere. Instead, take a step back and ask yourself objectively why it is that you're not getting hired. If it is because of a lack of experience, which you seem to acknowledge, then get that experience by volunteering or taking on a paid or unpaid internship.
Best of luck in your job search!