Warning
So, it has been nearly a year since I received my undergraduate degree that I worked so hard for. Yet, I do not have a job that utilizes my hard earned skills and abilities. I have always liked to think that I have not led a sheltered life, that I understand that people are dishonest and often cruel. However, I committed a huge mistake. As my college career was winding down, I really put a lot of effort into my job search. Unfortunately, like so many of my peers, I rely on the internet for many of my daily activities and concerns. I pay my bills, do my banking, keep in touch with friends, so why not use this tool in my job search? The number one reason: it is full of scams. So many of the jobs listed for "recent grads" and "entry level" positions are truly scam artists trying to make a quick buck via a pyramid scheme using unsuspecting and eager graduates. This is not to say that all internet job searches are a bad idea. Just please use caution when exploring and narrowing down options. Fortunately for me, I have a wonderful career center at my alma mater that helped me research the companies that I had interviews with beforehand, and I found out just what I would be signing up for. I quickly cancelled my appointments, and hope that this advice will keep some graduates from making a big, money-draining, and time-consuming mistake.
One of the most important aspects of job search that gets overlooked the most often is researching the company on several aspects. In addition to learning how long the company has existed, who the officers are, other locations, immediate supervisors and work team, you want to know about other aspects of the place. Sounds as though your Career Center helped you put that research some very good use.
I graduated college this past December and I thought I would have a better chance of finding a job, given my education, but now I know it seems even harder. Most of the companies I had applied to, the applicant needed to have two through five years of experience in that specific field and he or she had to live in the area the job was in. It is so hard finding a job, especially in the area I live in. It's hard because I have little experience in my field and I wonder how am I to obtain this experience if companies won't allow me to work for them so I can gain it. Recently, a company about an hour away from where I live offered to hire me, but the only thing is the pay was very low, quite low. It was slightly over minimum wage which is hard for me to swallow because I worked really hard for my degree and I would only be getting paid little for my knowledge. It's true that college students need the money, afterall, most of us are paying back student loans, but don't fall prey to the companies that are cheating us out of what is ultimately ours.
I am so tired of jobs that require previous related work experience. It's really hard for recent college students to find work after finishing their education. It's true that most of the time, a person can only get hired somewhere where they prefer to work, by someone they know such as a parent, uncle, cousin, or friend. What about the rest of us?
I have applied to so many jobs that require many years of experience when in reality they are entry-level. Now, in my opinion, this is not what entry-level jobs are. Yes, a college graduate can have some experience, but I think for an entry-level position, it's wrong that these companies require year after year of experience. How are college graduates supposed to get this experience if no companies will give it to us?
I myself have some experience, but not years of it. I have had an internship at a local newspaper office once a week while I worked at a retail store the rest of the days. This internship was unpaid, so I had to work at the retail store.
When I was in college, I heard that many students were involved in campus activities like Student Senate, Habitat for Humanity, Radio Station, the newspaper staff, and so on, but for me, it is hard because I had to work part-time, do tons of homework, and most importantly, I didn't live on the campus so it was hard for me to attend these organizational meetings when I had all of my own work to do, not to mention chores at home.
I had enough trouble making sure all my homework was finished and going to work that when I got home I was beat. In a nutshell, yes, experience is very helpful, but I also dedicated myself to my school work and other such work. Shouldn't that be enough? I worked so hard through college just to hear employers say, "You need more experience." I just want these companies to see that I was a good student with good grades. Doesn't that speak for itself?