Taking a Break
I'm still very emotionally tied up in this whole process. To be honest, I'm ready to just give up and go back to school, but that's not really responsible or feasible right now. I'm scared and kind of disenchanted at the idea of getting a job in retail or food service yet again. I'm 23, a college graduate, and am really sick of that kind of work. I have a $35k debt and a piece of paper that says I'm smart enough and have worked hard enough to really do something with my life. So .... hello, opportunity, I'm WAITING FOR YOU!
This is apparently not something you can strategize. You can't divide and conquer. I'm following all of these rules, and getting nowhere. I know a person whose father was at a conference, mentioned to an associate that his son needed a job, and, wouldn't you know ... he now has a job working for that man's company. Did the person in question sweat, and struggle, and work to get his job? No. Am I bitter about that? Completely. If I can't earn a position while I'm seeing others handed jobs with little or no merit ... of course I'm ready to give up. What if a job that I could completely do well, and am easily qualified for is handed off to someone's son or daughter just because the hiring manager is a family friend? I know that it happens all the time, and I'm sick of being left out.
If any of you lovely readers have any suggestions, or, as I've asked before, a well-connected father I can borrow, I'll give you my everlasting appreciation. It's hard for me to "work" my connections when I only have a single one.
October 5, 2006, 9:48 PM
Krystal, it truly is frustrating to feel as though you have few resources or not as many advantages as others. So what needs to happen is for you to get yourself into the environments where the people are who are doing what you want to do. There are organizations that cater to these interests and professions. There are former professors who know about these things. It's time to get the information about these places, become associated with them, get active in doing things with and for them, and get associated and friends with the administrators and staff as well as the members.
You have a piece of paper that says you've learned a lot and you're smart. Why are *you* not saying that when you talk with people, when you interview, when you go to all the right places and conduct yourself as the professional that you are? Now, I'm not saying that you should be going about saying you're a smart alec, but the quality and substance of your speech, the focus of your interests should say you're interested in the more professional side of things and that you've reached a point at which you see the finer details.
When you interview, make certain that your convivial nature is well anchored as you talk about this accomplishment and then that and that those accomplishments are representative of the type of work you can do for the employer.
There are three posts on the CollegeRecruiter.com Blog that talk about the big demand employers have now for recent graduates and what they want to see. Please carefully read:
* 2005-06 Best Job Market in Four Years
http://www.collegerecruiter.com/weblog/archives/2006/10/200506_best_job.php
* 2005-06 Best Job Market in Four Years (Continued)
http://www.collegerecruiter.com/weblog/archives/2006/10/200506_best_job_1.php
* HB500 Strive to Survive the Talent War with Recent College Grads
http://www.collegerecruiter.com/weblog/archives/2006/10/hb500_strive_to.php