OT After College Job Search Advice

[IloveSeniorElite]

Hello everyone! So I will be graduating in May 2012 with my BA in psychology and a minor in family studies. I am not really sure what I will end up doing with a job, but I know that I don't want to grad school for a long time, if ever. And I don't care if I do anything related to psychology. I have been looking for jobs in pharmaceutical sales, non-profit organizations, public relations, human resources, clothing buyer, and some journalism stuff. I have been applying for jobs and getting call backs since summer, but I have been kind of scared or being a grown up. But now that January is coming, I am getting excited and know that I need to get real about finding a job... FAST!

My question is how did people who have already graduated find their jobs after college? I look at Monster, Career Builder, and Craigslist frequently, along with my college's career website. One problem I run into a lot on Monster and Career Builder is that there seems to be a lot of scams out there. And most entry-level positions are all sales positions. (Something I am avoiding unless it is pharmaceutical sales). I am wondering 1) how you found your current job, 2) how long find a real job took, and 3) any other advice you have. Sorry for the long post, but I know that fierceboarders extremely helpful and I don't have that many older friends who have experienced this to talk to and get advice from. Any advice or information you could give would be very helpful! :D

 

[fiercerando88]

My first bit of advice would be don't graduate! :D But on a more serious note, I graduated in May 2010 and didn't really have a clue what I wanted to do. Thankfully my school makes you do 3 internships so I was able to figure out a lot of what I did NOT want to do, but that didn't really help me after graduating. I started working at my current job during my senior year of college and once I graduated they 'promoted' me and I became full time, per se, but it's not anything I want to do. I'm on Monster, LinkedIn, a bunch of sports networking sites (my degree is in Sports Management), and my schools career website just like you are. I totally agree that a lot are scams or sales positions, neither of which make job searching any easier. I just finished my first semester of grad school for Sports Hospitality (I'm hoping to work on the event production side of gymnastics/cheer events, but who knows) and am actually leaving my current job for something a little closer that pays more. It's still not my ideal job, but it's paying the loans! All of my friends except one have started grad school because the job market is pretty dismal. We all have jobs, but not necessarily in our fields or doing what we'd like to, so grad school seemed like a good idea to us. It's definitely not easy, and it takes a lot of time, but I have faith I will end up at my dream job eventually so for now, I'm just putting in my time and figuring things out! Good luck with your searching.

 

[Mamarazzi]

Wellllll...I think many of us "fell" into our career by doing other jobs that were similar, or in a related field. I started as a massage therapist in a chiropractors office, where I learned a lot about insurance, billing and the medical field. That led me to getting a job with a non-profit assisting disease-specific populations with rx co-pay and insurance premiums, which led to my current job in state/federal medical assistance. I think a great way to go is temp-ing. You might not get your dream job, but a lot of places might need someone with your knowledge and skill set to fill-in. I know lots of people that have been able to land full-time positions from temp jobs, even if it's a different job within the same company.
Another idea, if you can swing it financially, is to intern. People are always looking for free labor, so there's usually a plethora of intern jobs available.
Oh, and make sure your resume is on.point.

 

[IloveSeniorElite]

Thank you so much for taking the time to respond! I should add that I had a sales & marketing internship in the athletic department of my school for six months last year and this year. That lead me to realize that I didn't like the feeling of being a, "pushy sales person," and think I would not be happy in that career field. That makes it a lot harder when looking for jobs because it seems that I can only find sales jobs.

I am not that picky and certainly don't expect to find my dream job. I just need to start making money and paying money on these student loans! :confused: I live in Ohio and have grown up here, but I really would like to find a job somewhere else, I am especially interested in Atlanta. The job market is very bleak here in Ohio the past few years, unfortunately. So I am not really sure where I will end up, but it seems hard to even find jobs to apply for because everyone wants experience. And how do you get experience if no one will hire you because you don't have experience? Anyway, thanks again! :)

 

[OLDCHEER]

NETWORK!!! Are you a member of any campus organizations? See if there is an alumni email list or events you can attend. Think back to any teacher (even in high school) that you respected, and contact them. Let them know what you're interested in and see if they have any contacts they can pass along to you. Talk to your old gym and see if there are any parents who have jobs that might match your interests. Ask if you can contact them to learn more about thier job. Don't wait until graduation to begin applying, apply now.

I graduated with a similiar degree, and the job market is bleak without a masters. I understand being sick of school and in debt, but if you are interested in that field, it's worth looking into.

 

[ErinS]

I graduated with a degree in Mass Communication (I know that a "degree is a degree"...but getting that degree was the worst idea ever...from a long term perspective).

My first job that I got 2 or 3 months after graduation was a temporary position for the United Way. It was fun...non profit work...I didn't make a lot of money. I got it...by applying on a local non profit website... Same goes for my 2nd pt job at a Non Profit Law Office (I also worked at a tax office and coaching cheer during this time)....then my 3rd job was as a secretary for some old people organization....I hated every single last minute of that job...so I went to grad school... I got all of those jobs by applying on the same non profit website...I didn't get a real job with a real salary and real benefits until I went to grad school (Library Science...I'm a librarian). Most of my friends were in similar situations (unless they were education majors)....but even some people I know with Masters still aren't making the best salaries..

And even now (I finished grad school December 10) my librarian position isn't my dream librarian position (ditto for my coworkers that just graduated as well)...however it pays a lot of money (esp for an entry level librarian) so I learned to just shut up and deal.... So even with a masters you stilll may not end up with your dream job


My expert recommendation is to go to grad school right away in a field that is actually hiring....and apply at banks...

 

[retiredl5cheer]

Thanks for all of this everyone! I'm graduating in May with a degree in English and a minor in PR/Gen Comm. I've had three internships but unfortunately none of them can turn into full time positions because I am leaving NJ and returning to MD. Looking for jobs is getting stressful. Any tips would be helpful.

 

[cheerKT]

Looking for tips as well. I've got another 3 semesters but definitely looking for a good internship to get my foot in the door. I'm a PR major Sports/Entertainment Management minor.

I don't know much about LinkedIn, but a girl I live with posted on there that she would be graduating in May with a Hotel/restaurant/tourism management degree with focuses in catering and club management and was looking for a job in the Carolinas. She got 3 responses pretty promptly. I would definitely look into that.

 

[Tribeboy89]

Network, network and network. I will be graduating with possibly a double major in graphic design and advertising and both department heads have pushed us to get to know people in the careers. Get caught up on blogs and websites dedicated to your field, they usually will have opportunities. Also, utilize your professors connections because most of the time they will be willing to help. I am a member of my schools Ad Fed which has a HUGE network, especially in NYC, as well as the NSAC (national student advertising competition) team and taking a class where the professor worked in austin. I will be getting no sleep next semester to impress the socks off him in hopes of his recommendation. LinkedIn is also a great tool to use as well as a professional twitter, following people in your industry could lead to something! Good luck to all of my fellow May 2012 graduates!