<p>I just graduated from Emory this May, and I have had an extremely difficult time finding a job. I majored in French, which is a passion of mine and not exactly the most marketable major ever, and I minored in econ. However, I graduated Phi Beta Kappa. I also did two marketing internships, one undergrad research position with a professor and had two part-time summer jobs. I had some leadership positions in a couple of student organizations and I volunteered. I also taught myself some skills in Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator, and I learned HTML, CSS and some PHP/mySQL in an effort to make myself more marketable.</p>
<p>Since October 2010, I've applied to many, many jobs with little avail. I've had quite a few interviews, and I seem to be good at making it to the final round, but I've yet to receive a job offer. I used the career center at Emory to develop my interviewing and resume/cover letter writing skills. I'm on LinkedIn and I've been networking as much as I can, also to little avail. I've begun applying to part-time and retail positions since I've graduated, because I really want to work. It would be nice to get a job that has some career/advancement potential, but I feel like that's asking for too much at this point. </p>
<p>I'm at my wit's end now, and I've found this whole process extremely demoralizing and frustrating. I feel like my only viable option at this point is grad school, which I am hesitant about -- I don't want to put myself into a lot of debt, and I'm not sure what to go to grad school for (certainly not French). Any advice at all would be greatly appreciated.</p>
<p>Where do you live? Any where near a metropolitan area? What kind of jobs have you been applying for? Have you taken any advance Excel courses? You minored in econ, you would have a better chance in using your econ background to get a job, and most of them would require you to be very proficient in Excel.</p>
<p>I’m living with my parents right now, and they live in a small city in Missouri (a few hours away from both KC and STL). I’ve been considering moving back to Atlanta, because there are simply not a lot of opportunities here. I’ve mainly been applying for marketing or research oriented jobs. I haven’t taken any advanced Excel courses, but I’ve been teaching myself Excel.</p>
<p>I can give you a little advice based on my older son’s experience a year ago and that of his friends. If you can stay with a friend in Atlanta temporarily or can find an inexpensive room to rent you may be better off there. My son tried coming back to our area after graduation and several of his friends did the same. They thought that it would be best to live rent free with their parents. Many found that the job opportunities just weren’t there. Mine and his roommate moved back to the city where they got their undergrad degrees. At first they lived with friends, couch surfed and had pretty lousy jobs. Both were able to find better jobs fairly quickly and moved into an apartment. It isn’t in a great area and they aren’t saving any money but they are working in jobs somewhat related to their majors and they are out and on their own. Both plan to go to grad school at some point in the next few years.<br>
Honestly, most of the students who graduated in the past few years are in that boat…it stinks but you may have to take a job that isn’t your dream job for now.
Another friend’s son worked at a temporary agency between undergraduate and law school. He was being paid ten dollars an hour but it was steady work. If you haven’t you might try the temp agencies. Lots of companies are hiring through temp agencies more now than ever.</p>
<p>You are not going to find a job from a small town Missouri, think about moving to Atlanta, NYC, Chicago…In this economy, very few employers would be interested in moving you. I have hired some entry level people just because they were so good with Excel.</p>
<p>Are any of your friends employed? Can you plan to go visit them for a week or two and bring your interview suit and a batch of resumes? That’s how I got my first job. I went down to visit my college roommate in DC, went to a bunch of temp agencies to see if there were any long term temp possibilities, and then met someone at a party who worked at a non-profit that was hiring…it was an assistant position, but it gave me a start. It was not my employment plan, but I graduated in a recession as well, and I was relieved that something interesting presented itself when I needed it. Good luck. It sounds like you have really made yourself marketable…now you just need to be in the right place at the right time.</p>
<p>It sounds like you are doing all the right things - Linked In, using your college’s resources, etc. It’s a tough market out there!</p>
<p>My company sent me to a Fred Pryor training seminar on Excel. I use Excel a lot, but the 2 day seminar was really helpful. I think it would be helpful if you just had a basic knowledge of Excel as well, and it relatively inexpensive - something like $127 for the 2 days. You might want to look into that. (Google Fred Pryor Excel)</p>
<p>My S was an Econ major '11, like you he was Phi Beta Kappa and still having a rough time getting anywhere with his job search. In July his younger sister’s boyfriend forwarded him a job posting he had received from a family friend (the BF, a rising senior in college, had been looking for a summer internship, but the family friend misunderstood and thought he had graduated and was looking for permanent work.) Thru that connection my son got a job that he started August 1. It required him to relocate, but luckily he can temporarily live with his grandparents and save some money. This job came out of left field when he had been getting no responses to his many resumes and applications, so keep networking - you never know when the least likely person will be the one with the connection you need!</p>
<p>To keep his enthusiasm up before he found this job, I asked my son how many jobs he thought he should apply to each day. He came up with 2 - 4 (I was thinking 3 - 5). But we agreed that once he found and applied to 3 jobs per day, he could take the rest of the day off to do what he wanted, guilt-free. I also suggested he set up a spreadsheet so that he could follow-up on applications & resumes he had sent. Following up is really important - sometimes HR people are just so busy they wait to see who follows up to determine who is REALLY interested, then begin interviewing.</p>
<p>Also, I work with a woman who was a French major and Drama minor. She started her career by teaching French at a private school. After a couple years, she left there and went to work as the director’s assistant at a non-profit French Cultural Center & Library. A couple years later, with a lot of fundraising experience under her belt, she returned to the private school and became their director of development. Perhaps an unusual career trajectory, but it shows French majors can get a job!</p>
<p>Thanks for all the advice, I really appreciate it! I’ve been talking to my parents about moving back to Atlanta for the past week or so. They aren’t very thrilled about it, but I do have grandparents there that I can stay with. I’ve definitely noticed that my lack of an Atlanta address has resulted in fewer interviews since I’ve graduated. I’d also really like to visit some of my friends in other cities, like Lennon suggested.</p>
<p>I also really like the idea of using the temp agencies and keeping a spreadsheet of jobs I’ve applied to – I definitely hadn’t considered either of those. </p>
<p>The toughest part about this whole process has been how soul-crushing it is at times, but it’s always great to hear about others who were in similar situations and overcame. Again, I truly appreciate all the advice and stories. I will try to keep this updated.</p>
<p>One other thing I did when I was job hunting that was well received was to politely ask why I wasn’t selected for the position, and if the interviewer/hiring manager could give me any advice on how to improve my candidacy for future jobs. People LOVE to give advice, and usually this resulted in the hiring manager telling me that I was great but lacked ABC that they were were looking for/found in someone else. But it also resulted in some referrals to other hiring managers and open positions. It keeps the conversation open, instead of just skulking off to lick your wounds after being rejected. Look at every interview you get as a chance to network within those companies, if that makes any sense. If you’re doing well enough to get to the final round, they should be able to critique you fairly well.</p>
<p>You can say this very politely when you get the call that you didn’t get the job.</p>
<p>“Oh, I’m so sorry to hear that. I’m really interested in your company/field. Can you give me any advice as far as my interview skills or anything I should work on improving on my resume? I’m open to honest feedback!”</p>
<p>I would be weary of moving to Atlanta without a job. The employment picture is really bleak here in part, because so many recent grads continue to either come home or move here without employment.</p>
<p>Since you can stay with your grandparents, that will help, but just be aware that things are really tough here.</p>
<p>@lastminutemom - I definitely know the unemployment picture is bad in Atlanta. But living in a small town in the Midwest, there aren’t a lot of opportunities here period. At least in Atlanta, I would have a better opportunity to network (since I actually know people who work in Atlanta) and potentially get a job in another big city (like DC, which has a much lower unemployment rate). It’s kind of a situation of the lesser of two evils, unfortunately!</p>
<p>@Lennon & oldfort - Thank you for the advice and words of encouragement!</p>
<p>Just know that things are going to get better. It’s the economy, so don’t blame yourself or your major.</p>
<p>I’ve been looking for two years myself (and am 60, with lots of experience). I was at a hospital office today where everyone in the room was looking for work.</p>
<p>The main thing is to just not stop in your tracks. Keep yourself out there, by working temp or whatever you can find, maybe volunteering, maybe take a class (could be a community college or adult education center non-credit class in Excel etc.) and applying to positions you want…</p>
<p>Keep your spirits up! At this point, you only have yourself to support, which is a big plus, compared to a lot of unemployed…but at your age it is hard to have your momentum blocked.</p>
<p>One suggestion, when you get to Atlanta or St. Louis or wherever, consider setting up a series of informational interviews. Look up some alums of your college who live in Atlanta and are doing the kinds of things you would like to be doing. If you can’t find some alums, just start contacting people, it’s amazing what they’ll do if you ask. Even if they are several levels beyond the jobs you can realistically get right now, in fact ESPECIALLY if they’re several levels beyond, contact them and ask if they have time to sit down with you for an informational interview to talk to you about the industry in Atlanta and share some of their experience. Do not, underany circumstances, ask for a job during an informational interview, this is purely to help you better understand how the industry works and get tips from sucessful people within it. </p>
<p>Sometimes finding a job, especially a first job, comes down to knowing where the entry pathways are. That’s rarely apparent from the outside, but someone who’s gotten in and been successful can usually explain them to you. They may be able to shed some light on the kinds of businesses that are currently hiring and the kinds of positions you’re realistically qualified for. Just knowing that can give you a really firm footing to start your job search in earnest and to do it efficiently.</p>
<p>Well, I promised I would try to keep this updated. I received an offer to work in retail in a different city. I haven’t said yes or no to the offer yet, and while the decision is mine to make, I feel like there might be hellfire and brimstone from my parents if I don’t accept it. Also, both of my parents indicated that I would be burdening my grandparents by staying with them — even though I never asked them about it, they just offered.</p>
<p>As far as the offer goes, I am grateful to have a job offer from someone. Being unemployed has not been a pleasant or friendly experience, and having a job is better than no job. I also am very afraid to wait any longer about having a job, for understandable reasons. However, I can’t help but feel down on myself still. I’m worried about some of the stigma associated with the retail (especially among future prospective employers who might think I am lacking in some area because I couldn’t secure a certain type of first job). Moreover, I’m lucky to be free of dependents, a lease, furniture, etc., and if I take this job, I will inundated with some of that stuff. That would mean limiting my job search geographically (and that I was one thing I had in my favor)… or at least limiting it until my lease was up. I’m not sure if it would be better to take a job (even though they are not plentiful) here at home while I continue searching – there is a possibility that I could work for my dad. I also have fears that I will get stuck/have a harder time in the future.</p>
<p>I still feel let down and disappointed by myself, and I feel ashamed and duped that I spent four years working hard at a great school with no hopeful prospects. I have really been questioning myself these past few months, and now I am even beginning to question my education. I don’t think I had any great illusions about the job prospects or even what types of job I may get, but like I said earlier, I feel like I’m asking for too much now. Maybe my fears and hesitancy are entitled, unfounded or paranoid. I just feel worse and more stressed out about the whole situation now.</p>
<p>I don’t think most employers would look down on a recent grad who had to take a low-level job to make ends meet. Everybody knows what the current job environment is. And many bright and ambitious people have parlayed entry-level jobs into first steps up the management ladder. My niece (BA English, MA American Studies) recently got promoted from a receptionist’s job into management. </p>
<p>If you can afford to live in the other city, I think you should take the job and go.</p>
<p>The type of work may not be what you wanted, but you will be starting an independent adult life, and that is a valuable experience, even if you may end up changing occupational fields later.</p>
<p>Do not beat yourself up. Those graduating in the past two years graduated into the worst job market in decades and there is not much promise of improvement. My younger d graduated in 2010 and very few of her friends are working in “career’” type jobs with companies that offer benefits. Most are working in whatever job they can get or juggling part-time jobs and unpaid internships. My younger d is an aspiring actress/singer and so yes she knew the road would be tough. She has had an internship in theater management, an acting internship and works her day job as a nanny while she auditions and has been in several productions for zero pay. She has a cheap apartment and lives as cheaply as she can. My older d graduated in 2007 with a double major and has found work in her field with prominent institutions but all part-time, no benefits. She too has a cheap apartment in a different city and lives cheaply. No employer will hold it against you for working a retail job. It is work experience.</p>
<p>You might go through this thread - it’s a long one - and perhaps you won’t feel so bad about the tough job environment. It’s nothing personal; it’s just really awful out there. I assume that you follow world markets with your econ background - there are employment and debt problems in many places around the world now.</p>
<p>It sounds like you’ve done the right things but still don’t have what you want but you’re getting interviews. Can you imagine how the grads that didn’t have internships and other work-related experiences are faring? You’re getting interviews - I have read about students that have sent out large numbers of resumes with no responses.</p>
<p>I do like your willingness to learn things on your own that may be useful in getting hired and in providing benefits to your eventual employer.</p>