Resumes & The Gaping Void - Ask HR Wench

Let's face it: looking for a job SUCKS. You know it and I know it. It's not pretty, even for seasoned (or wannabe seasoned) HR pros.

That being said, let's see if we can help a reader out, yo:

I'm a big fan of yours, and I'm also a recent graduate. I earned my Bachelor's degree in English Literature and Criticism, graduating Summa Cum Laude. Right up until two months before I graduated, I had been planning to attend grad school. I found out last-minute that I wasn't going to be receiving a Teaching Assistantship from the two universities I had been accepted to. Because I'm not willing to be buried in $70k worth of extra debt, I'm going to find a job and go to grad chool part-time and closer to home.

I've been applying for jobs since late April. I've been on interviews for two different positions. The first company, after 2 interviews, called me to tell me it was down to me and another candidate, but she had more experience. The Hiring Manager wanted to let me know that he and the rest of the team (the second interview was with the heads of 4 departments) were very impressed, and to keep him apprised of how my job search was going. The second company entered a hiring freeze the week after my interview.

These interviews happened the week after I graduated in May, and I haven't heard back from ANY other companies.

I have been sending out applications to 10-15 jobs a week, calling back a week later (where applicable), and still nothing. I am beginning to loathe the welcome pages of Monster, Yahoo! Hot Jobs, and Careerbuilder, and there is something so disheartening about sending applications off into the void, receiving a "thank you for your submission, but don't call us, we'll call you" e-mail, then never hearing from the company again.

I know that the job market sucks right now, and that I've never felt so powerless and depressed in my life.I don't have a very marketable degree, but I have been hoping for something. I haven't even heard back about call center and secretarial jobs.

Wenchie, I know my story isn't unique, especially in this market. You have even been having trouble finding something, so I'm wondering if you have any words of advice and/or encouragement for those of us who are stuck in unemployment land.

Darlin', you bet I do.

First of all, congratulations on completing your degree. That is a huge accomplishment no matter WHAT the subject is and don't let anyone tell you differently. You should be very proud of that darn degree!

Second of all, it sounds like you were a very strong runner up for the position you applied for in May. You know what my question is, don't you? Have you kept the hiring manager apprised of how your job search is going? If not, get on the horn NOW and let him know by asking him how the new hire has turned out and if there are any other positions on the horizon. Use your position as a kick butt runner up to your best advantage. Invitations to keep in touch with a hiring manager hardly ever happen. Trust me.

Now, it sounds like you have been applying for a lot of jobs. This is generally a good idea when you're looking for a job. But do you know what else is a good idea?

1. Figuring out what you're really looking for.

You mentioned call center, secretarial and teaching assistant jobs. You are all over the map. You need to zone in on what you really want and use a laser like, not shotgun, approach. Yes, you're a new grad and your "just" looking for a part time gig. It doesn't matter. If you don't know what you want and feel desperation, recruiters can SMELL it and it smells RANK.

Take a realistic view of your experience, education (and all that it encompasses, not just your major) and what you are drawn to. There are many books and exercises out there that can help. You don't have to trip on peyote and go on a vision quest over it, but try to be as open and honest with yourself as possible

Remember that job you had the summer of your sophomore year in college? You loved it. You were good at it. Target your job search to find part 2 of that job.

2. Networking like crazy.

Tell everyone you know, and even people you don't know, that you are looking for an x, y or z type job. Get on LinkedIn, Twitter, Craigslist, niche job boards (especially those with forums where you can discuss what you're looking for with others), sign up with agencies and do temp and temp to hire work, make business cards and give them to people you chit chat with at the gym, look for jobs in places you wouldn't think they would be. Make it everyone's business to know what you are looking for & to want to help you find it.

3. Getting out of the box & burning that stupid box!

You mentioned the big name job boards. There is more out there than just the big names. For every type of person, job and pet armadillo, there is some type of community on the internet for it. FIND THEM. Want to work for a non-profit? Type in "non profit jobs" into Google. Visit the first few sites that come up. Make a profile and post a resume on Idealist.org and Nonprofitjobs.org. Rinse. Repeat.

There is a lot to this subject - more than I could ever cover in one blog post. In a moment, I'll unleash the readers so we can continue the conversation in the comments section. But before I do that, I'd like to make some book recommendations.

Don't laugh, just trust me: Cover Letters for Dummies and Job Interviews for Dummies are two of the best books I have read (and I've read A LOT and recruited A LOT, too!) on this topic. They are easy to read and have excellent hints, tips and tricks. I haven't read Resumes for Dummies, but I bet that one is good too, as they are all by the same author.

Whatever you do, do not give up and DO NOT judge your worth as a person by the "how easily I can get a good job" stick. You WILL find a job, it just may take longer than you originally planned. Hang in there and let me know how things go.

Readers: what helpful tips do you have for our friend?

*Cross posted on my BlogHer blog*