SS: Still no job

[Memo]

Man, 2 months after graduation and still no job. I've had a couple of interviews but nothing has panned out. Giving it till January before I join the Peace Corps :(

[ray]

What is your academic background and what did you want to do?

Have you contacted local headhunters and temp agencies to meet with them so they can do a lot of the legwork in finding job opportunities?

[Memo]

I've been working with the school career services. I have Comp Sci degree with a Business Foundations certification. I've had some interviews and stuff, been going to company nights, checking the craigslist, Indeed.com (Badass job search btw) and all. Theoretically I could do contract work, but have been looking for a full-time position mostly.

[Dazzling]

Memo,
I just had to say I love your avatar!!! I see it often and it cracks me up. Good luck with the job hunting!!

[ray]

I've been working with the school career services. I am a CS Major. I've had some interviews and stuff. Been going to company nights, checking the craigslist, Indeed.com (Badass job search btw) and all. Theoretically I could do contract work, but have been looking for a full-time position mostly.

Presumably you are looking for some kind of programming, database administration, systems type job. If that's the case, there should be plenty of opportunities temp/temp-to-hire/contract that you could use as a stop gap until you find a permanent position. These types of opportunities will give you something put on your resume while you continue seeking full time positions, as well as fatten up that bank account.

Never limit your job search to something specific (ie: industry, part-time/full-time, etc). In some cases, companies may not hire you full time unless you have proven you can work in their environment, thus the reason for temp-to-hire positions.

I know one of my headhunters, KForce, has technology related job listings. After you've created a profile and submitted your resume to them online, they will typically have somebody from one of their local offices bring you in for an interview and to discuss what you want and the opportunities they have that you might be a fit for. Furthermore, they will have access to jobs that haven't been made public yet.

http://it.kforce.com/Kforce/it/me.get?web.home&KFORCE1&KFORCE_IT

Headhunters don't cost any money and they are working to find you a job so they get their commissions. They have networks that are larger than most you will find and you may be surprised with the results.

Sometimes they may never find you anything, but if you meet with enough of them I'm sure you'll find a couple that are finding jobs you want.

I personally have 4 headhunters always keeping an eye out for me. I am a consultant right now, and every week or two I receive emails and phone calls from my headhunters giving me updates on what's available. If you can establish relationships with these guys, it will come in handy when you're looking for that 2nd, 3rd and 4th job later down the road.

[MikeD]

Have you contacted local headhunters and temp agencies to meet with them so they can do a lot of the legwork in finding job opportunities?


Presumably you are looking for some kind of programming, database administration, systems type job. If that's the case, there should be plenty of opportunities temp/temp-to-hire/contract that you could use as a stop gap until you find a permanent position. These types of opportunities will give you something put on your resume while you continue seeking full time positions, as well as fatten up that bank account.


Furthermore, they will have access to jobs that haven't been made public yet...Headhunters don't cost any money and they are working to find you a job so they get their commissions. They have networks that are larger than most you will find and you may be surprised with the results.

:stupid: on all of these points. If it's been two months, it's time to expand out a bit. Finding a headhunter, a good one that you can count on, is a great place to start. Ray makes an excellent point about gaining some experience, so you won't go into interviews with nothing to stack beside that degree.

You may also get the chance to experience more than one workplace, so you can get a feel for what environment works for you. Big corporation? Small startup? Medium size business? Each has its' ups and downs, and you may get an idea of where you'll fit best.

Good luck bro. Hope things work out for you.

[ray]

:stupid: on all of these points.

You may have agreed with me here, but the Cowboys still suck!

[MikeD]

You may have agreed with me here, but my fantasy team still sucks!

Fixed your post. ;)

[gwilks98]

What are you looking to do?
Where are you looking to work? Willing to move?

Have you had a professional review your interviewing skills?

[ray]

Have you had a professional review your interviewing skills?

That is another area headhunters can help you fine tune with mock interviews. They're good at critiquing resumes as well.

[mcs328]

Have you tried dice.com?

[avlena]

That is another area headhunters can help you fine tune with mock interviews. They're good at critiquing resumes as well.

One thing I always heard is that a lot of companies won't use head-hunters for entry level positions, because the people they hire at that level aren't worth the fees paid to the headhunter. :shrug: maybe I was looking at the wrong headhunters!

Remember to ask everyone you know if they are aware of any job opportunities - you never know when a connection might prove useful! Plus, it's helpful to your friend too, because he/she will usually get a nice referral bonus!

Any ideas why your interviews didn't result in a job offer? Do you feel they went well, or was there shouldn't that they seemed to want that you didn't have?

[Jeffbx]

Don't be discouraged, it takes a while to find the right position.

Other than what you're doing, my advice is to NETWORK LIKE CRAZY. Meaning, find big vendors like Microsoft, Oracle, Cisco, etc. that are putting on technology shows in your area - they're free. Go & shoot the breeze with everyone there - you'd be amazed at the contacts you can make just from chatting up the presenters and the customers over coffee & stale danish. You don't need to bring any resumes, but if someone mentions they know of an opening, be sure to get their e-mail address!

Also, spread the word to all of your friends, family, neighbors, etc. that you're looking. Many positions are never even posted because they're filled by a referral from a co-worker.

Have you used the placement office at your university? If not, go on back there & start filling out paperwork. Many large companies that go though waves of new hires depend on college referrals for stacks of free resumes (ie. no headhunter referrals).

Most importantly, you have to treat your job search AS your job until you land something. Start early in the morning and put in 8 full hours of effort every day. If you're only putting in an hour or 2 each day it's going to take you a whole lot longer to land something.

Good luck!

[Thesifer]

If you knew PHP, I would hire you to work for Circle William Entertainment for some contract work. But you don't :(. Oh well. Good luck searching though. I have a friend that has done various contract work jobs to build his resume.

And another friend that just got hired on at IGN.com and loves it. (Programmer also)

[bachviet]

You may have agreed with me here, but the Cowboys still suck!
:stupid:

I'm picking the Giants on MNF.

[Memo]

Hey guys, thanks a lot for the information on the job hunt. I'll be setting up an appointment with the university's career services this week to help me along and I also lined up 3 interviews in the coming weeks. One is pretty exciting up in Connecticut with FactSet. They're going to fly me out for a final interview and I found out one of my good friends here is college frat buddies with the CTO. I'm not all that excited about leaving all my friends behind in Austin if I get the job, but it's better than nothing.

To answer some of the questions...


What are you looking to do?
Where are you looking to work? Willing to move?

Have you had a professional review your interviewing skills?
Looking to work as software developer, in Austin primarily, but have expanded out some.


Have you tried dice.com?
Ya and the 240821034 other sites :P


Any ideas why your interviews didn't result in a job offer? Do you feel they went well, or was there shouldn't that they seemed to want that you didn't have?
Some turned out to be more web developer type jobs, which I am not as experienced in. Some were looking for people with higher GPAs. Mine is a little below 3.0 because I was a bit of a slacker, which has been my biggest problem. Every single company that posts on the UT Career website requires at least a 3.0 so you can't even apply or interview with them if you don't have one.

[avlena]

Some turned out to be more web developer type jobs, which I am not as experienced in. Some were looking for people with higher GPAs. Mine is a little below 3.0 because I was a bit of a slacker, which has been my biggest problem. Every single company that posts on the UT Career website requires at least a 3.0 so you can't even apply or interview with them if you don't have one.

Try to apply anyway, and prove to them that you are still a good employee. Plus, check if your major GPA is better then your total GPA, and use that instead.

For the web dev stuff... if it's something you'd be okay working with, then spend time learning. Create your own website, setup a database, and do some PHP or whatever. Then, you can point to it and say: "well, I can pick things up easily, so whatever I don't know now I can figure out.".

[Memo]

Try to apply anyway, and prove to them that you are still a good employee. Plus, check if your major GPA is better then your total GPA, and use that instead.

It's not a matter of not wanting to. The website interfaces with the school and checks your GPA. Companies put a minimum GPA requirement on the application. If you do not meet it then you are not able to apply. :)

[avlena]

It's not a matter of not wanting to. The website interfaces with the school and checks your GPA. Companies put a minimum GPA requirement on the application. If you do not meet it then you are not able to apply. :)

wow, bummer!