I have been trying to find an entry-level position for a year with no success. I have tried everything that I can think of:
-Use job boards such as LinkedIn, Indeed, SimpleyHired, WeWorkRemotely, FlexJobs, and other job boards.
-Reach out to my network on LinkedIn asking for assistance.
-Reached out to my career center at my university (they seemed more interested in working with current students).
-Worked with recruiting agencies (had some success, was able to get some interviews, but haven’t contacted me about any recent openings).
-Tried reaching out to my local community and see if they are hiring or looking for part-time workers (they either told me to apply online or they didn’t have anything at this time).
-Taken some online courses to beef up my resume
I have a BA in English and I knew it was already going to be difficult to find something, but I never thought it was going to take this long. I don’t know what to do at this point. I feel I tried everything and I have gotten nowhere. If anyone can provide me some advice, that would be greatly appreciated!
Network in person as much as possible. Not just traditional networking events, but if you can do things around your hobbies and interests, but mention to folks what your career / job targets are that’s a way to find “ins.”
I got a great job in tech strategy because of a public speaking course. I made sure my speech topics leaned towards my career interests and chatted with a fellow student who was an exec assistant which led to the job.
I know it can feel like a crap shoot, but if you speak up around people who feel connected to you, it’s likely at least some of them will want to help.
Yeah, I find professional networking events and conferences and whatnot to be real crapfests. Like I almost never see anybody get hired it’s kinda like public marketing for big companies and they just give you the link to their job applicant page.
My experience has been different, but the professional events I go to are like “Brews and Biotech,” more interest-based, than slick corporate focused. I agree that “job fair” and “recruiting” events are generally not worth it.
Yeah, I’ve learned that job fairs and recruiting events are a waste. They literally tell you to apply online. I think they just go to those events to just look important and that they are hiring. I wish I could find more laid back professional networking events in my area. I think I would have much more success.
This is the way. Have a vibrant, diverse social life where you contribute to group efforts and show off the skills you have. Introduce yourself to everyone with a smile. Be nice to old people and make friends with them - they are the ones who know about jobs that will never be posted to job boards.
How does someone have a vibrant diverse social life with no money?