Hi Kally,
I came across your website and I found some really good tips to help me to prepare for the working world. Now that I have graduated, I find it hard to find a job that I like. I had expected job hunting to be smooth sailing and myself landing a dream job within weeks just like some of my classmates did. But weeks after weeks, I did not get any response from the companies I applied to. I wonder if I did something wrong.
I had a professional tailored my resume and I network around people I know, just like you advised us to but to no avail. I’m getting anxious as days passed but I don’t hear from a single recruiter or hiring manager. What is wrong?
My grades may not be the top of the class but I still get decent grades. I did not have any job experience other than occasionally babysitting and waitressing. I did want to go to those job seminars and conferences but I am too shy to mingle around with strangers. I don’t know if it will be a waste of my time either but I am willing to give it a try if it helps me to land my dream job.
I have attached my resume to this email and I hope you can help me to take a look. Please let me know if it is not enough. You can tell, I am quite desperate here. I know the economy is not doing very well and jobs are pretty scarce to go around, however, some of my classmates really do very well for themselves. This makes me green with envy.
Do you think it is just me or am I down on my luck? Love to hear your advice.
Yours Sincerely,
Joe K.
Hi Joe,
Thank you for writing in! I always love to hear from my readers, whether they are new or existing ones.
I had a look at your resume and as you said, you have hired a professional to customize your resume, I don’t find anything wrong with it. The length is appropriate and direct to the point. You might have a problem with your cover letter though if you are using it as a template. You see, a template will not do if you are using it to mass blast to all the jobs you are applying for. It will be advisable for you to tailor each cover letter according to the job you apply. Same goes for your resume too. You don’t need an overhaul of your resume but you do need to tweak a little to suit your application.
Putting yourself out there aka going to job seminars and conferences are a good way to market yourself as an ideal candidate. You may find it hard at first but once you open up the first time, you might find yourself getting used to it. Talking to strangers is not as scary as you think it is, just be your professional self and present your best. Start with a simple hi and a warm smile. You might never know that the person you are approaching is as nervous as you are!
As you mentioned, our economy is not doing very well. Hence, your expectations must be realistic. Everyone wants to land their dream jobs, yours truly as well but as circumstances go, you might need to settle for less in order to gain some exposure and experience for yourself. One cannot expect to soar high when one just learned how to walk. A realistic move will be to aim to enter your dream industry rather than a particular job or company. Work yourself up from there, accept difficult challenges and you will learn a lot of things.
You will secure your dream job one day but you must work hard at it. A dynasty is not built overnight. Don’t keep comparing yourself with your classmates. That will just pull you down further. The more desperate you appear, the lesser confidence you have for yourself. It will do more harm than good in finding a job you want. In fact, it is great that you have classmates that are already doing well for themselves. Try to tap on these opportunities and see if they can get you into their companies.
Don’t snub your nose at smaller and young start-ups. All big organizations begin as a startup. You may even grow more at a startup because you have to do everything yourself. And as a pioneer, you will have the advantage to grow together with the company.
There are many ways to land yourself in your dream job, don’t limit yourself to only one way. Be creative and constantly seek out new opportunities in different methods like maximizing your LinkedIn account and your networking circle. You might be just a few steps closer to getting that job you wanted for a long time.
I wish you all the best.
Regards, Kally@MiddleMe.net
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