Post Undergrad Sob Story, any advice? - Page 2

Take a good look at your resume/cover letter. Even pay a professional to review it for you.

My team keeps a public record of all the applicants resumes who made it past initial screening. Looking at qualifications - I sort of laughed, and thought "damn, how the **** did I get this job?". At second look - the resume's were PATHETIC. Lots of very smart people (most with Master's and Ph.D's) on the job market for a job they were over qualified for - and not getting it because their resume was garbage.

Don't be so dead-set on such a particular field. Beggars can't be choosers.

You have a useless degree, but the fact that you have a degree at least lets you get your foot in the door in most companies. Write lots of versions of your resume and send them to lots of different companies in lots of different fields.

+1. Networks are incredibly important when it comes to getting jobs, as they can provide you with direct employment, referrals, introductions, letters of reference or work experience (whether paid or unpaid).

To my chagrin, I was pretty slack at the above whilst I was at university, but friends of mine (who did pol sci) got work as tutors for 1st year undergrad courses, got work as research assistants for professors, or worked on various other small projects. Some were paid for the work (such as tuition) and some were not, but it all ended up on their resumes. As a result of the work, they ended up not only being able to put the work on their resumes, but also got letters of reference from the professors and were put in contact with potential employers.

If you end up using the rest of your GI Bill funding to do (say) a one-year graduate course at uni or college, use that time to network - use your professors, use your student clubs, look at getting internships or other work experience.

With regard to work, think laterally. A lot of people don't start off in their dream job or dream industry - instead, they start at point C, or D, and work their way over to point A, where they want to be.

how do you know you want to go into publishing if you haven't done any internships or had experience in publishing?

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Edited by mcbrown - 10/17/12 at 2:53pm

Check the IB thread for more on Investment banking advice.

Retail banking is always hiring esp mortgage banking. A loan officer (sales) is pretty easy if you want to venture out of your comfort zone and get some sales experience. Commission, but easy in the current environment. With mortgage rates at record lows, also low priced homes and foreclosures, it's pretty easy to get purchases. Even easier is refinances, esp for the underwater people. With Obama, you can refinance almost anything as long as the person has been paying their mortgage. Can go to closing within a month.

If you don't want to do sales, all those loans need processors, closers, managers, underwrriters, then also auditors and compliance.

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Edited by mcbrown - 10/17/12 at 2:53pm

Be willing to move. Your first job probably isn't going to be the one that you stick with for the rest of your life. Get a job elsewhere in the United States then upgrade to a big city or major publisher. If the job takes you to Wyoming, go to Wyoming for a few years to get experience. Then move up.
 

What is it exactly you want to actually do? What do you want your work day to be like? You say you want to work in academic publishing. Does that mean you want to be a janitor in their office building, be their book-keeper, rep textbooks door to door at nearby colleges?

EMartNJ you went to school in Pton? By any chance you're a fellow Tiger? I'm class of '09 ;)! And I don't mean to sound snobbish but if you are indeed a Tiger, it shouldn't be too hard to get a (at least temporary) job no? I know a lot of Princetonians do banking upon graduation but there are so many other options beyond that. And as Claghorn said - "Be willing to move. Your first job probably isn't going to be the one that you stick with for the rest of your life. Get a job elsewhere in the United States then upgrade to a big city or major publisher" - so why don't you move even further? Have you ever considered programs like Princeton in Asia (You don't need to be a Princetonian by the way)? Or else, maybe do Teach for America? Many big firms love to recruit TfA alums. Get some work experience first and then use that first job as a stepping stone to move forward.

Where did you go to school? What was your GPA?

I have a lot of friends that went did tfa, and split opinions on how much it actually helps schools aside, it was a leg up for them in applying to grad school and/or jobs. It's also a job for 2 years, if you can get it.