Post Undergrad Sob Story, any advice? - Page 5

You can't recieve a Pell grant for graduate school. You should already know this.

+1

 

Though I am not sure the passive attitude warrants therapy.

 

What states have you looked for (real) jobs in? (not part time, admin type work)

When do you plan on trying to at least contact some alumni?

When will you call the Princeton publishing press about an internship or some sort of opportunity? (and since, as you pointed out, you still have money left over from your service, now is as good a time as any to intern)

Most people don't do well in interviews. It's a strange environment with a complete stranger judging you. I myself struggle with networking, interviewing, etc. It doesn't come second nature to me, so I can understand you're feeling. But keep in mind:

When money is going out and nothing is coming in, it will put pressure on you.

Also as time passes and you haven't gotten a good offer, it'll put pressure on you too.

Your mindset will be different which will also change how you behave in an interview which may cause you to be turned down. it's a vicious cycle

OP, there's some decent advice in this thread. Gibonius' post in particular should be noted, because when an employer receives CVs the vast majority appear to be stock and are tossed out like junk mail. Even if an employer specifies no cover letter and gives no contact name, at least address the email to the company and department if possible (e.g. 'Dear Widget Systems hiring manager' or something similar). A quick line about the position and where you heard about it should always be added as well (e.g. I read about your open position for a...from...) A huge portion of the CVs an employer receives will just say 'To Whom it May Concern' or something similar which might as well say 'I copied and pasted this because I'm too lazy or incompetent to make sure things are done right even when it concerns me personally and this way I can send my generic CV to hundreds of employers and still have time for Monday Night Football'.

Ignore Teger and mcbrown.
Edited by why - 10/15/12 at 5:33am

i sincerely bet they wouldn't. in this job environment there are probably princeton grads who would work full time for a year post-undergrad for free in publishing because they just want to work in publishing and can afford to do so because their rich parents will help them to get the experience. you're delusional if you think any company is starved for free work.

that's not to say you shouldn't try. you're basically in the worst position you could be in. but that is, psychologically, a good place to be, because you have nothing to lose. try anything. you SHOULD do what Teger suggested, i'm just saying it's greater than 99% unlikely anything will come of it. if there is one thing i have learned in my 8 years of working as an adult... some of the best deals i've had the opportunity to work on came from the most unlikely sources/scenarios. often times from people i was smug about behind closed doors because i was arrogant and thought i knew everything. don't discount anyone or any option. it can take something as simple as you finding something in common with a random person you expected nothing of. this is relationship building. the very core of networking.

What's the harm in giving them a call? It's a great resource to ask people how they got into their respective positions -- people love talking about themselves.

TRUTH.

Despise that word, but agreed.

Just be sure not to burn any bridges.

..

+1

Just make sure you start off by saying you need their "advice". People get off hearing that and you'll be showered with information you would have had to torture people for.

This seems to be one of many threads where a lot of solid advice is given (granted it's not presented in the most digestible manner) but the OP seems to give another excuse on why they shouldn't try. I tend to do the same.

Inaction is the easier path and rationalizing inaction becomes instinctual because of experience. We get blinded by our knowledge of odds and probability and give up because it's not in our favor.

What we forget is that odds is an analysis of the past, and at that moment when it's happening, odds have zero influence on the future.

People don't love talking about themselves when a stranger calls them during a work day and transparently feigns ignorance in order to ask for an internship.

Haha yes, cold calling would be terrible form. A brief introductory email about himself and why he's contacting them would suffice. It's best to do this with people you have some kind of connection with - why I and others stress alumni and professors, but in his situation it wouldn't kill him to do it with total strangers in the field he's interested in. Many won't bother responding (because they're busy, lazy, assholes, forgetful, etc.) but some saints will - the range of responses will be brief to incredibly helpful. The helpful responses tend to be thoughtful so they usually take time before you hear back (maybe a week or so).