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Post Undergrad Sob Story, any advice?

imschatz

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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.
 

why

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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.
 

Journeyman

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Take an unpaid internship in dc. Tons of them on the hill and federal agencies. They love ppl with military experience. Like mentioned before you get advantages when applying for govt jobs with that experience. Tons of research asst jobs at think tanks here too. Look up fellow ships that may pay you something as well.

As I keep carping on in these career sob stories, have you reached out to the alumni network at school? Your poli sci professors? Tell them your interests and predicament (of course mentioning the sacrifices made while on duty) and ask for suggestions of resources to tap.



+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.
 
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ethanm

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References have been a problem for me my entire life. In addition to being minimally social I never had problems with assignments or anything like that so I never developed relationships with professors. It's ironic that studens swho struggled and didn't receive the grades I did would be able to get glowing references where I have been denied because my professor could not remember who I was. C'est la vie!

Anyway, I've expanded my search to include administrative assistant type jobs at any office in the hopes of getting into something different or with more responsibility a few years down the line.
 
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CYstyle

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

ethanm

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

Mostly a hunch. I've always been a pretty big reader and actually read monographs in my spare time.

Unpaid internships? Admin roles? Aim higher! You have a HUGE advantage over most of your peers - you have done hard work with real stakes in stressful situations. You don't need internships on your resume - you already have something way better than that!
With all sincerity, you should look for jobs at mid-tier Wall Street banks (e.g. Jefferies), if you want to be in New York and draw a decent salary. Wall Street is one place that doesn't care about your major, just your raw ability. And military service is considered a huge plus at the firms that don't normally draw Harvard and Princeton grads - it implies a level of discipline, maturity and polish that most recent graduates lack.
You're more marketable than you realize. You just have to find the places that value what you have to offer. Sadly, I don't think those places are publishing companies.

Internships mostly require you to be a student so they don't have to pay you. I have no idea what I would do at a bank, I'm not a natural salesman and I don't know a thing about finance.
 

CYstyle

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Internships mostly require you to be a student so they don't have to pay you. I have no idea what I would do at a bank, I'm not a natural salesman and I don't know a thing about finance.


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.
 

Claghorn

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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.
 

AldenPyle

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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?
 
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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.
 

ethanm

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I just grew up here. I'm sure I would have a job by now with a degree from Princeton. Teach For America is a bullshit organization, by the way.
 

dfagdfsh

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

hookem12387

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I just grew up here. I'm sure I would have a job by now with a degree from Princeton. Teach For America is a bullshit organization, by the way.
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.
 

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