How Long?

[ld2186]

Just wondering how long it took you guys to find your first job out of college?

I'm a recent graduate, I've been actively looking in the Boston area for the past 3 weeks or so. I know that's not really that much time at all. I'm just trying to figure out how long of a time frame this whole search process will last......

To be honet, I'm already feeling pretty stressed and discouraged. Any thoughts or advice? Would you recommend working part time or temping for the time being, or should I just focus solely on the job search? Thanks

[pinkdaisy]

I graduated in June, and found my first job that August. Most people that I graduated with found jobs within 3-6 months of graduating, depending on their chosen field. I started looking around March, but the interview requests started coming much more frequently after I actually graduated. I kept my part time retail job while I was looking--it gave me a little money (I was living at home at the time, so that's all I really needed) and kept me from driving myself crazy waiting by the phone for calls from potential employers. I would say if you could do something like temping to occupy your time while looking, it's not a bad idea--at least you are doing something!

[ut_bill]

Graduated in May '04, got the job offer in September and started in October of that year. It was hard to wait as my friends were getting jobs, but I was open to move anywhere.

My brother moved to Chicago after college and it took him about 6 months to find a job because he was looking specifically in one city. He had to be a server/host at a restaurant near where he lived to pay the bills. I had some money saved up so I was ok for a little while, but I was living cheap and only a couple weeks away from having to find a part time job of some kind so I could eat.

It'll all work out in the end (even though you're probably tired of hearing it).

[caostotale]

I've worked in almost 10 places since college but I've never "found" anything that I would consider my job. Just places I disappear to in the hours during the daytime. The job market is helter-skelter and college degrees don't really mean anything at all compared to interview savvy and work experience. I mean, after those elements are secure, the degree is meaningful, but you can't depend on it for much else. I've had better luck getting jobs by acing bullshit "skill tests" in dumbassed retard things like making Excel spreadsheets and properly editing Word documents.

Try to make the right friends and that will do more for you than any crap on your resume could ever do. HR departments and recruiters make it easy to hate your life and feel worthless and knowing the right person can help manuever you around their shoehorning bullcrap, tedious interview marathons, and unaccountable soul-sucking nonsense.

Oh yeah, you should immediately get a retail or restaurant job because you're likely going to need it, maybe for a few years even!

[winneythepooh7]

I found my first job in my field within a month of graduating college. I worked in restaurants until then, myself.

Keep in mind that most jobs right out of college are going to be entry-level and a stepping-stone, at best.

[AshleyJordan]

My first entry-level job didn't take me very long to find at all but I started p/t as a freshman in college and then I got promoted from p/t to f/t when I was still in undergrad, so I never really "looked" until finishing grad school. My first job out of grad school took me about a month to find (but I turned down a couple of offers,) and then this job took me a few months, too.

[Tiff58]

I graduated in June, 2004 and had my job in May, 2004, I think. But I started looking/interviewing in November, 2003....so it took forever. I would definitely recommend temping while you are interviewing. Also, try to work with career services at your school. They should be able to help with mock interviews, and possible even set you up with actual interviews.

[AshleyJordan]

Good point. I had a pretty big freelance project to keep my afloat while I was looking!

[awhitmer83]

I graduated in May 2006, got my license in June, and didn't find a job until November. It was a very frustrating time! The day I got my job offer, I was actually filling out paperwork to be a substitute teacher - in my area, it pays $100 if you have a master's degree, which is better than nothing.

[beeblebrox]

Wow, everyone seems to have gotten their job pretty quickly. When I finished graduate school in May 2005 (I think that I officially ended in Dec. 2004), it took me about a year to find a job in Chicago. I worked and temped in between that. I started my job in May 2006.

[SmilesSoSweet]

I graduated from college back in June 2001. My first full time job was my part-time paid internship I had as a senior that turned into a full time job. Most of my classmates in the major also had the same set up - internship turned to full time job.

[wordsmith]

I did a national volunteer program my first year out of college, so I was placed at a job. By job, I mean stipended volunteer position, i.e. an actual job that I was compensated for doing in room, board, and a personal stipend, vs. a salary. My first salaried job grew out of that volunteer placement.

[ugarachel82]

Here's the scoop on my job situation. I graduated in December of 04 with a teaching degree and certification in my home state. Because it was December, and because I really SUCKED at interviews, I didn't get an offer until Summer of 05. Until then, I substitute taught and worked retail part-time while living at home. I also worked at the camp I worked at through college that summer. My situation has changed a lot since then, and where you work while you are doing your job search really depends a lot on your field. If you can juggle it, it really does look good to be doing SOMETHING other than sitting idle during your job search, IMO. But this may be common knowledge.

[SpaceMonkey]

I went to a Masters program that I ended up withdrawing from after a few months, so I didn't start looking for a job until after I moved back home. For about 7 months, I was living in upstate NY and looking for a job in Washington, DC, working part-time while living at home. I didn't really get anywhere until I moved here at the end of the 7th month. Still no job at that time, but I had found a summer sublet on one of my trips down here for an interview. After I moved here that summer, it only took me a couple of weeks.