In a difficult job market you may be doing everything right, but still be having a tough time finding a job. Whether you have just graduated, were recently laid off, or you are ready to change jobs it is important to keep a perspective as you continue your job hunt. It does not come off well to appear desperate in a job interview.
First you need to step up the job-hunting process. It is important that you set a goal and stick to it each week. This goal may mean finding and apply to five or ten jobs a week, every week until you have a good full time job. It can be discouraging if you are looking and not getting any results. If this is the case you may want to have someone look over your resume, and consider getting help with the interview process. Be sure to use every connection you possibly can.
Another thing that you need to do is to make sure that you are qualified for the job. You may consider taking on freelance work or an internship in the field that you want to work in. These things can often open doors to full time work, and even if they do not they will give you more experience to put on your resume. Additionally you may consider getting additional certifications in your career field if possible.
If you cannot find a job you need to have a plan to fall back on. There is no reason not to be working, especially if you do not have unemployment benefits because you are a recent graduate. There are always part-time jobs available. The pay may be low, and the hours not that great but it is better than not making any money at all. A job with evening or night time hours will leave your day free so that you can continue to look for work. Waiting tables, delivering pizzas, working at UPS or a similar company or stocking shelves are all options that pay well, and can help tide you over while you can continue to work.
Finally you should consider your living arrangements. The best situation is one where you can share the high cost of rent with others. This may mean a group of roommates or it may mean moving back home while you continue to look for a job. Although moving back home may not be appealing it can prevent you from going further into debt. However it is a tricky situation and you do not want to become sucked back into this as a permanent solution.
As a caution many recent graduates are considering attending graduate school in the hopes that the job market will be better when they graduate with an advanced degree. If you are considering doing this you should carefully consider the cost effectiveness of the degree and make sure that it will actually be worth the money you put into getting it. You should also avoid accumulating any more debt, because there is no guarantee that the market will improve a great deal in the next two or three years.
