Wanted: A Job

Remember when you were in like, elementary school and people would always tell you to “never give up.”  Now, I’m not completely sure what exactly it was that we weren’t supposed to give up on (maybe it was our multiplication tables?), but over a decade later and the cheesy saying is still relevant.

The hardest part about being a twenty-something is finding your place in the “real world.”  And a key part of that is finding a job; and all twenty-somethings know this is no easy task.  Even before I graduated college, I was desperately searching for the “perfect” job.  I had a full-time job offer on the table (that actually included doing something that I went to school for), but I really questioned whether it was the right job for me.  Having a job offer was convenient, but deep down I knew it wasn’t the right job for me, and I knew I wouldn’t be happy doing it.  So I turned it down.  I think it’s most importance to be happy with what you’re doing.  And with that idea in mind, I began my job search.

I searched. And searched. And searched…

For well over a year I was a frequent visitor to indeed.com, careerbuilder.com, monster.com, linkedin.com, and basically every other job site you can imagine.  It was tedious, time consuming, overwhelming and discouraging.  Wasting (literally) over a dozen hours a week looking for a job was getting old.  Why couldn’t the “perfect” job show up?  And how long was I going to have to be underemployed?!

It didn’t come quickly, that’s for sure.  I had to wait a long time.  One year and 4 months to be exact.  I graduated in May 2011 and have only recently found the perfect job.  Next week, I’ll be starting my new job in Boston.  And honestly? I couldn’t be happier that I stuck it out and waited for a great job to come along.  Sure, there were “okay” jobs that I saw, but I only applied to jobs that I knew I do and would truly love doing.

I’m not writing this to brag but to tell you to be patient with your search and to not give up.  I wanted to let you know that it could take you over a year until you have your “success story.”  Keep looking.  The right job will come along.  I didn’t do anything special.  I didn’t know anyone who had an “in.” I found my job by continuously browsing indeed.com.  I didn’t have to pay for fancy websites or for people that would find a job for me.  It took time and effort from myself, and a little outside help to make sure that my cover letter and resume were flawless.

I remember thinking, with all these new graduates why would any company want someone who’s been out of school for over a year? Why I don’t really know why, I do know that eventually, someone will see the value in you.  Seriously, don’t give up.  Keep networking, keep posting your resume and most importantly, don’t settle for just anything.

Do you have any other ideas to share with twenty-somethings searching for their “perfect” job?  Share them with us, @20sTweet.

~J