I had a job interview on Wednesday and it got me to thinking about how utterly clueless I used to be about the job hunting process. When I graduated from college and moved to Tampa six years ago (six years!!!) I had an unbelievable case of new graduate arrogance and new graduate naivety. I don't know if other new graduates think the same way, but I was certain that a college degree guaranteed success. I majored in public relations and was sure that a fabulous career at a hip PR agency was only an application or two away. I was so sure of this that I moved from Oklahoma to Florida with no job prospects and only $1,000 in my bank account. I didn't know anyone in Florida, and had never even been to the state, but I wasn't worried in the least. People tell me I was really brave, and I let them think that, but I was really very naive.
A few weeks after the move, I slowly began to realize that getting a job was not as easy as I'd thought. Apparently employers valued experience more than a degree. While browsing through the want ads one Sunday afternoon I came across an ad that screamed Entry-level Marketing and Public Relations!!!! Work with Fortune 500 companies!!! NO EXPERIENCE NECESSARY!!!! I thought the ad sounded promising so I called the number and went in for an interview the next day. When I arrived, I was immediately wary. A stereo in the corner blared rock music and several people awaited interviews in a small, dingy lobby. No one, including the employees, appeared to be over the age of 25. A "manager" eventually called me into his office and gushed about how awesome the job was, telling me that I needed to come in the next day for a field test. The manager's enthusiasm was catching and I agreed to go, but my then boyfriend (now husband) talked me out of it. He had had an nearly identical experience with a company displaying a similar, over punctuated ad and the position turned out to be nothing more than unsolicited, door-to-door sales. His company made him wander around a mall for eight hours so that he could try and sell "spa packages" to anyone who would listen. I've since met several other people who have had terrible experiences with these type of companies. Lessons learned: 1. Avoid ads with capitalization and exclamation marks. 2. If the ad sounds to good to be true, it is.
One another occasion I saw a listing in the paper for a pharmaceutical sales rep. I called the number and the woman who answered asked me to come in for an interview. "Wow," I thought "I actually have an interview with a pharmaceutical company! Sales reps make a lot of money and they get their own cars too. This is awesome!" I drove to the office, checked in with the receptionist, and immediately felt wary (again). The ad was actually placed, not by a pharmaceutical company, but by a temp agency, and when I went in to speak with a career counselor we didn't even discuss pharmaceutical sales. The woman was more interested in setting me up with another client than getting me a job and would call me at home to try and persuade me to go on a date with the guy. Nevertheless, I desperately need a job and the temp agency eventually found me a position at a small software company. The job supposedly involved "many hats," but as it turned out, my sole responsibility was cold calling HR managers to try and make appointments for the sales department. I despise making unsolicited calls and cannot force myself to do it. In the month or so I was there I only spoke to one HR person, the rest of the time I dialed and hung up or purposely called companies with automated systems, knowing I'd never get through. I couldn't quit because I'd signed a contract with the temp agency and they would charge me a $1,000 for not staying at least three months. Thankfully, the software company very nicely fired me and arranged it so I wouldn't have to pay the fee. They must have wondered why they never heard me talking on the phone. Lessons Learned: 1. Don't sign contracts with shady temp agencies. 2. Don't accept a job that has anything to do with cold calling 3. If the ad sounds to good to be true, it is (again).
After the cold calling debacle, I worked in retail for a few months, and with loans from my now husband barely scraped by making $8.10 an hour. This was utterly depressing because I had worked in the same department for the same company in college, but for more money. I didn't make enough to pay my bills and my employer actually garnished my wages because I had fallen behind on making payments to their store credit card. While I was there someone wandered into the store and tried to sell me a spa package. No joke.
A few months after I moved to Tampa, a neighbor eventually got me a job as a claims adjuster at a local insurance company. Even though the job had nothing to do with PR, and even though I swore in college that I'd never work in a field unrelated to my major (ha!), it was a normal office job, it paid well, and I eagerly and ecstatically accepted the position. I got the job because the neighbor put in a good word for me and because I had insurance experience (in college I also worked at an insurance claims call center). Lessons learned: 1. Experience is much more important than a degree! 2. Having a degree (or two) does not guarantee success. 3. When it comes to job hunting, don't be arrogant or the job gods will humble you.
I don't want to even get started on the ridiculous things I said in interviews. Let's just say I used to answer the standard "tell me about yourself" question like I was dictating a personal ad. While I am in no way a job hunting expert now, and while I'm sure I have many lessons yet to learn (like don't quit one job without having another), I like to think I am much more savvy at 28 than I was at 22, and that eventually I will find a job I like (or can at least tolerate) in a field related to my education. I refuse to give up hope!
What about the rest of you out there? Were you able to find a job related to your degree? Or are you working in a completely unrelated field? How did your job search go right after you graduated? Did any of you have the same delusions I had? Do tell.
