Job Searches Are Frustrating

With nearly a full month between my last final of the fall semester and the first day of classes in the spring, I was determined to spend most of my break actively seeking employment, and for the most part, I have met this goal. Nevertheless, with a little over a week left until classes resume, I am still applying for job after job, so many that I had to make a list — or at least update the list that I had started previously — in order to track them all and not waste time applying for the same position multiple times.

Unfortunately, seeing as I am enrolled in school until the middle of May, I probably don’t get a second look at some of the jobs for which I am applying. Without being told otherwise, I assume that they are simply bypassing me for someone who is available sooner than I am, which is perfectly fine. Nevertheless, applying for two to three jobs a day, only to be told “thanks but no thanks” by an average of one position a day is getting a little disheartening.I didn’t really think that finding a job would be super easy; maybe I was deluded into the ease of getting interviews when I had my first on-campus interview two months into the fall semester. Other positions came and went, and I felt that my experience over some other candidates might set me apart. Who wouldn’t want to hire someone that has over 10 years of full-time work experience, especially for these positions that are targeted at new college graduates with little “real world” experience outside of summer internships and whatnot.

I didn’t expect this to be easy, and maybe thinking this way now will be a moot point when spring recruitment season kicks off again. Maybe it’s my fault for wanting to find a job back in Utah sooner rather than later. Truth is, I don’t really want to live in Chicago and the type of job I want must not be in Champaign because I have yet to see it.

Maybe one of the 30+ pending job applications that I still have will come to fruition over the next few months. Maybe seeking a CPA, CFA, or CFP will actually make it easier to find a job… though I don’t really want to be an accountant long-term. I guess I should keep my focus on the ultimate goal, which is finding a place where I can learn the skills I need to become a successful financial planner down the road. Who knows if that job is out there right now, but it doesn’t hurt to keep looking. If all else fails, maybe this will be the time that Jeopardy will call me after taking the test again yesterday. We can only hope for things to turn out for the better.

Until next time…