sweet. i would hate to be job hunting right now.....such crap out there right now. even when the economy was great, job hunting sucked ass...especially if you don't have experience. The jobs are fucking horrible...the interviews are lame as hell....just hate that whole scene..... Try to do your own thing...even if its small time shit.....
If by some chance you are indirectly conveying that thought to your potential employers, it is probably hurting your chances. Not saying you are! But "I have no experience and I'm hot shit" is not a winning combination for most employers. barfo
I'm by no means cocky, but I am a confident individual and believe I interview well. I went into the career center a few times to do mock interviews and was told every time that I was just about perfect (they didn't give me things to really improve upon). What I do mean is that I thought I would have received multiple offers by now given my excellent academic, internship and extracurricular activities history. Preferably an entry-level technical consulting opportunity with a leading company like IBM, Accenture, Navigant or BearingPoint. I think I even applied to McKinsey but they pretty much don't reply to you if you didn't go to an Ivy League school (or Stanford). The two schools I have targeted for graduate work are Harvard and Carnegie-Mellon. And I think that these aren't unrealistic aspirations. So no, I don't think I am the greatest thing to touch the earth, but I'm confident and with good reason. Out of just about anyone who is fresh out of college, I think that I would be hearing back about more opportunities. And I'm not even getting interviews. That being said, I have a list of about 35 companies with positions that I will try to apply for, including many I found off the list of "Oregon's 100 Fastest Growing Companies" list in the Portland Business Journal. I'm also planning to apply to MercyCorp, and may throw my hat into the ring for Teach For America again (I was in the final round of interviews last spring but had to withdraw because a surgery was going to push back my graduation date). The biggest problem is that I still don't know what I want to do. I have discovered several things that I don't want to do (such as computer programming) but, since many of my prior work experiences are involved with that line of work, people looking at my resume often assume that I am looking for a backroom technical job. Although it may not have been the case five years ago, I enjoy working with people much more than computers, but have the aptitude for both. If I had more knowledge and skills, I would start my own company right now. As it is, I have done some various consulting work helping to test user interface functionality on a proprietary electronic device. I'm also in the process of establishing a family-run land development company (mainly for tax purposes) to control my family's assets. But as it is, I am looking to get into a company and move up. I wish my interview with Pacific Crest Securities had gone better a few months ago.
Well, you may have noticed the economy isn't so good right now. And most companies are reducing staff, not hiring. So you have that to fight against. On the other hand, you have that as a good excuse if you don't find anything. You might want to accelerate your plans to go to grad school, then - might be a better option than unemployment. Are your classmates getting interviews? If so, then you are probably doing something non-optimal. If no one your age is getting interviews, then see above. That might indeed be your biggest problem. If I'm an employer, why would I want to hire some kid who doesn't know whether the job I'm trying to fill is really what he wants to do? Why didn't it? barfo
Except they are cutting grants, scholarships and making it more difficult to get financail aid. Of course one could try to get a part time job . . . if you can find one in this economy.
Nice resume. During better times you would be getting interviews. But even during better times, I have fould the best jobs, coming right out of school, comes from contacts. (Getting that job that is never posted) I think there is some truth to: "it's not what you know, it's who you know." So my 2 cents is network. You sound like a people person. Join organizations, committees, networking groups. Buy a lot lunches to "learn" about the industry while you are really fishing for a job. It no fun, sometimes it can be annoying . . . but your looking for a business related job and business owners appreciate a self driven person. Probably already went over this at the career center . . . but I wonder if it gets emphized enough. I joined an athletic club I really couldn't afford . . . but it led to my first job.
To me, its a bit long and repetative in parts. 4 one-sentence (well, the first is technically two) paragraphs to start the letter, to me is kind of annoying. I would eliminate why your previous employer downsized and anything negative-sounding (including not having a college degree...always stay positive in the letter). You also say you don't shop there, which is uncessary...you don't need a full disclosure. If you get an interview, go to a trader joe's before it..pick 3 random items as your "favorites" and mention that in your interview...or look online and then try it. I always mention where I saw the job opening as the first paragraph of the letter, also I start it off stating that I feel that I am the ideal candidate for the job, then list my reasons. Here's my chopped up version, which is a little more to the point and more agressive, could use a little work but then i'd have to charge you .
I agree with Agent's critique. You should chop that cover letter down to something similar to what he has displayed.
Sorry about that. I suppose I should have used another example. Here's what was listed on Trader Joe's on-line application: Heh, I did kind of wonder what "WOW" meant.
Hey, ABM. As a graphic designer, I work with two printers in Portland and one here in Boise. I'll ask around for you. I'm sure you know, though, that the printing business seems to be taking a pretty big hit, and the Pacific Northwest is also sucking hard teat right now.
Boy, don't I know it. Thanks for anything you might be able to do. I'm dead serious about that reward, too. Dead serious. BTW, I'll never forget that Blazer Bash we did and your wife was so kind to take all those picture for us. Oh, and I won't even mention the awesome shot she and Blaze did together. That was commercial quality stuff.
My thoughts: This paragraph is a waste of space. They know it's a resume, and they know you want to apply. Don't tell them stuff they already know. You can just delete that entirely. Your next paragraph makes a much stronger beginning. How about "Considering my current location", or even better yet, "Since I currently live in Atlanta". Simple language is almost always best, unless you are applying for a position as a professor of English. I'd delete that - they know you want an interview, you don't have to tell them. And the following sentence makes it clear anyway. There are a lot! of exclamation! points! in your! letter! However, given the ad you were responding to, it may be appropriate to have a lot. Not sure. Good luck. barfo
Great insights, thanks! (oops, exclamation point. ) They have a number of stores here in Atlanta, so I wasn't sure how to approach that. There's a store about 10 miles away from our house. I suppose that's why I used the "proximity" term. I hear ya, though. Thanks again....
I don't know if this is the place to put it, but front page of the O today is Intel announcing 1,000 jobs in Hillsboro will be cut. Everybody needs to hang in there . . . should see a turn around next year.
Ah, I didn't realize they had stores in Atlanta. In that case, "the nearest store is about 10 miles away" might be better (although, they might consider that evidence of inadequate determination on your part - what's keeping you from driving those 10 miles?). barfo
