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Job Hunting is Exhausting

Carjosse

Carjosse

Sit Nomine Digna
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Location
Montreal, QC
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Political Leaning
Liberal
Finding and applying to jobs is exhausting. I am about to graduate so I am looking for jobs but it is such an arduous task, finding jobs that fit my skillset (business analysis and technology consulting) is hard, companies don't know if they need my skills and those that do seem to want someone very specialized in a specific field or technology. Then a lot of job postings even those on my school job board require ludicrous amounts of experience, I have two internships but not 3-5 years. Companies seem to never want to train anyone seemingly even if they are targeting new graduates. Then there are the companies that seem to think GPA and extra-curriculars mean everything because god forbid someone wants to spend their free time doing hobbies or other things by themselves or with friends. Then there is the figuring out the cover letter and the resume which is the hardest part a lot of the time. I haven't even gotten to the interviews but some of these companies are doing 3-4 rounds of interviews over a couple of months, which is just torture and delaying the inevitable.

It feels bad, all this effort to most of the time yield nothing. I have a lot of networking events coming up so I get to spend a lot of my time standing around awkwardly waiting to talk to people. Any tips to make this process less painful would be appreciated.
 
i've disliked the process every time. i hope that you find a job that you love, though. i've found that persistence is key. i have been thinking about looking around again, though i'm hesitant to leave a relatively secure position.
 
Helix said:
i've disliked the process every time. i hope that you find a job that you love, though. i've found that persistence is key. i have been thinking about looking around again, though i'm hesitant to leave a relatively secure position.
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I did everything right, I studied a major I am told and know is in demand, I networked and met people but those connections seem to have dried up or are not producing anything now that I need them. I was told I would have so many offers but the only people I know who actually do have family connections.
 
Carjosse said:
Finding and applying to jobs is exhausting. I am about to graduate so I am looking for jobs but it is such an arduous task, finding jobs that fit my skillset (business analysis and technology consulting) is hard, companies don't know if they need my skills and those that do seem to want someone very specialized in a specific field or technology. Then a lot of job postings even those on my school job board require ludicrous amounts of experience, I have two internships but not 3-5 years. Companies seem to never want to train anyone seemingly even if they are targeting new graduates. Then there are the companies that seem to think GPA and extra-curriculars mean everything because god forbid someone wants to spend their free time doing hobbies or other things by themselves or with friends. Then there is the figuring out the cover letter and the resume which is the hardest part a lot of the time. I haven't even gotten to the interviews but some of these companies are doing 3-4 rounds of interviews over a couple of months, which is just torture and delaying the inevitable.

It feels bad, all this effort to most of the time yield nothing. I have a lot of networking events coming up so I get to spend a lot of my time standing around awkwardly waiting to talk to people. Any tips to make this process less painful would be appreciated.
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You would be better off just living in mom and dads basement.I've been working almost 50 years now and I'm exhausted.
 
gulfman said:
You would be better off just living in mom and dads basement.I've been working almost 50 years now and I'm exhausted.
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I can see why a lot people take that approach.
 
Carjosse said:
I did everything right, I studied a major I am told and know is in demand, I networked and met people but those connections seem to have dried up or are not producing anything now that I need them. I was told I would have so many offers but the only people I know who actually do have family connections.
Click to expand...

do your best to not get frustrated, and take care of yourself. i was looking for work in 2009, which was utter ****. i am also in a high demand career, but i spent a lot of time in grant based research, so i've had to navigate this a few times. it's no fun, but eventually, you start getting some calls.
 
Helix said:
do your best to not get frustrated, and take care of yourself. i was looking for work in 2009, which was utter ****. i am also in a high demand career, but i spent a lot of time in grant based research, so i've had to navigate this a few times. it's no fun, but eventually, you start getting some calls.
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It is just so discouraging, especially when friends finds jobs so easily, but like I said they all have family connections. I don't have that advantage.
 
Carjosse said:
Finding and applying to jobs is exhausting. I am about to graduate so I am looking for jobs but it is such an arduous task, finding jobs that fit my skillset (business analysis and technology consulting) is hard, companies don't know if they need my skills and those that do seem to want someone very specialized in a specific field or technology. Then a lot of job postings even those on my school job board require ludicrous amounts of experience, I have two internships but not 3-5 years. Companies seem to never want to train anyone seemingly even if they are targeting new graduates. Then there are the companies that seem to think GPA and extra-curriculars mean everything because god forbid someone wants to spend their free time doing hobbies or other things by themselves or with friends. Then there is the figuring out the cover letter and the resume which is the hardest part a lot of the time. I haven't even gotten to the interviews but some of these companies are doing 3-4 rounds of interviews over a couple of months, which is just torture and delaying the inevitable.

It feels bad, all this effort to most of the time yield nothing. I have a lot of networking events coming up so I get to spend a lot of my time standing around awkwardly waiting to talk to people. Any tips to make this process less painful would be appreciated.
Click to expand...

Not sure if the above is a joke or if you are really on the job hunt. If you are in school, it should have a group of people to help you put together a resume. You do have a couple of internships under your belt. Would be good to get recommendations from the managers you worked for. You should try and come up with a better rationale for why your grades are not what they should be. After all school was your job so saying you were concerned about life-balance will be taken badly by most.

Not sure if you are Graduating from McGill. If so, they should have a good alumni association that could help.
 
Carjosse said:
Finding and applying to jobs is exhausting. I am about to graduate so I am looking for jobs but it is such an arduous task, finding jobs that fit my skillset (business analysis and technology consulting) is hard, companies don't know if they need my skills and those that do seem to want someone very specialized in a specific field or technology. Then a lot of job postings even those on my school job board require ludicrous amounts of experience, I have two internships but not 3-5 years. Companies seem to never want to train anyone seemingly even if they are targeting new graduates. Then there are the companies that seem to think GPA and extra-curriculars mean everything because god forbid someone wants to spend their free time doing hobbies or other things by themselves or with friends. Then there is the figuring out the cover letter and the resume which is the hardest part a lot of the time. I haven't even gotten to the interviews but some of these companies are doing 3-4 rounds of interviews over a couple of months, which is just torture and delaying the inevitable.

It feels bad, all this effort to most of the time yield nothing. I have a lot of networking events coming up so I get to spend a lot of my time standing around awkwardly waiting to talk to people. Any tips to make this process less painful would be appreciated.
Click to expand...

Good luck!
 
washunut said:
Not sure if the above is a joke or if you are really on the job hunt. If you are in school, it should have a group of people to help you put together a resume. You do have a couple of internships under your belt. Would be good to get recommendations from the managers you worked for. You should try and come up with a better rationale for why your grades are not what they should be. After all school was your job so saying you were concerned about life-balance will be taken badly by most.

Not sure if you are Graduating from McGill. If so, they should have a good alumni association that could help.
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There are people to help but there is only so much they can do with general tips. I have a very good above average GPA, but a lot companies seem to think anything but perfect is not good enough. I do not attend McGill, sadly my school has a very weak alumni network being a mainly undergrad focused school.
 
Carjosse said:
It is just so discouraging, especially when friends finds jobs so easily, but like I said they all have family connections. I don't have that advantage.
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it is very discouraging. you just do your best to outlast it. i'll admit that i'm afraid of doing it again, which leads me to not look for better opportunities and to put up with **** instead. i might do it differently if i had to do it over again, but honestly, probably not. keep at it, and you'll probably do just fine.
 
Carjosse said:
Finding and applying to jobs is exhausting. I am about to graduate so I am looking for jobs but it is such an arduous task, finding jobs that fit my skillset (business analysis and technology consulting) is hard, companies don't know if they need my skills and those that do seem to want someone very specialized in a specific field or technology. Then a lot of job postings even those on my school job board require ludicrous amounts of experience, I have two internships but not 3-5 years. Companies seem to never want to train anyone seemingly even if they are targeting new graduates. Then there are the companies that seem to think GPA and extra-curriculars mean everything because god forbid someone wants to spend their free time doing hobbies or other things by themselves or with friends. Then there is the figuring out the cover letter and the resume which is the hardest part a lot of the time. I haven't even gotten to the interviews but some of these companies are doing 3-4 rounds of interviews over a couple of months, which is just torture and delaying the inevitable.

It feels bad, all this effort to most of the time yield nothing. I have a lot of networking events coming up so I get to spend a lot of my time standing around awkwardly waiting to talk to people. Any tips to make this process less painful would be appreciated.
Click to expand...

The best way to get a job is to show up in person and apply, or use word of mouth. Many online jobs are just there either because they have a candidate or plan to use import labor, and are legally required to post the job, so they make the job title so rediculous no one can fill it.

For example let's say you are an engineer, but all job postings demand 10-20 years experience knowledge of welding computer reprogramming your own personal jet with a pilots license your own semi truck with a commercial drivers license and a partical accelerator. The first thought would be they were never going to hire you, they already were going to hire their buddy or pull in a guy from india, and that job search was for show.

However many companies are always looking but never list jobs on the internet or in the paper, many places may not be hiring but are still looking, they may need you to further train out of college the guy with 30+ years experience who will retire in 5 years. Try applying to many of the places your job skills cover, and try using word of mouth. Another way is to post your resume online and be honest about it, rather than searching for a job if they need you they may find you.
 
Carjosse said:
There are people to help but there is only so much they can do with general tips. I have a very good above average GPA, but a lot companies seem to think anything but perfect is not good enough. I do not attend McGill, sadly my school has a very weak alumni network being a mainly undergrad focused school.
Click to expand...

The weak alumni association is a bummer. Without a top school and no MBA trying to get into a top consulting firm is probably a waste of time and not good for the ego. Companies do hire junior analysts though, so that should be an avenue. Also if you took a few accounting classes you could try and get a junior accounting job in private industry. By that I mean not one of the audit firms as they will want people who have a B.S. in Accounting. You do have a full year left in school so you could beef up your accounting classes.

Best of luck. It is scary, but no reason why things should not work out. My guess is most people about to graduate have the same jitters as you.
 
Carjosse said:
Finding and applying to jobs is exhausting. I am about to graduate so I am looking for jobs but it is such an arduous task, finding jobs that fit my skillset (business analysis and technology consulting) is hard, companies don't know if they need my skills and those that do seem to want someone very specialized in a specific field or technology. Then a lot of job postings even those on my school job board require ludicrous amounts of experience, I have two internships but not 3-5 years. Companies seem to never want to train anyone seemingly even if they are targeting new graduates. Then there are the companies that seem to think GPA and extra-curriculars mean everything because god forbid someone wants to spend their free time doing hobbies or other things by themselves or with friends. Then there is the figuring out the cover letter and the resume which is the hardest part a lot of the time. I haven't even gotten to the interviews but some of these companies are doing 3-4 rounds of interviews over a couple of months, which is just torture and delaying the inevitable.

It feels bad, all this effort to most of the time yield nothing. I have a lot of networking events coming up so I get to spend a lot of my time standing around awkwardly waiting to talk to people. Any tips to make this process less painful would be appreciated.
Click to expand...

What does a fresh out of school business analysis and technology consulting do exactly?
 
Carjosse said:
I did everything right, I studied a major I am told and know is in demand, I networked and met people but those connections seem to have dried up or are not producing anything now that I need them. I was told I would have so many offers but the only people I know who actually do have family connections.
Click to expand...

Who told you it was in demand? Not saying it is or isn't, just curious who told you and how you arrived at that conclusion. Good luck on the job search btw. Took my younger son 8 months after graduating to find a position he wanted.
 
Carjosse said:
Finding and applying to jobs is exhausting. I am about to graduate so I am looking for jobs but it is such an arduous task, finding jobs that fit my skillset (business analysis and technology consulting) is hard, companies don't know if they need my skills and those that do seem to want someone very specialized in a specific field or technology. Then a lot of job postings even those on my school job board require ludicrous amounts of experience, I have two internships but not 3-5 years. Companies seem to never want to train anyone seemingly even if they are targeting new graduates. Then there are the companies that seem to think GPA and extra-curriculars mean everything because god forbid someone wants to spend their free time doing hobbies or other things by themselves or with friends. Then there is the figuring out the cover letter and the resume which is the hardest part a lot of the time. I haven't even gotten to the interviews but some of these companies are doing 3-4 rounds of interviews over a couple of months, which is just torture and delaying the inevitable.

It feels bad, all this effort to most of the time yield nothing. I have a lot of networking events coming up so I get to spend a lot of my time standing around awkwardly waiting to talk to people. Any tips to make this process less painful would be appreciated.
Click to expand...

The first thing I'll say is not to give into negative thinking. You have to maintain confidence because the moment you lose it others can sense it and it can come through in an interview or networking event. I'm in the process of looking for work after being laid off from the company I worked at for 19 years; it's my first time being laid off so it's all new to me. They've been cutting for the past year and a half so it was my time to pay the piper I suppose. As someone else mentioned, persistence is key as well as knowing you're an asset.
 
First jobs are often the hardest, it's not you, it's just a madhouse. Lightning may strike, or it may take an absurd amount of time. Keep those expenses super low (really for the next 5+ years!!) to keep the stress down.

Canada? Or U.S.?

Those specializations look tough for entry-level. If you were straight up IT or finance or something, it's a skill that easily goes entry-level or related. But Analysts, I'd guess you'd have to find big firms that do that...make a giant list and work their HR?
Consider secondary/related fields, like regular old IT or in any software/tech company, if you're not gonna hold out for the perfect fit for the first job.

#1 IMO was moving to an area that has a lot of job growth and also in the related area (tech or whatever). People who can sit back and just get a top job via the internet/phone, are usually top of the class types. Past that, you'll have to work it.

Just remember that no matter the job, your work ethic and overall awesomeness as an employee is what opens the doors after that initial schooling. The highest paid people I know all worked their way up from meager beginnings with little to no education (in fields that don't require professional/licenses obviously), so it's all about finding a good place and busting ass..that's what will compound over time.

Good luck!
 
Winchester said:
Who told you it was in demand? Not saying it is or isn't, just curious who told you and how you arrived at that conclusion. Good luck on the job search btw. Took my younger son 8 months after graduating to find a position he wanted.
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The school, professors (they are not academics either, they all work in industry), and the recruiters I have talked to. My main problem is companies don't know they need my skills until it is too late or they think they need someone with more technical knowledge, they don't realize that computer programmers usually make bad business people.
 
Carjosse said:
There are people to help but there is only so much they can do with general tips. I have a very good above average GPA, but a lot companies seem to think anything but perfect is not good enough. I do not attend McGill, sadly my school has a very weak alumni network being a mainly undergrad focused school.
Click to expand...

This is one of the issues when pushing the idea that everyone needs a college degree in order to succeed in life. When everyone has a degree then employers must look to what differentiates people. Students with lots of extracurricular activities and perfect grades are going to be the gold standard. Best advice I can give you would be to work on your resume and research interview questions and try to get someone to practice with you. If you have a great interview and make a great first impression it could help you even if you are slightly less qualified then some of the other candidates. Dress appropriately, be personable and quick witted, and show that you are a driven individual with all the tools necessary to succeed at the position they are looking for (even if that is a lie :p ). One good thing to think about is to research the company a bit before the interview so that when asked you can respond with something that would directly relate to the position and company you are interviewing for. Little things like that may sound ridiculous but it can go a long way to proving you are the type of employee they are looking for.
 
Mach said:
First jobs are often the hardest, it's not you, it's just a madhouse. Lightning may strike, or it may take an absurd amount of time. Keep those expenses super low (really for the next 5+ years!!) to keep the stress down.

Canada? Or U.S.?

Those specializations look tough for entry-level. If you were straight up IT or finance or something, it's a skill that easily goes entry-level or related. But Analysts, I'd guess you'd have to find big firms that do that...make a giant list and work their HR?
Consider secondary/related fields, like regular old IT or in any software/tech company, if you're not gonna hold out for the perfect fit for the first job.

#1 IMO was moving to an area that has a lot of job growth and also in the related area (tech or whatever). People who can sit back and just get a top job via the internet/phone, are usually top of the class types. Past that, you'll have to work it.

Just remember that no matter the job, your work ethic and overall awesomeness as an employee is what opens the doors after that initial schooling. The highest paid people I know all worked their way up from meager beginnings with little to no education (in fields that don't require professional/licenses obviously), so it's all about finding a good place and busting ass..that's what will compound over time.

Good luck!
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Business people are bad at tech and tech people are bad at business, my specialization exists to fulfill the role in between but only a handful of companies realize that is what they need, a lot of companies just try and find a tech person who is good at business so they tend to to want programmers but even in the best of cases they know very little of business functions.

We are generalists for a reason. It is a very new field, so the demand is there companies just do not know it.
 
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Winchester said:
What does a fresh out of school business analysis and technology consulting do exactly?
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The really successful ones work for the big consulting firms, others work in analyst type roles, usually either a process analyst or data analyst, solutions architect. You can also go more technical and do database development or similar.

Companies needs us, they just do not know it yet, it is a very new specialization.
 
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washunut said:
The weak alumni association is a bummer. Without a top school and no MBA trying to get into a top consulting firm is probably a waste of time and not good for the ego. Companies do hire junior analysts though, so that should be an avenue. Also if you took a few accounting classes you could try and get a junior accounting job in private industry. By that I mean not one of the audit firms as they will want people who have a B.S. in Accounting. You do have a full year left in school so you could beef up your accounting classes.

Best of luck. It is scary, but no reason why things should not work out. My guess is most people about to graduate have the same jitters as you.
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Consulting firms do hire new grads specifically except they are the ones with perfect GPAs, executive on three student associations, play sports, and volunteer 20 hour a week. Or be like the one guy I know and have an uncle who works there.

I will not touch accounting with a 10 foot pole, I left accounting because it so boring. It pays **** all for an insane amount of work.
 
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Carjosse said:
Finding and applying to jobs is exhausting. I am about to graduate so I am looking for jobs but it is such an arduous task, finding jobs that fit my skillset (business analysis and technology consulting) is hard, companies don't know if they need my skills and those that do seem to want someone very specialized in a specific field or technology. Then a lot of job postings even those on my school job board require ludicrous amounts of experience, I have two internships but not 3-5 years. Companies seem to never want to train anyone seemingly even if they are targeting new graduates. Then there are the companies that seem to think GPA and extra-curriculars mean everything because god forbid someone wants to spend their free time doing hobbies or other things by themselves or with friends. Then there is the figuring out the cover letter and the resume which is the hardest part a lot of the time. I haven't even gotten to the interviews but some of these companies are doing 3-4 rounds of interviews over a couple of months, which is just torture and delaying the inevitable.

It feels bad, all this effort to most of the time yield nothing. I have a lot of networking events coming up so I get to spend a lot of my time standing around awkwardly waiting to talk to people. Any tips to make this process less painful would be appreciated.
Click to expand...

The first job is often the hardest to get because of the bizarre nature of the entry level job market ("61% of “Entry-Level” Jobs Require 3+ Years of Experience"). But as a member of the Lost Generation that first hit the job market at the bottom of the worst recession in 80 years, I'll tell you that persistence is your only option. I won't say how many jobs I applied to back then--but it was quite a few. Figure out what your story is and what you're bringing to the table, and use your resume, cover letter, and interviews to tell it. Internships are good and give you something to build on and draw from when telling that story. Don't get dispirited!
 
I was stuck in a rut during the recession, and I looked to upgrade for a couple years off and on, but working full-time and the job hunt isn't much better than coming out of school.

Perhaps you've looked into it, but it might be worthwhile checking out the local headhunter\hiring agencies. Someone finally referred me to one of those, and they lined up two dream job interviews inside a week, and I was in the new position inside a month, and it's still the best job I've ever had.

For your business/tech hybrid goal, let me suggest you consider a CRM Admin type role. I can tell you many IT folks hate supporting them, and business people aren't generally savvy enough to make full use of these system's features. Salesforce (amongst others) cost a pretty penny, and a guy that can manage, customize, and impress it's value on the business staff is likely to be in demand.
 
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