Job hunting is the worst job

I'm graduating next month from my 2-year Master's. :smartass: It has been a hell of a long road, mostly because I can't stand being in school. I love to be out there working and earning my money. Sitting for hours on end in a classroom listening to lectures and doing group projects is not my idea of fun.

The worst part however, is I have yet to find a job for after graduation. I'm graduating from an MBA, so the pressure is on to find something quick. The whole point of the degree, after all, is to get a better paying job. Everyone is always asking if we've found something, or what we're doing to find something, or what we'll do if we don't find anything.

I'm trying to be positive, because realistically I know that most graduates don't find anything for a few months. But I'm the youngest person in the program with the least experience and I'm starting to think I'm not going to find anything ever. :frown: I feel very underqualified for everything and anything.

Thanks for listening, just going through a rough patch and it feels better to get it out there!!

Don't worry so much. When I graduated with my Master's degree, only about 5 people in my graduating class had found a job. It takes time. It can even take up to a year. The point is to get experience. You may have to do an unpaid internship or volunteer work as a way to get your foot in the door. You can, if you're lucky, find a paid internship. Don't worry what other's think or say. The pressure you give yourself is enough and you don't need pressure from outside sources. I've been in your spot before. Everything will work out. Just don't have high expectations at first. It takes time and you have to build your experience. Don't be afraid to take a job below your pay grade. You have to start at the bottom, even with a Master's. LOL yeah that sounds weird huh? You'd think a Master's would put you ahead of the bunch, but what I learned is it's all about WHO you know. I have known VERY unqualified people get jobs as supervisors just based on who they know. It sucks but it's how our world works. The only other way to get ahead is start at the bottom, impress people with your skills and worth ethic and slowly move up. Good luck !

Stay positive! You will find something that you will enjoy, and, that you get paid well doing! I remember when I graduated right after, it was very hard getting a job. The company I work for now, I, actually took the job because I was desperate at the time! I needed to make money, and, when they offered the job to me I took it. I had bills to pay! Thinking I was just going to work there for awhile until I found something better (I was young at the time). YEARS later, I am still here, have grown with the company, have been promoted and make a really good living at what I do and have benefits. Plus I love the people I work with and love what I do. Even if you get a job at first you may not like and or think is not going to turn out as you expect it, it, might be exactly what your looking for, and, might be the best choice you make. Take that in mind as well when your looking.

Best of luck! AND stay positive!

Couldn't agree with you more....looking for work is wicked. Keep at it! You got your Masters; you can do this too. Persistence is the key. Are you fluent in both French and English? If so, then the world is your oyster, my friend! Good luck. :smartass:

Finding a job is a full time job to begin with. After moving from Hamilton to Regina took me awhile because everyone thinks I am moving back to Ontario asap. Yes we are moving back but every time husband tells his work he is moving they offer him something better. Persistence is the key I find and checking the job boards and doing random emails to HR departments for companies you would like to work for.
My husband graduated with a PhD from Trent University in May 2014 and it took awhile to find a job in his field. Then in July he got the offer for University of Regina - meant we moved but it's been an experience living out west.
Have you thought of relocating? Lots of jobs out west :)

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Originally Posted by MTLcouponer

I'm graduating next month from my 2-year Master's. :smartass: It has been a hell of a long road, mostly because I can't stand being in school. I love to be out there working and earning my money. Sitting for hours on end in a classroom listening to lectures and doing group projects is not my idea of fun.

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Congratulations on your upcoming graduate degree.
The school you're attending, do they have a placement center? Is there any job fairs at the school? Do they have any employers coming to the school to recruit, in the next few months?

I have posted in Personal Finance section that Lowes, Home Depot and Loblaws are planning to hire. Usually they hire at all levels. Just a thought....

oh god job hunting is the worst. Good luck! Don't worryabout being young/not. Being young is actually on your side nowadays because places generally don't like paying more expensive people with more experience when they are just starting out at a new company. You'll find something in no time. Don't worry if it ends up being contract work. That's pretty normal nowadays too and a great way to make contacts and build experience and see what you truly want

Thank you everyone for the encouragement! I feel much better :) It's a waiting game after all!

Totally feel you. I just graduated in December and have been looking since before then. I'm actually looking outside of the province since there seems to be quite a few jobs in my field out west. Best of luck to you! :-)

First off, Congratulations on the 2-year MBA! If it's similar to the program out here, the 2-year MBA is a really involved program and requires high academic standing on your undergraduate degree! Awesome job!

Good luck on the hunt! Hang in there! I remember that feeling coming out of university... its like you are so ready to just get on with your life and the light at the end of that tunnel is sooooo close and once you get that job its like whoosh your on your way but waiting for that job is so painful. I didn't have trouble finding an open position in my field when I got my BBA, but I choked on the case study stage of the interview process and that set me back 3 months until I could apply again. The company I wanted to work for requires a written case study, then a presentation to the hiring managers and then you get to an interview. The only reason I didn't look elsewhere was that I was already working for them part-time in a sales role. Stick in there! You will be well on your way soon!

Chin up! Most of us have been in a similar position of job hunting. Be patient and think positive, kept telling yourself that the right opportunity will come I've been out of the workforce raising my son for the last 2 years so I am preparing myself mentally for that challenge as well. Believe me, I will all work out in the end. There is a lot of great advice given by other SC members so that should help. Felicitations et bonne chance!

Being an immigrant in Canada the biggest thing this country ever taught me is "Patience" .
At ER have patience
to see specialist have patience
for PR card renewal have patience
to get a decent house in your budget have patience

this country will give you everything just when the time is right.. Don't loose hope... Race has just begun.

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Originally Posted by lp11

Being an immigrant in Canada the biggest thing this country ever taught me is "Patience" .
At ER have patience
to see specialist have patience
for PR card renewal have patience
to get a decent house in your budget have patience

this country will give you everything just when the time is right.. Don't loose hope... Race has just begun.

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it's "lose" NOT "loose" hope!!

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Originally Posted by frugal50

it's "lose" NOT "loose" hope!!

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thanks for correcting it

Go wherever the JOB is. Don't wait for the job to come to you . Most people just try to look for a job within their own place of residence, when there are lots of jobs/opportunities available in other places.

Be flexible & if it means moving out of your comfort zone & moving to another city/area or even the US then so be it.

You have NO idea how hard it is to get into a MBA programme & to actually finish it . So the very fact that you did it , means you are already well qualified, even though you are underestimating yourself.

Once you start working , you will find that most of the corporate world is full of BS . Its all about WHO you know and not so much WHAT you know. Its more style over substance .

Its more about SOFT SKILLS ( 70 % ) like communication skills, personality, presentation skills, listening skills, being diplomatic, body language etc & less about HARD SKILLS ( 30 % )..like Math , Physics, Accounting etc.

If you are good at soft skills & good at attending some BS meetings etc ..you will do well in the corporate world. Its all BIG talk & pretending you know , what you are talking about..LOL :)

Just keep the clients happy , don't take things personally . Just be a YES man/woman & you will be fine. If your boss has some really stupid idea during the meeting, act as if its the greatest thing since sliced bread & just go ahead with it..LOL.

Collect your pay cheque and go home. If something better comes along quit & go there. Don't get stuck in one place. There is NO loyalty as such thesedays. The company won't think twice before laying of people & you shouldn't think twice about quitting and moving elsewhere too.

I know job hunting is the patience period.Though I am from computer science background,worked as a preschool teacher for 5 years in USA and here about 6 months which gave me flexibility to raise my kids.Now they are grown up and looking to get back into field I graduated.Since long gap it may take 6 months to 2 years but won't give up.This country have taught us many things as an immigrant to be patient and try hard and will finally show a good path.Love this country as it hugged our family by giving PR.
So Finally Patience Pays...

its even more frustrating with the oil industry lay offs i am Calgary so kinda getting concerned here that we will turn into Detroit

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Originally Posted by idonovan

its even more frustrating with the oil industry lay offs i am Calgary so kinda getting concerned here that we will turn into Detroit

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If you don't own a house..some things might be good, like house prices coming down..so not a bad time to buy a house. Ofcourse if there are no jobs then doesn't matter how low the house price is :(

But if you own a house & bought it at its peak price, things are grim :(

But yes layoffs & less spending by people is the downside of it.

I believe Alberta's budget is coming out in a couple of days ..should be interesting. Not this year, but I think AB will eventually implement sales tax - PST :( like all other provinces, as they are reducing LOT of revenue in form of royalties & taxes , due to low Oil prices.

OP, I would advise you maximize the career centre for post-grad students or continuing education or the one specializing in business career advice. Plus, if you are already involved with associations in your field of study (membership or attending events or participating online on fora), you are making contacts and expanding the likelihood of seeing opportunities.

If there are online resources you are accessing as a student, is there a way to continue using them after graduation or through your local library online? Sometimes it can be hard to find industry-specific periodicals outside of academia in public libraries so if there is a way to continue accessing electronic resources as a graduate, that will be an immense help. Unless of course you can purchase your own subscriptions!

I noticed in the Economist that the Spring 2015 case study competition for MBAs continues: www.economist.com/case

Hang in there and make job hunting your full time job. Back in the day (yes, some 30 years ago for me) it took me two months of pounding the pavement full time to find a job in the field for which I studied. This was the era before computers and everything had to be typed, photocopied and delivered to every door. I was determined NOT to work in the big city and first started delivering resumes to the smaller communities with absolutely NO response. I did end up in the big city working for incredibly generous medical specialists, moved closer to work, and couldn't have been happier with my job. It was then that I realized that I was happy not to have found work in the smaller towns.

i found my job in less than 2 months by randomly emailing my resume.

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Originally Posted by frugal50

i found my job in less than 2 months by randomly emailing my resume.

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Basically this.

Worked for me, took around 1-2 months.

Try "carpet bombing"-styled emailing out your résumé. You have better chances of hitting your target.

When you first start off it's extremely hard to find a job under your circumstances. The best way is to find a job where it needs it. Some people don't do exactly what they do when they first start off but further on they'll gain reputation and actually obtain what they went to school for. Just like how you started University and getting the worst residence, later on you get to know more teachers and you become more familiar with things, you get into better residences and get closer friends. It's all about connections. When you'll start you won't know much people but you'll get to find out who's your friends and who can bring you further up! Don't give up, to have determination to get a Masters is amazing! Use that determination to bring in your dream job :)