What am I doing WRONG?!

[CarolinaDG]

So, I am now entering what is approximately my 6th month of job searches. Although at first I was looking for things that I had absolutely no experience or education in. I am very frustrated. I would like to go back to grad school, but it seems like for the positions I am looking at I don't need it right this moment. But I STILL cannot find a job. Here is where I have looked:

Careerbuilder.com
Hotjobs.com
Monster.com
Idealist.org
Opportunityknocks.org
And every individual symphony/chorus/opera company, etc... I can find!

My degree is in music with a minor in business, and I have some experience in fundraising (i.e. I developed a program with Dance Marathon that ended up raising over $30,000 more than the previous year). I think that I am a wonderful entry-level candidate. I graduated Who's Who, was a member of ODK, and a member of several different volunteer orgs. I know that people get entry-level jobs... And I know that SOME people get them off of qualifications (though others seem to get them from their aunt/uncle/cousin, etc...). I'm frustrated, and I would like to know what I'm doing wrong so I can FIX it! And I probably am not thet only one.

Oh, and I should mention that I'm trying to get into development with a nonprofit, preferably an arts organization.

[aephi alum]

Those internet job sites can be helpful in a job search, but it's far more important to network network network.

You mentioned that you want to work with nonprofits. Maybe doing a bit of volunteer work will get your foot in the door and allow you to meet the right people.

Good luck

[winneythepooh7]

I don't want this to sound negative by any means, but could you clarify what your idea of "entry level" is? I know that many new college grads are not prepared in this area. I see this all the time in my field. I work for a non-profit mental health agency and the sad reality is that without a whole lot of experience and only education and grades and "extracurricular activities" under your belt you are gonna have to start at the very bottom and work your way up. I think from your initial post you understand that though but even with a Master's degree, many positions in non-profits are entry-level (ie. direct-care NOT Director positions, and paying very very VERY little), if that makes sense? Plus and I hate to beat a dead horse by saying this but many fields are currently FLOODED with new grads and people that have been working in them for many many years. That makes job hunting even more competitive obviously, since it is an employer's market. It also takes a lot of time for many places to contact you after you send out a resume. Case in point, I sent out a bunch of resumes 2, even 3 months ago and places have only begun to call me THIS WEEK for interviews.......I still think it is all about who you know, also. Also remember that with all the budget cuts, especially in non-profits, many former positions are being cut, and/or condensed down to one person. Another problem because of this is that many supervisors in non-profits are extremely busy and do not have a lot of time to devote to training and supervising a new grad. I know this is the main reason my supervisor will not hire many new MSW's. Good luck with your job search though, I know it is tough!!!

[Rudey]

Since you're not looking for big places and a hot shot corporate job, call people up and say you want to do a post-graduate internship or volunteer.

-Rudey

[ms_gwyn]

I just have to say just keep plugging along....it took me 2 1/2 to find a position in my field and that was after my job had laid me off, so it was not like I didn't have experience in my field, in addition to some other training and skills that I've acquired over the years.


This is just to say that the job market is tough, but hang in there, it will happen.

Also depending on the city that you live, you may want to try Craigslist also, their "hub" is san francisco, but if you look to the far right of the page they have various city links, I didn't recall seeing that on your list.

[ZTAngel]

You're looking in Atlanta, right? I thought I read a post once where you mentioned that. I'm looking in Atlanta as well. Unfortunately, the job market there isn't good. Also add to it that there's a ton of colleges in the Atlanta area (GATech, Georgia State, Emory, Clark Atlanta, Morehouse, Kennesaw State, Spelman, Southern Poly) plus the nearby colleges in Georgia and you get a ton of people looking for entry-level positions. In fact, people from all over the South tend to look at Atlanta for jobs since it's one of the biggest Southern cities. I know of a bunch of people who graduated from UF, UCF, FSU, UA, UT and moved to Atlanta for a job. It's a tough market. Even for myself. I have 2 years experience my field and I've still been having trouble. I've gotten a few leads but either it's a job that I don't see growth with, it's something that I don't want to do, or the pay isn't that great. It's so incredibly frustrating so I feel your pain!

Networking is a big thing. Maybe contact some DGs in the area you want to work and see if they can help you?

You may also want to try using a professional resume writer who can help make your resume sound more enticing and can throw in some of those infamous keywords that employers search resumes by.

Most of all, have patience. It's something I've been trying to tell myself everytime a new lead doesn't pan out so I know it's difficult. Job searches can take a while.

Best of luck!

CarolinaDG,

I lived in Clover, SC which is a hop, skip, and a jump away from Lake Wylie, SC. In fact my parents still live there. Anyways, to be perfectly honest, the job market is not very good in the Charlotte, NC area unless you're looking for a banking job. Hate to disappoint you! I looked for 8 months and never found a job in that geographic area. I eventually ended up having to move to Greenville, SC because the job market is actually much better here. They're building a lot of new things around here so you might want to look here.

[adpiucf]

First, you have to see where the non-profits are-- where do you want to work and live? What interests you about development? What is your fundraising background? An employer wants someone who has the skill sets to be successful, but above all, an entry level player must be a good fit with the exisiting staff.

Ignore the large job websites. Employers resort to posting on those sites out of desperation when their personal network and colleagues fail to come through with referrals of decent candidates. Call it unfair, but I'd much rather hire someone I know or know through a fellow worker/industry professional. (Think of it like the sorority recommendations that come in at recruitment-- those girls stand out because someone you know has recommended them.)

Start subscribing to list-servs who post jobs, network with sorority alumnae and get involved in a community activity where you can increase your networking and practical application of development skills.

If you are relocating and waiting to find a job before you move, just GO. Employers are more likely to hire someone who is already living in the area. Why waste time interviewing someone entry level who lives 3 states away when they may take the job and mid-move change their mind, which starts over the process of the employer having to look for someone.

Do you have a master's degree and you are looking for an entry-level position? Take your master's degree off your resume. That's right. Lie. You are applying for an entry level paying job. Someone sees your master's degree on there and immediately discounts you--- why should I hire you and pay you more when you have just as much real experience (or less) than someone with just a BA? The only people who need master's degrees are those who have experience in their field and are looking to take it to the next level (not entry level) or those who can't be employed without it (Industrial Psychologists, Doctors, Speech Pathologists, Lawyers and some Social Workers, among others.) If you're fresh out of undergrad and diving back in for an MA, stop and ask yourself why. You could be making yourself unemployable at the entry level--- and if you come out of a master's with no practical work experience, you're doubly up a creek without a paddle. That and for every 10 MA's I know, 9 are miserable with their degree and student loans because they didn't take the time to work in their field before continuing on to higher education. Again, this is true of some fields, not all. But with non-profit, marketing and communication, a master's degree is useless at the entry level. Internships and volunteer work relevant to the position are what will get your foot in the door-- both as a resume builder and as a potential to go from intern to full-time worker at the same place.

Tailor every cover letter and every resume to the job you are applying for. Don't waste their time or yours with a blanket cover letter addressed to "Sir or Madam" telling them your "Educational background makes you qualified to handle indepth analyses across a variety of complex platforms, which makes you well suited to the position." What the hell does that mean? Exactly. Use plain English. Resumes should be no longer than one page. Cover letters should be no longer than one page. You have not done anything to this point in your life worthy of two pages. Leave off summer jobs baking bread and painting houses. In your letter, express why the job interests you, how you heard about it, that you want an interview, and throw out a couple of pre-professional or working life highlights that stand out about you. The average employer will take about 8 seconds to scan your resume. Make it stand out.

If you are asked to an interview, immediately send a hand-written thank you note to follow up the next day. It does make a difference and helps keep you top of mind to the employer.

- Qualifications to dispense advice is based on 5+ years of personal interviewing, relocating and hiring/intervewing experience. PM if you'd like any resume writing advice. The job search can be a challenge, but it is something you need to be committed to in order to see results. I'm happy to help.

[chideltjen]

Originally posted by adpiucf
Do you have a master's degree and you are looking for an entry-level position? Take your master's degree off your resume. That's right. Lie. You are applying for an entry level paying job. Someone sees your master's degree on there and immediately discounts you--- why should I hire you and pay you more when you have just as much real experience (or less) than someone with just a BA? The only people who need master's degrees are those who have experience in their field and are looking to take it to the next level (not entry level) or those who can't be employed without it (Industrial Psychologists, Doctors, Speech Pathologists, Lawyers and some Social Workers, among others.) If you're fresh out of undergrad and diving back in for an MA, stop and ask yourself why. You could be making yourself unemployable at the entry level--- and if you come out of a master's with no practical work experience, you're doubly up a creek without a paddle. That and for every 10 MA's I know, 9 are miserable with their degree and student loans because they didn't take the time to work in their field before continuing on to higher education. Again, this is true of some fields, not all. But with non-profit, marketing and communication, a master's degree is useless at the entry level. Internships and volunteer work relevant to the position are what will get your foot in the door-- both as a resume builder and as a potential to go from intern to full-time worker at the same place.

I would like to second this sentiment. While I'm not in your field, I did graduate with an "art" degree. People have asked me if I am going to go back to Grad School for graphic design. A masters in design is actually pointless and a waste of time and money if you don't have the kick ass portfolio (that can be done with stuff outside of school) and internships/experience. Grad school will only enhance your portfolio at best and most companies interviewing for GPHD positions look for pieces and clients you have met and worked with outside of school. Live clients in other words.

The best advice I ever got was for the catch 22 situation of wanting experience but the job won't hire you unless you have experience. Get an admin job and your job of choice. And any busy company will probably be swamped with projects one day and may need your help. This is where you get experience.

Also, learn about how to create functional resumes as apposed to chronological resumes. That way, employers will focus on what you did at the job rather than what the job was. Example: I am a graphic designer at a print shop who is trying to break into event planning. If I said my job experience is just a print shop employee, of course they will overlook my resume. However, if I say in a big paragraph that I do all kinds of planning and admin experience from this job first, then they might think I'm qualified. So don't rely on Word or Monster to set up your resumes... because they do the chronological thing.

And GAH! Spell check... make sure all the known software is correctly identified, even with funky spellings. (Quark Express is NOT QuarkXpress.)

[PsychTau2]

Originally posted by CarolinaDG
(i.e. I developed a program with Dance Marathon that ended up raising over $30,000 more than the previous year).

THAT should be a MAJOR point in your resume!!! You wouldn't necessarily list it under "employment", but it could be under the "experience" header, or "relevant skills", something like that.

If you've done that much with Dance Marathon, I would check out Children's Miracle Network, St. Jude's Foundation, Susan G. Komen, etc. Think of the companies/non profits that are active in your area, find out who you can talk to and see if they can give you any advice on how to "break in" to the field. (I doubt they would be advertising on Monster.com anyway..their local offices would do local searches).

You could also consider a development job with a university to start with (especially one that has a large music program). Higheredjobs.com has 177 listings right now under "Development and FundRaising". That could get you going in the right direction.

PsychTau

[PsychTau2]

nonprofit-jobs.org looks to have about 100 jobs listed on their site as well. Check them out.

PsychTau

[CarolinaDG]

Thanks for the wealth of advice. I actually contacted a development director at an opera company and she basically reinstated that I was doing the correct things. So, I'll try to answer the questions.

1-Entry-level position to me includes a LOT of filing, typing, data entry and a salary of around $30,000. I would even take less if it were a 9-5 job where I felt it was good experience and I could get a second job somewhere.

2-I do not have a masters degree. I was thinking about getting one due to the fact that I cannot find a job without one.

3-I am not looking for jobs in Clover/Charlotte. I gave up on that a LONG time ago. You're right, they only hire bankers. And sales people.

4-I am not ONLY looking in Atlanta, it's just a preferance so I can get in-state if I end up going to UGA.

5-I know that networking is how people get jobs. I think it's unfortunate, but I know tons of underqualified people who got jobs just because their drinking buddy knew of an opening. Unfortunately, my resources are tapped in that area. I can't publicize the job hunt at work, and my resources through DM have given all the help they can, but don't know of anything. I'm seeing some of them next week, though, so I'm hoping something magical will happen.

Once again, thanks for all the assistance. I'm sure there are other people as well on this board that will benefit from it.

[Munchkin03]

Does your local DG or Panhel alum group have networking events?

Does DG have a national "Network of Opportunity" or any similar program to match up young women who are interested in a certain field with mentors who are established in that field?

[Rudey]

I will give you the biggest secret out there. It's a super, duper secret.

It's called cold calling. It's embarassing and nobody likes doing it but it is the best tool ever for anything.

-Rudey

[CarolinaDG]

Originally posted by Munchkin03
Does your local DG or Panhel alum group have networking events?

Does DG have a national "Network of Opportunity" or any similar program to match up young women who are interested in a certain field with mentors who are established in that field?

Yes, and they tend to want you to pay dues and I haven't done that yet. :-) Just kidding. Last time I checked, there was noone in the same field as me registered, though. But I am going to check it again. Part of it (not to make too many excuses) is that I honestly just hate doing that when it's not someone from my chapter. I feel like it's like, "Hi, I know I don't know you, and I know that there are hundreds of thousands of Delta Gammas out there, but give me a job, please. Thanks!"

Rudey, as far as the cold calling... Does it REALLY work??? I always thought that was like sending your resume' out to random places... you have a 1/100 shot in getting a job. If it does work, though, I'm all for it!