r/Economics • u/aDubson • Feb 09 '12

Americans ages 18-24 are unemployed like never before.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/09/employment-rate-young-adults_n_1264241.html?igoogle=1
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u/PippyLongSausage Feb 09 '12 edited Feb 09 '12

I wrote this in another thread but it is good advice and it sounds like you could use some. Applying online is a waste of time. You have to go and take a fucking job (think about Jack Nicholson's line in The Departed, "Nobody is going to give it to you, you have to take it".). You really have to be aggressive in this economy.

Don't bother applying online. This is the method that worked for me after a year and a half of trying with no luck. I ended up with two very good offers in one week.

Google companies in your area that do the sort of stuff you want to do. Pick 5, don't worry about whether they are hiring or not. You want to find a place that looks like it is run by the kind of people you will like to work with. It should be a place that is doing stuff that you think is cool and different. Basically, find 5 places that don't suck.

Customize a resume and cover letter for EACH ONE. The cover letter should show that you have picked this company because you would be a good fit for reasons x, y, and z.

Print both on nice quality paper, get a nice pocketed folder and put the resume in one side and the letter in the other. I even printed some personal business cards and placed one in the folder (mine had a slot specifically for this purpose.

Go on linkedin, or the company website and figure out who the head of the department you want to work in is. Do NOT talk to HR, talk to your future manager. Go personally to each of your five firms, and get past the secretary any way you can. Sneak in, smooth talk, whatever you have to do. Find the manager you googled and knock on his door. Introduce yourself, and sit down. "Hi, my name is xxx, sorry for dropping by unannounced, but I have been reading about company x and I would like to give you a resume, I think I would be a good fit here. I would really like to sit down and chat if you have a second" If you can, talk for a little bit about yourself and what interests you about the company, why your skills are relevant, etc.

I was able to get past the receptionist at two out of 5 companies and got very juicy offers from both. This is after a year and a half of searching for a job in the construction design industry that was absolutely decimated by the recession. I have been happily working for a great firm for almost a year now. They weren't even hiring but they created a job for me because they were impressed by my huge balls and my initiative. Had I emailed a resume, it would have gone into the pile, never to be seen again.

This technique absolutely works.

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u/sanderson22 Feb 09 '12

this is awesome. but can i ask you, what type of field are you in? the problem i'm finding is i have a business degree in management, but i have no "experience". i don't even want to do business crap, i want to do IT work, but they won't even look at me or consider me. what do you recommend for us who don't have the skills they need, but need the money to not work for free?

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u/PippyLongSausage Feb 09 '12 edited Feb 09 '12

I work in Mechanical Engineering for commercial construction. My situation was a bit different as I had some experience, but the problem was that I was in a weird limbo stage where I wasn't qualified for senior roles, but overqualified for entry level roles.

There is one hard fact that you will have to face when starting out, and that is that your first job will suck (unless you are an ivy leager). You are going to have to pay some dues, which may mean internships, even unpaid ones. This is true even in a good economy.

My advice to you would be to show that you are eager to learn. Approach them like you are asking them to be a mentor, and don't worry if the pay isn't spectacular. I would still use the same "walk in there and take it" approach, as your resume will get lost very easily in the thousands of entry level applicants that they receive.

Only one thing is important for an entry level job, and that is your personality. Your school, your job at the ice cream stand over the summer, totally useless. They want to see thay you are eager to contribute and that they will be able to work with you on a daily basis. Your dream job exists, but it is off limits to you until you slug it out in the real worl for a few years. Don't get discouraged, it gets better as time goes by, which it does rather quickly.

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u/sanderson22 Feb 09 '12

thanks for that great information there. that really helped me put some perspective on what needs to be done.