Definitely apply for even temporary stuff. You need to survive after all. Don’t focus on getting the perfect job right away, unless you can get job placement through your program.

Can you talk to your advisor or other graduate student in your department for job board recommendations or even people they may know in industry?

I’ll be in your boat a year from now (I am halfway through my master’s program), but my field has some fairly good job boards and I’ve made some connections by giving talks/posters at conferences (which is another idea, I don’t know how close you are to finishing). I know grad school in the sciences is different from some other programs, so I don’t know if this is helpful or not. But I think talking to other students, especially graduated ones, would be really helpful to get started.

And maybe start calling places up now that have careers in your line of study. You never know, maybe they have a hidden position hiding somewhere thats just right for you when you graduate.

From what I hear on the radio lately, many people are having to relocate to find jobs…would that be an option for you?

Definitely start networking like Molzy suggested as well. I think MB’s idea is great too – go ahead and start talking to places in your career field even if they don’t have openings now, because they may have them later or those hidden gems, she suggested.

Even before you graduate start networking, throwing out resumes, get in contact with anyone you can who may have contacts in the field you want. But, be prepared to get a job NOT related to your field to tide you over until you find one you want. My brothers gf graduated with advertising in mind and her degree is for that – but she minored in English – she has found no job for her actual degree choice and it’s been nearly four years, so instead she works as an English teacher at a high school until she does. She takes odd jobs in her field to build up a portfolio and resume still, but pickings are very slim. Always have a backup plan, until you find your dream position.

I’m in the job hunting boat but my problem is a bit on the other end of the spectrum, in that, I am not eligible for certain jobs in a field I worked in for the past 13 years because I do NOT have a masters. Life in the non-profit sector made it financially impossible to go back to school without backing from an employer and they didn’t come through with those types of promises. So I am happy for you that you are finishing your degree now. It will serve you well in the long run.

Depends a lot on what type of field you are going into. Some, like web design and programming, are desperate for everyone with the newest technological knowledge so new grads have a better chance than ever before. Even other fields are having trouble keeping up with change, so sell your most modern skills by name on the ole resume.

Fields have associations that are easy to find now via LinkedIn and Facebook. Find the Groups on LinkedIn that pertain to your field and start reading and chatting with them. More importantly, ask them or research on line which of the field associations have job searching sites that are used most frequently. Then job hunt those sites daily. For example: if I wanted to work in museums with an art background (I don’t) I would read the job postings on AAM (American Association of Museums) and FAM (Florida Assoc. of Museums). There is usually a local branch in each state.

Read the listings for internships. Those are the places that are open to working with college students, so grads may have a good chance with that employer. Contact HR with a resume and always show that you have direct knowledge of any employer by reading their own website first. Always make it more personal in cover letters than a general “insert name here” letter.

You have paid through the nose for your Masters, and they have a department that at a minimum will connect you with Alumni and should also have a Placement Service to assist you in your job search as part of the school’s fee. It behooves them to place you – you are a future alum. donor. If you can contact an alumni directly to ask for assistance in networking and making contacts, do so.

Indeed.com lists a collection of freshly posted jobs from multiple sources, so you can check them once for keyword searches. Very helpful within your choice of location and miles radius.

Get a job in your field with skills you have and may be more entry level. Employers favorite method is to promote from within: they know the person, they know if they’re good, they know how fast they learn, they may cost less with a raise than an outsider. So locate an employer you would love to work for, get a job in that place, and do your best to move up in the near future.

Your loans and bankers can make an arrangement with you for reduced payments initially since they know it won’t come back to them until you earn it. Work with them. It’s familiar territory to their loan departments.

Read the 2012 edition of What Color Is Your Parachute, by Richard Bolles. He is fantastic! He updates every year to meet the changing times, gives links galore to helpful sites, and generally knows in advance what is bothering you now, in 3 months, and in 3 years. He is also an amazing gentleman. I emailed him last summer and he answered me personally, liked my story and used my description of my circumstances in a speech he gave last Fall in LA. He gave me a bit of personal advice, plus it was so reassuring to know someone who took the edge off the whole “what’s wrong with me?” self talk. A wonderful book, a wonderful man.

Hi!

I sympathize. Job hunting is hard, but the good news is that persistance pays off. And being able to relocate will definitely expand your possibilities. I came across this article in the NY times and thought it might be helpful:

http://boss.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/…ould-know/

I recently had my first experience with hiring people, and I found that one factor that played into who I chose was their “emotional intelligence” and likeability. I found that lots of college grads are qualified and capable, but there were a few candidates who impressed me as being quite personable and I ended up hiring these people. This is for a job that involves interacting with people, so these qualities are important for the position. But an added bonus is that now I get to work with people who I enjoy, and that makes my job a lot nicer! So, my advice is that in interviews, you should let your personality show. You don’t need to be the life of the party, but try to be friendly and show your potential boss that you are someone he/she would get along with.

I guess the other thing I have to add is to repeat my message that persistance pays off. One of the people I hired was extremely highly qualified but she contacted me at a time when I wasn’t sure I had money to hire anyone. Since I was busy (and sometimes am bad with emails), I didn’t get back to her right away. She contacted me again, which made me look at her again and re-evaluate whether I could find some money to hire her. I did, and she is working for me now (and she is fantastic!).

Good luck!

I second that advice about persistence.
It’s actually true that the only way you will not get a new job is if you stop looking. Never stop looking. You will eventually find work.

Getting a job right out of school is so hard now! I was unemployed for almost a year, so I definitely sympathize.

Just apply for anything and everything, even if you don’t intend to keep it long term.

Do you have any contacts in the field you want to go into? The only reason I have my current job is through people I know (come to think of it, that’s how I got my previous job too). Making connections is just as important as everyone says, so maybe talk to the people you do know and connect with more people on LinkedIn

I have heard of some of my boyfriend’s friends (who graduated last year) secure jobs before graduation.

Networking is a very good thing. I have spoken to some managers that work in medical clinics in my area, and I plan to keep their cards for when I graduate in Summer 2013.

LBJ, if you did want to fall back on your bio degree, don’t worry about the lack of experience too much. When it’s a first job they generally want you to have job experience in *anything*, to prove that you know how to work in a business environment – they don’t expect that you’ll have specific experience. Even in my current job I was hired with no specific experience in the industry, just a degree and four years of experience being an engineer in a completely different field.

You just answered my next question. Sounds slightly related to green jobs. Where, as in what state or nearest city but don’t give your address, are you limited to in your search?
I see a lot of environmental ads on my local government websites. Can you describe your field a bit more?

there are still a whole lot of laid off people with a decade of on-the-job experience.
until they find something too, they’re your competition.

(my views may be a bit skewed, as i jumped right from blue-collar to owner)

LB-

My boyfriend is actually getting his masters in human dimensions of wildlife, and I am an ecology master’s student.

Check out Texas A&M’s job board for the natural resources, and The Wildlife Society. The Nature Conservancy too. I’m sure there are more I’m not thinking of.

I know there are a lot of jobs out west in that field (with ranchers and conflicts with wildlife), but it’s definitely harder in other areas of the country.

You might also check with local nature centers and stuff, I don’t know if you’re interested in doing education (and it doesn’t pay well), but I think you’d be well qualified for that, at least until your husband is done with his degree. You could also look at summer jobs at local state parks or county parks doing education or something along those lines as well. I know people who have even gotten jobs with cities parks and recs doing planning and stuff. There are also a lot of Americorp jobs (which I know don’t pay great for a master’s degree, but they will defer your loans and give you money towards them at the end).

Good luck!

LB,

If you like the GIS stuff, that will be a huge help getting a job! I would talk to your school’s GIS department or someone to get job boards from them, cause I know GIS is a huge plus to have on your resume! I’m actually using ArcMap as we speak to plot my nests from this summer onto aerial images – fun fun fun! I have no skills with it whatsoever though, all I can do is upload my points from my GIS unit and that’s about it!

That sounds fascinating. It also has enough variables that you could focus on a portion of it somewhere as a start while searching for a more encompassing position. I know that my County has a jobs site where they post new jobs every week, starting Friday nights. There were always different positions at various levels and skills, so once a week I check that site. The local environmental concerns post their jobs there (gov’t) so I see park postings as well as many other types.

But think a bit outside your immediate realm, too. Museums, ie. Natural and Science, popped immediately to mind. All museums have Education departments because they get grant money and work with schools and school groups giving workshops and tours. You definitely could get a position in a local institution if they haven’t downsized lately. (Our local ones have.) And museums always prefer staff in higher posts with Masters.
Hang in there.
(And remember, 3rd week in January is like the national starting gun went off and everyone starts changing jobs. People tend to use up their vacation time during the holidays, then give notice after the new year. Takes a week or 2 to post the new openings and then on your mark, get set, go!)

Please. Don’t insult squirrels. Humans are much worse.

Seriously, always heed the warnings of people familiar with a lousy place to work. I wish some of my former employers came with a warning. That said, you can make a plan to get a starter job with that place with a promise to yourself that it is for experience in your field to improve your next job hunt. Stats show that everyone should only plan on a 3 year job from now on, so it’s better to think of jobs as projects which will change in a few years at most. In this economy, getting long term positions is becoming harder, so if you can take the attitude of being in control of your career by seeing where you would like to get to and what you need (like an entry level job to gain work experience) to approach them. I don’t want you walking into misery or postponing your life for some vague future, but you may find that working a place like that briefly might connect you with nice people in the field, who also move on.

i played grocery store from 1991-2002,, from ’96-’02 was 48 hours a week on the overnight shift.
the only thing that kept me going the last few years (i was back in college) was the thrill of cleverly altering signs, labels, and displays into crude things that customers would notice, but management would not. camera surveillance was not nearly advanced back then.