Why can't I get a job? Recent Grad, 3.7 GPA, Good Exp, Year and a half of searching..

Try H&R Block, Jackson Hewitt if you need money and work. It may not be ideal but you are doing something and getting paid and it will look OK on a resume. They are always looking for tax prep people. They love anyone with a college degree. They have branches offices everywhere. There is upward mobility for a smart young person with a college education.

I also have an Economics degree. When I was getting close to graduating. I did their individual tax return prep course. I also was graduating with an accounting degree.
I did an internship while in college. I called around and contacted the local county accounting office and offered to work for free. They called me back and offered me a consulting job and paid me to do a forensic audit for the county prosecutors office as they were investigating an attorney suspected of embezzlement. I did the entire financial investigation and found the embezzlement pattern, they successfully prosecuted based on my work. They offered me a job as an auditor/accountant. I declined and continued trading. That was many moons ago.

Point is think outside the box as little things lead to bigger things, take any job just be working. and most importantly don't despair. Taking a dink job at H&R could lead to a corp management position or who knows what.
Smile and be happy and enjoy life.
 
Quote from 1flyfisher:

Taking a dink job at H&R could lead to a corp management position or who knows what.
Smile and be happy and enjoy life.
More...
H&R Block looks horrible on a resume if you want to be an accountant. If you applied to one of the Big 4 with H&R Block listed on your CV, they'll tear it up and throw it in the trash. It may have worked 10 years ago when they were hiring people left and right, but not anymore.
 
That's not true. Any professional return preparation and experience is valued by ANY accounting firm. And their (H&R) tax preparation course is regarded very favorably. Having experience of ANY kind is better than none.
I have a Masters Degree in Taxation and I know the profession quite well.


Quote from aegis:

H&R Block looks horrible on a resume if you want to be an accountant. If you applied to one of the Big 4 with H&R Block listed on your CV, they'll tear it up and throw it in the trash. It may have worked 10 years ago when they were hiring people left and right, but not anymore.
More...
 
In this crappy economy, the OP has to adjust to the realities of the marketplace. You have to make lemonade out of lemons.

First, you need to move to where you might be more competitive. You are definately not in the same league as others in the greater NYC area who are looking for a job. Sending out resumes across the country and expecting an employer across the country to be interested in you is sheer fantasy.

Move to an area where the competition isn't as tough, but still has a growing economy and relatively low unemployment rate. Texas and the Northern Virginia/Washington DC metro area might be better?

Second, folks with an undergrad degree usually get hired through an internship where the potential employer has the chance to test drive the intern to see if they are the material they are looking for.

You didn't have an internship, so you would be more of an unknown quantity to a potential employer. I would stress your hitch in the military. Your military service will clearly differentiate you from most other ungrad degree holders seeking employment. Just make sure you don't have any derogatory info on your DD-214.

Third, lower your sights. As others said, you have to be willing to try almost anything. You never know what doors it may open.

Seek out a jr. financial analyst type of position with a defense contractor, 2nd or 3rd tier energy company, public utility. They might look more favorably at your military service and consider it a plus!

Don't go back to school now. Find a job with a Fortune 1000 company. Many have tutition reimbursement for grad school. After a year of working for them, you would probably be eligible for reimbursement.

If you were multilingual I would have suggested that you apply at the CIA.... :cool:

Don't get frustrated, you just have to try different avenues as many here have pointed out. Good Luck. :)
 
You may have to volunteer time at a charity - to get experience - sorry, that is just the way it is! If not as a volunteer -than you may have to GIVE your time to some jackass company - just to get the job you want!!!

You are in GREAT danger of being COMPLETELY irrelevant!!! With the new grads coming out...you being an "old" grad...not good!!!

Alternative - if you have the brains and the balls - go join a REPO company - either repossessing cars or houses or whatever. Better still - go create you OWN repo company - offer a discount and offer to "better mitigate the losses of the repossessor" Stand out in some way!

Have you joined "professional" societies - like IEEE for electrical engineers or ACM for computer scientists?

I got out in '89 - another year like this year - not a lot of jobs out there, so I understand! DO NOT GO BACK TO GET A MASTERS - go to a job fair and ask the hiring employers - would they rather have you without a masters, but experience or you with no experience, but with a masters?!?!

-gastropod
 
Quote from 1flyfisher:

Try H&R Block, Jackson Hewitt if you need money and work. It may not be ideal but you are doing something and getting paid and it will look OK on a resume. They are always looking for tax prep people. They love anyone with a college degree. They have branches offices everywhere. There is upward mobility for a smart young person with a college education.

I also have an Economics degree. When I was getting close to graduating. I did their individual tax return prep course. I also was graduating with an accounting degree.
I did an internship while in college. I called around and contacted the local county accounting office and offered to work for free. They called me back and offered me a consulting job and paid me to do a forensic audit for the county prosecutors office as they were investigating an attorney suspected of embezzlement. I did the entire financial investigation and found the embezzlement pattern, they successfully prosecuted based on my work. They offered me a job as an auditor/accountant. I declined and continued trading. That was many moons ago.

Point is think outside the box as little things lead to bigger things, take any job just be working. and most importantly don't despair. Taking a dink job at H&R could lead to a corp management position or who knows what.
Smile and be happy and enjoy life.
More...

And, DID YOU KNOW: H&R Block headquarters is in downtown Kansas City, along with DST Systems, Commerce Bank, Sprint, At&T, Hallmark, and AMC Theatres.
 
Great advice fly!

Quote from 1flyfisher:

Try H&R Block, Jackson Hewitt if you need money and work. It may not be ideal but you are doing something and getting paid and it will look OK on a resume. They are always looking for tax prep people. They love anyone with a college degree. They have branches offices everywhere. There is upward mobility for a smart young person with a college education.

I also have an Economics degree. When I was getting close to graduating. I did their individual tax return prep course. I also was graduating with an accounting degree.
I did an internship while in college. I called around and contacted the local county accounting office and offered to work for free. They called me back and offered me a consulting job and paid me to do a forensic audit for the county prosecutors office as they were investigating an attorney suspected of embezzlement. I did the entire financial investigation and found the embezzlement pattern, they successfully prosecuted based on my work. They offered me a job as an auditor/accountant. I declined and continued trading. That was many moons ago.

Point is think outside the box as little things lead to bigger things, take any job just be working. and most importantly don't despair. Taking a dink job at H&R could lead to a corp management position or who knows what.
Smile and be happy and enjoy life.
More...
 
hey... instead of thinking that your degree is of any value to any employer......why dont you go ahead and learn how to sell something???
 
You are getting some great advice here. I hope you are reading these posts carefully.
Good work ET posters on this thread.

Some people have mentioned volunteer work. That looks very good also.
.....before I graduated with my B.A, I already had started a Chapter of a National Non-profit organization, was the program director and fund raiser. You can do that. You can also Go volunteer at the VA. Or American Cancer Society or any charity or non-profit. You are a VET? Emphasize that on your resume and with any potential employer be able to discuss that and show any character strengths. You are competing with a lot of immature kids these days that have everything handed to them by their parents, ivy league education paid for that spend their free time jerking off playing video games. Show why you aren't just another spoiled douche bag. While at the VA see if they need any BASIC accounting finance work done????? And when you contact potential employers ask for BASIC accounting finance work. Grunt work that no one else wants to do. Do it and do it with a smile on your face.
Call the CIA, FBI see if they are hiring.
I have done forensic audits at times in my life. Very good direction for a career path. Try ALL government job possibilities. Your vet status should help in a big way.
 
IneedAJob,

Quote: “I am registered on every bank/financial service company/tech company/company with any possible position I would qualify for's internal job board.

Keeping all the passwords straight is increadibly hard since I refuse to ever right any password down and they all have different requirements (8 chars, 2 symbols, 1 capital etc).”

One of your posts you said the above. My first question would be why you refuse to write your passwords down to keep track of them? I can’t think of any logical reason you would not write them down if there were any doubt of not remembering them. Bull-headedness? Think of the reason to yourself (maybe you have a good one I don’t know). Someone else already pointed out your spelling and grammatical errors.

Those two things speak louder than the sales pitch of you trying to be hired by a potential employer or me IMHO. Based on the above alone, why should I hire someone whose attention to detail is not what he or she says it is when I can hire many experienced people for the same money and more of a track record? That makes a hiring manager think, what else was a stretch and just resume fluff? You only get one chance to make a first impression.

For advice, I would first go over my resume to make sure it is completely free of grammatical and spelling errors. Twice. Then have a friend who was an English major take a look at it. After that is squared away, get a book on networking from the library if you can’t afford to buy it. Many people find jobs from their network of friends and acquaintances and I believe you can hit these people more succinctly. Almost everyone has many more contacts and “ins” to places if they take the time to go over EVERY family or friend connection and foster those relationships.

After that, lower your expectations. Get your foot in the door and show the company what you can do and how you can make them succeed. Once in the door, perform and move up. It really is that simple if you do what you can to get in the door. The suggestion to relocate is also a very good one. Remember whom you are competing with: all the analysts who have experience and big bills and a family to feed. They are hustling to find the job you want. They will outwork you because they have a lot more to lose than you right now. Go somewhere the competition is not as highly motivated or the best in the world. Seek out some niche business; get some experience and then move to your dream job.

Remember you are an adult now. It is up to you and you alone to make it happen. Good luck.

BM
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top