College Graduate Who Applied For Over 1,000 Jobs Says They Still Have Yet To Get An Interview — 'This Job Search Is Making Me Feel Worthless'
It's tough out there in the job-hunting world.
Marjan Apostolovic and chase4concept / Shutterstock It seems as though the job hunt is more difficult than ever these days, even for those who are highly qualified and trained in various, specialized fields.
For one recent college graduate who went through years of schooling to obtain a degree in medical engineering, finding a job appears to be impossible as they have yet to receive a call back after a year of applying for different positions.
The college graduate has applied to over 1,000 different jobs and has never been offered an interview.
According to Degree Planet, the average time it takes for a college graduate to get a job offer is around three to six months after their graduation date. Of course, this is not always the case for everyone, and getting a job may take longer due to a variety of factors, including the industry they are working for, geography, and timing.
However, college graduates may struggle to land jobs at all, even with a degree. One recent graduate learned this after they finished school with an impressive medical engineering degree, only to be left waiting to this day to find a full-time position.
“I am a 23-year-old who graduated college with a degree in mechanical engineering a year ago,” the student shared to the subreddit r/jobs. “Since then I've applied to over 1000 jobs," they said, and explained that they have yet to receive a callback or an interview offer from all of the companies they applied to and are feeling “hopeless” and confused as to what they are doing wrong in the job application process.
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“My resume has been reviewed by like ten different people who have all told me it's good,” they wrote. Additionally, they have applied for jobs in different fields besides engineering and have ensured that they have all of the qualifications before applying for a position. “This job search has made me feel worthless since I can't even make it to the first stage of interviewing,” the graduate admitted.
They seek the advice of other Reddit users, asking if there are any other measures they should be taking that would benefit them in their job search.
Some Redditors advised the graduate to continue to use their college resources, and have the career center at the university review their application.
“Your university might have a career coach or resume support that you can utilize,” one user commented. Others noted that there are job fairs for recent college graduates designed to assist them in getting ideal jobs. “If they have job fairs for new graduates, go to those in person and talk to people hiring,” another user wrote.
Other Redditors encouraged the graduate to review other factors besides their resume, including their cover letters.
“Your resume and/or cover letter are not good, or there are major debilitating facts revealed in your history that you are not mentioning,” one user suggested.
Others believed that the graduate should seek the help of a recruiter for personal feedback or utilize online job search websites such as LinkedIn.
The job search right out of college can be grueling and discouraging. In some cases, attempting to get a job shortly after graduating from college is challenging due to a higher bar of entry. It may require more skills and experience beyond a degree, as well as industry trends that can impact hiring decisions.
Still, it is important to have patience and keep applying for positions that you believe would be a good fit for you. A few ways that job applicants can get noticed by recruiters are by engaging in professional networking, participating in internships, and having their resumes and cover letters professionally reviewed. Eventually, something will land.
Megan Quinn is a writer at YourTango who covers entertainment and news, self, love, and relationships.