Job search depression

[TATTAA]

I'm hoping talking about this will enable others to share their experiences on their job hunt/unemployment.

I graduated from UofT in Biochemistry last year and since then, I've been on the job hunt for laboratory work/lab technician work. Almost a year later, I'm still constantly applying to jobs in biotech/food/petrochemical/etc not just in my area (Toronto) but I've started applying all over Ontario and some places in Alberta and Manitoba. As of now, I just feel drained and depressed. I got interest stacking up on my student loans while being unemployed and its just getting frustrating.

Well, that's my story. Please share yours if you are in a similar situation.

[blackestnight]

Hey there.

I am in the same boat as you. I graduated last year with a masters in law (from the UK) and I cant even find a job as a legal assistant. This is despite having worked for HSBC and for UNHCR. I have been applying day in and day out, but still no luck. There are some days when the frustration just overwhelms me. But gotta keep trying. Many RFDR's are in the same position as you and me.

I hope you find a job soon.

Best of Luck.

[coriolis]

Many of us were in that situation, I was stuck with 1 missing credit (internship, required 300 hours) in order to graduate, I finally got an internship, almost 16 months late, but I finally got my hours in order to graduate. I worked two part time jobs during that period while taking 2-3 courses (so I didn't have to start paying back OSAP after the 6 months payment free period, though still getting hit with interests). I'm still working for the employer that I got an internship with, almost a year and a half now. Still paying OSAP, but I'm glad I didn't give up.

It's tough, but keep your chin up!

[forthewinwin]

I don't blame ya- the job market is very saturated right now, especially with the ever-increasing flow of graduates and decreasing number of attractive jobs, or jobs at all.

[Kappa21]

Yea, its pretty upsetting.

You worked so hard for the degree and people kept telling you to do the degree and to work hard because it pays off and yet....no one is calling you for an interview or to follow up on the resume you sent them. Its really hard on people.

The demand that people put out (preffered masters, need 5-10 years experience) is stupid.... I know there is a lot of blame everywhere - HR people getting 100 resumes and ignoring so many people or the baby boomers (1950-1960) who are still in the market and dont plan to retire... or the benefits that dont exists.

It will get better eventually.... U just gotta do what you gotta do.

I find it sucky that some places where you do apply, if its part time or below your qualifications, they reject you....... which makes it harder for people to find a job and to make a living - period!

[TheRed]

I'm hoping talking about this will enable others to share their experiences on their job hunt/unemployment.

I graduated from UofT in Biochemistry last year and since then, I've been on the job hunt for laboratory work/lab technician work. Almost a year later, I'm still constantly applying to jobs in biotech/food/petrochemical/etc not just in my area (Toronto) but I've started applying all over Ontario and some places in Alberta and Manitoba. As of now, I just feel drained and depressed. I got interest stacking up on my student loans while being unemployed and its just getting frustrating.

Well, that's my story. Please share yours if you are in a similar situation.

My friend is in Biochem in UofT and he got a 1 year intern at a well-known pharmaceutical company...so I'm pretty sure you can too.

[Syne]

OP, it's your own fault for not doing a STEM degr... oh wait.

[kuhai2001]

I'm hoping talking about this will enable others to share their experiences on their job hunt/unemployment.

I graduated from UofT in Biochemistry last year and since then, I've been on the job hunt for laboratory work/lab technician work. Almost a year later, I'm still constantly applying to jobs in biotech/food/petrochemical/etc not just in my area (Toronto) but I've started applying all over Ontario and some places in Alberta and Manitoba. As of now, I just feel drained and depressed. I got interest stacking up on my student loans while being unemployed and its just getting frustrating.

Well, that's my story. Please share yours if you are in a similar situation.

see pm OP

[Luckyinfil]

At least you are not in the Electrical and Computer engineering field. That entire industry has been decimated since the early 2000s ever since Nortel went under. The smartest graduates in this field are not even able to find jobs!

[champ91]

Why not get a sales or retail job while you search? Better than being unemployed IMO. Especially if you have loans to pay off

[Forhad]

The good thing about depression yes, there are a few good things about depression is that often, there’s much that can be done.

[Syne]

Why not get a sales or retail job while you search? Better than being unemployed IMO. Especially if you have loans to pay off

I've heard that irrelevant experience combined with time can actually make it even harder for grads to break into an industry

[particleman]

I have friends that took jobs in remedial jobs after they graduated to help pay the bills etc. They never were able to break into thier field of study after taking the jobs not related to their field. Although I think much of the blame can be put on themselves, since they didn't really apply for jobs related to their field after they started working. Being their first real jobs, they blamed being too tired after work and not having time to job hunt. I found the same to be true when I got my first job after graduation, after being used to having so much free time as a student and unemployed, it takes time to figure out how to manage your time to do other stuff.

Anyways, my friends only worked up the effort to again start looking for jobs related to their field years after working the non related job. After this much time, it really does become a hinderance, as there is no good way to explain why you were working in a job unrelated to your field for this long. Any long unexplained gap in your resume doesn't look good, so being unemployed for years isn't necessarily any better. I think taking a job unrelated to your field is ok, but you have to job hunt just as hard as if you were unemployed after you take the job. If it doesn't help you can always leave it off the resume. I think the important thing is to not have the employment gap be too long.


I've heard that irrelevant experience combined with time can actually make it even harder for grads to break into an industry

[thunderchunky]

I was under the impression that a biochem undergrad is not very useful in terms of getting a job, and that you kind of have to do further education to get ahead. I hate to say it but you are probably competing for jobs with MSc grads at this point. Any chance of you pursuing grad school or some kind of post-grad certification or something? What about the health care sector?

You've tried really hard. If you can't break through you're going to have to do something to make yourself more marketable. I don't think getting a barrista or retail job is the way to go, for all the reasons particleman mentioned.

[kuhai2001]

To add my 2 cent on top of my 2 dollars, you should learn the name of the Michener Institute by now, if you seriously want a stable tech job

[gdog799]

At least you are not in the Electrical and Computer engineering field. That entire industry has been decimated since the early 2000s ever since Nortel went under. The smartest graduates in this field are not even able to find jobs!

i heard computer engineering a good career path, i actually was regretting not going in to it. Is it really that bad? How are the other types of engineers (mechanical, electrical, software) doing?

[divx]

At least you are not in the Electrical and Computer engineering field. That entire industry has been decimated since the early 2000s ever since Nortel went under. The smartest graduates in this field are not even able to find jobs!

for a moment I thought you were mark77

[divx]

Why not get a sales or retail job while you search? Better than being unemployed IMO. Especially if you have loans to pay off
yes

I've heard that irrelevant experience combined with time can actually make it even harder for grads to break into an industry
yes

[Xiaohaibao]

i heard computer engineering a good career path, i actually was regretting not going in to it. Is it really that bad? How are the other types of engineers (mechanical, electrical, software) doing?
No, too much outsourcing in that field.

[Ceece]

No, too much outsourcing in that field.

Is it a Canadian problem? IT companies in the U.S. are always pushing for Congress to allow more H1-B visas because they don't have enough locally trained computer grads, and need to hire from abroad.

I'm confused -- the tech companies in California are moaning about not having enough talent, and yet it is mentioned above that software engineers cannot find jobs? What area of IT has the jobs?

[champ91]

I've heard that irrelevant experience combined with time can actually make it even harder for grads to break into an industry

Just don't put it on your resume. I don't see how its any different than not working. Unless u get lazy and stop looking?

Well that's just me. But those bills do pile up

[C_C]

Why Good People Can't Get Jobs (http://qualitydigest.com/print/21092)

This article provides a lot of reasonable insight into the changes in the hiring process these days. Its not a full of excuses and might help you gain some perspective on what's going on in the job market.

[chizy33]

I'm in a similar situation OP; graduated with an MA in Econ late 2010 and haven't found anything in the field.

Will be starting a 2yr engineering tech program this fall hoping to break into the energy industry.

[pltz77]

Is it a Canadian problem? IT companies in the U.S. are always pushing for Congress to allow more H1-B visas because they don't have enough locally trained computer grads, and need to hire from abroad.

I'm confused -- the tech companies in California are moaning about not having enough talent, and yet it is mentioned above that software engineers cannot find jobs? What area of IT has the jobs?

Are you guys serious or just trolling my evil counterpart?

There aren't enough QUALIFIED talent. My company in Socal are hiring like mad and we are paying crazy referral for qualified engineers (up to 18k for 3 referrals)

[eiad77]

I'm in a similar situation OP; graduated with an MA in Econ late 2010 and haven't found anything in the field.

Will be starting a 2yr engineering tech program this fall hoping to break into the energy industry.

Where did you get your MA from?

[kuhai2001]

Where did you get your MA from?

ya that sounds pretty bad. 2 years tech program to break into oil? I don't know if I should be happy for you...

[jackman25]

same problem, i have an undergrad in accounting, to this date the only job i can get is customer service, no company is willing to hire me as i have no accounting experience, no job no experience, no experience no job.......

[Ceece]

Are you guys serious or just trolling my evil counterpart?

There aren't enough QUALIFIED talent. My company in Socal are hiring like mad and we are paying crazy referral for qualified engineers (up to 18k for 3 referrals)


Xiaohaibao's comment above (post # 19) implies that mechanical, electrical, and software engineering grads are not doing well as the jobs are being outsourced. I wanted to clarify whether this was just a Canadian phenomenon since I know for a fact that U.S. companies are having a hard time finding software engineers. Your post confirms that my understanding about the U.S. jobs picture is correct. So why aren't Canadian software engineers flocking across the border?

[chizy33]

Where did you get your MA from?

McMaster.


ya that sounds pretty bad. 2 years tech program to break into oil? I don't know if I should be happy for you...

I'm hoping for something in power generation in Ontario, particularly Nuclear. The oil industry is far too volatile for me so it will be a last resort.

[champ91]

I'm in a similar situation OP; graduated with an MA in Econ late 2010 and haven't found anything in the field.

Will be starting a 2yr engineering tech program this fall hoping to break into the energy industry.

You're at least working right? Otherwise, that's a lot of money to put in to still be unemployed

[Rainne]

The problem with most people I find is they start looking for experience too late.

For example, you should already be volunteering in high school.

High school volunteer experience -> Get good grades in first year university while also joining clubs, competitions, events / networking / volunteering -> use as leverage to get 1st summer job / internship / more volunteering experience -> use as leverage to get 2nd summer job / internship / more volunteer experience -> use as leverage to get 3rd, etc. you get the point

By the time you graduate, you should already have plenty of volunteer/internship or job experience somewhat related to your field, and also plenty of contacts/decent network. This usually leads to your first job.

[sleepyguy]

One thing is don't mop at home... that is the worst. I do some client on the side work and best gig I got was playing pickup tennis with a meetup group in my area. Yeah it may seem difficult to enjoy yourself, but loosen up.. .have some fun... positive people attract others naturally. I'm generally a very quiet guy but sports and competition bring the best out of me. My best side jobs have been networking after playing sporting events.

[chizy33]

You're at least working right? Otherwise, that's a lot of money to put in to still be unemployed

I've done contract work with an Uncle who's a business consultant in the US. It looks good on a resume but it's no career and won't last much longer anyways.

Luckily I graduated with no debt and have a good chunk of savings to cover more schooling. I spent months looking into other fields and this looked the safest.
If it doesn't work out, game over I guess?

[KIDAVENGER]

I've heard that irrelevant experience combined with time can actually make it even harder for grads to break into an industry

It's better to work a job and not put it on your resume than to sit at home making no money, either way that degree won't be worth much after a few years of not practicing.

Try applying for this one; pay is pretty bad but you have to start somewhere http://www.jobbank.gc.ca/detail-eng.aspx?OrderNum=6529981&Source=JobPosting&ProvId=06&kwd=biochem&Lang=E&OpPage=50&Stdnt=No&PgNum=

[champ91]

Is it that bad out there? It took me one month of applying for jobs everyday to land a job but that was 2010. I thought that was a really long time already. Being unemployed for over a year is just terrible

[BananaHunter]

My suggestion is to take ANY job for the time being. Being unemployed is demoralizing. If you work at McDonalds, at least you'll make some money and do some work, which will prevent your pride from collapsing to the bottomless pit. Trust me, McJobs>being unemployed. You can keep looking while you are working. Don't get me wrong. Working a McJob is not going to feel great. But it's BETTER than doing nothing and waiting for opportunities to show up.

Working an unrelated job DOES NOT hurt your chances of landing the right job. You must think of this relatively. Your options are to a) work an unrelated job b) be unemployed. If you're unemployed, you have NOTHING to put on your resume. If you're employed in an unrelated field, you COULD leave that job out of your resume at your discretion.

Aside from working, you can also try non-paid positions like volunteering. Trust me, doing ANYTHING is better than sitting at home. NEVER sit at home and spend all day job searching. There comes a point where you exhaust all your avenues. Go out for a run or join a club or something. It's a mental thing. Doing nothing makes one feel worthless, which will negatively affect your ability to land a job.

A more unintuitive reason to just look for any job is that if you can't even land a McJob, you obviously lack the skills to land higher level positions. Think of landing low level position as a test.

[omgreo]

I'm in a similar situation. I graduated with a BA in Econ in June but have been job searching since last October. I managed to get a part-time service job in my industry for now but I'm still searching for full-time and taking a few extra courses that I can use in applying to grad school later this year. The best advice as most people here have given is to find any job for now, preferably related to your field of interest. And if you're like me, you might want to consider pursuing further education in your field (which seems to be all but required these days). You can at least weather the storm a bit while you search for full-time employment. Hang in there OP.

[Haikara]

Civil Engineering grad with over a year of co-op work experience here. I've been quite reluctant to apply to jobs outside my preferred field, but even then, the market has been pretty dead.

[renoldman]

Why Good People Can't Get Jobs (http://qualitydigest.com/print/21092)

This article provides a lot of reasonable insight into the changes in the hiring process these days. Its not a full of excuses and might help you gain some perspective on what's going on in the job market.

So, basically companies are being cheap and unwilling to train people?

Anyways, for the uninitiated, I present one of my favourite posts on how to land your first job:


I call it the nepotism Ponzi scheme.

In first or second year of university, you need a relative or colleague of a relative to place you in a paper shuffling position at Big Company.

In third year, the name brand of Big Company gets you a position with Bigger Company.

In fourth year, your third year internship lands you a full time gig with either Bigger Company or Bigger Company's Competitor. Notice how no one can claim nepotism at this point because "they only got them their first job - they did it all themselves after that!"

A student with no connections may be able to make it, but they have to start lower and therefore face a longer trudge with more steps towards the same salary and prestige. IE. they may be able to land a contract position with Big Company after graduating, and effectively be 4 years behind the first student in terms of their career.

It may be more applicable in other fields, but I think people should wake up and realize that the Scheme does exist!

[mastercool]

I don't really agree with the option of taking any job at the time being while continuing to look for other jobs. What if your working full-time at McDonalds and don't even have time to apply to other jobs?

Also, say that you do get a job interview for a "dream job" choice of yours. When your being interviewed, you mention to them that you've been working full-time at McDonalds to keep yourself busy while earning some cash. It's a tough world out there, but chances are the HR rep/interviewer will immediately look down on you..."oh the market is that bad is it?" or even worse..."here, meet my supervisor...he works at McDonalds" !

It can be a complete death sentence...

[xt21]

Allow me to put it this way. The job market in Toronto is so crappy at the moment that my friends with years of IT experience from banks couldn't even land a job offer here in the last 5 months.

I was looking since Jan 2012 for an IT position myself and got several interviews but never a call back or offer because they always found someone with more experience than me. I got lucky with the federal gov in Ottawa and accepted a job there for now but things in the GTA are really not looking good at all.

[bunget]

I don't really agree with the option of taking any job at the time being while continuing to look for other jobs. What if your working full-time at McDonalds and don't even have time to apply to other jobs?

Also, say that you do get a job interview for a "dream job" choice of yours. When your being interviewed, you mention to them that you've been working full-time at McDonalds to keep yourself busy while earning some cash. It's a tough world out there, but chances are the HR rep/interviewer will immediately look down on you..."oh the market is that bad is it?" or even worse..."here, meet my supervisor...he works at McDonalds" !

It can be a complete death sentence...

I had the opportunity to talk to a manager of one of the big banks. He worked for 4 years at Timmies, and he looked extremely positive at the people that did worked with lots of customers, in places like McD or Timmies. After all it's just a matter of perspective, and how you are able to show your future employer the skills you got from these minimal wage jobs.

[champ91]

I don't really agree with the option of taking any job at the time being while continuing to look for other jobs. What if your working full-time at McDonalds and don't even have time to apply to other jobs?

Also, say that you do get a job interview for a "dream job" choice of yours. When your being interviewed, you mention to them that you've been working full-time at McDonalds to keep yourself busy while earning some cash. It's a tough world out there, but chances are the HR rep/interviewer will immediately look down on you..."oh the market is that bad is it?" or even worse..."here, meet my supervisor...he works at McDonalds" !

It can be a complete death sentence...

Unless you are working 12 hour shifts each day you should have plenty if time to apply for jobs. Honestly, you have a generic resume and cover letter just change it slightly and send it off. Just don't be lazy

Don't mention it and don't put it on your resume if you don't want people to know how hard is that?

[Nettles]

I was under the impression that a biochem undergrad is not very useful in terms of getting a job, and that you kind of have to do further education to get ahead. I hate to say it but you are probably competing for jobs with MSc grads at this point. Any chance of you pursuing grad school or some kind of post-grad certification or something? What about the health care sector?

Yeah OP you need to get into an audiology school or go to a carribean med school or some form of healthcare schooling in the US maybe which you could easily get a loan for in order to continue your education because a BSC degree alone with a biochem major is difficult to do but not good in terms of getting a job directly after finishing.

[redsilk]

Help me understand the thinking that sitting at home applying for a job in your field instead of doing any job( timmies, waiter, etc) is a good thing after a long period of time. I agree with the posters that said get any job for now. Sure it will be a hit to ur ego and pride, but I guarantee that the people around you will have more respect that ur working then sitting at home. If it looks bad, then don't put it on ur resume. Like the previous poster mentioned , a person could learn a lot of customer service, how to deal with complaints, human behavior, work place culture, time management in these jobs. And you make some money, meet new people and expand ur network in hopes of eventually the right job. Maybe u need to change ur mind frame of these jobs and see what they have to offer , that it could be more than serving coffee. If someone came to interview with me and told me they worked at timmies for a year because they couldn't find a job and proceeded to tell me how they dealt with personnel/customer conflict; how they assess their work environment and made suggestive changes, it tells me a lot of the individual's skills and that they can see more than just the task.. I certainly would prefer this from a perspective employee than someone whose last job was 2-3 years ago and has not worked since. My red flags would go up and wonder about the individuals motivation, how lazy is this person, etc....maybe that's just me though.

So .... Tell me what's stopping u from applying to any job?

[blackestnight]

I see many people have suggested that OP apply for positions within the service/fast food/hospitality industry. Being in the same position as OP, I did just that. Despite assuring hiring managers that I was available full time, willing to work any shifts and will not quit the minute I find a job more suited to my field, I never got a call back. IF its not that, its you are "over qualified". Furthermore, every service position is occupied by temporary foreign workers in BC anyway.

[Rainne]

^ I've actually noticed a lot of middle aged women foreign workers at McDonald's / Tim Hortons lately..

I think managers feel safer hiring a full-time female immigrant vs. a local because there's a better chance they'll work harder and stay there longer.

[Rainne]

Just don't include it onto your resume, unless it's related.

[aznblade]

I'm pretty much in the same situation. My program requires a co-op credit in order to graduate... Been trying to look for a internship/co-op for atleast 4 months. All I do is moping at home and do nothing. I have been applying to part-time jobs lately, just to not mop around the house.

[JK400]

I'm pretty much in the same situation. My program requires a co-op credit in order to graduate... Been trying to look for a internship/co-op for atleast 4 months. All I do is mop at home and do nothing. I have been applying to part-time jobs lately, just to not mop around the house.

You're mopping around your house all day and not even getting paid or anything? Why not grab that mop and go apply to be a janitor somewhere then? With all the mopping you've been doing for the last four months, you could have probably made a few thousand bucks by now.

[spike1128]

You're mopping around your house all day and not even getting paid or anything? Why not grab that mop and go apply to be a janitor somewhere then? With all the mopping you've been doing for the last four months, you could have probably made a few thousand bucks by now.

Can't be helped. This generation of kids are like this. I would rather work some minimum wage job than to mop the house and getting paid nothing.

[thunderchunky]

At least they have clean floors!

[alpharius]

I see many people have suggested that OP apply for positions within the service/fast food/hospitality industry. Being in the same position as OP, I did just that. Despite assuring hiring managers that I was available full time, willing to work any shifts and will not quit the minute I find a job more suited to my field, I never got a call back. IF its not that, its you are "over qualified". Furthermore, every service position is occupied by temporary foreign workers in BC anyway.

The primary reason why do you NOT want to take a service related job is because of hiring managers mentality. They only look at the current job you're in - and proceed to pigeon hole you. If you leave the job off your resume, it looks bad because you have a gap. What about your self esteem issues - being a janitor when you're trained to be a scientist is devastating to your psyche and will only sap your energy away from real job hunting.

[mastercool]

Umm has anybody who suggested that OP take a lower paying job just to pay the bills while looking for a job actually tried doing this??

I did this when I first graduated...a really crappy call center job paying basically minimum wage to pay the bills and I couldn't stand it...not only does it count as irrelevant experience, alot of hiring managers will try to pigeon hole you to that certain role...eventually I just quit and ended up doing some free volunteer-related work. HR seemed to view that more highly.

Also, many of these "throw-a-way" job outlets expect to work you to the bone, give you virtually no breaks and yell and/or question you if you have to take any time off...not to mention that your work-day is usually over very sporadic time-frames.

You won't find time in your work-day to do any job hunting...if you can even get an interview you'll have to give some kind of 2 weeks notice JUST to get that 1 hour break from your work...it's called a throw-a-way job for a reason...

[Mayosandwich]

You need to start networking. I cant stress enough how important networking is, which not many people do (especially people who work). People get busy and if theyre already working, they figure why bother networking when they already are busy with a full time job. Well its to get connected. Even if you are working a F/T job or in school you should still make the effort to network at least a couple times a week. You build your connection database for the future for when you will need it. Then when you are out of work, you arent back to square one cause you will already have some building blocks in place so you just continue where you left off. People who do this will be much more ahead of the game than someone who works but doesnt network.

Today has evolved around connections and the more connected you are, the easier time you will have finding future work and oppurtunities, that is 100% proven gaurenteed. You should network min. 5hrs a week if your unemployed and looking for work, 10 hours if you are an entrepneaur. It is what markets you to others and turns strangers into connections and work partners.

Go and sign up on meetup.com and even attend just recreational liesure meetups, whether its at a pub, or whatever. Its all about getting connected and in most cases this is much more effective than emailing resumes and cover letters (which lets admit are very time consuming after you tailor each cover letter to each job advertised), from your computer room and wait a stone age to get a reply back after your papers sit in a pile of hundreds of other resumes and cover letters on the HR persons desk.

Chances of employers even looking over all the resumes they receive are very slim, and very good chance they dont even cover yours. I know a girl who works in HR and she said for a regular to large sized company 90% of the time, your resume and cover letter dont even get looked over. How does that make you feel after you spent the time to tailor it to send to them?

For instance (and this does happen more often than people are willing to admit), companies have say 500 resumes and cover letetrs on their desk for 1 position. They look over say 100, find enough choices that theyre happy with from that first 100 they look at and hire from there. They dont even bother even looking at the rest, they huck them in the garbage. You think theyre going to give their time back and put you into their database for future work? Forget it. HR people dont give a damn. So you get nothing out of it, not even your name and info inserted into their database for a source of future contact. Sure most employers will say "We have put you into our database for future oppurtunities, keep in touch, blah blah blah"...dont believe it, most of the time its just BS so that job seekers dont take it as a slap in the face, knowing theyre resume and cover letter just went straight to the recycle bin.

So all that time you put into tailoring each cover letter and resume to each job you apply for, Id say majority of the time, that time is wasted. I know from many years of experience, you need to change your approach. 95% of unemployed people just fire off resumes and cover letters (most not even cover letters, which is bad cause most employers will autmatically throw resumes without cover letters out)...you need to start networking and get yourself out there and meet people face to face, shake hands and introduce yoursself and swap business cards.

Ask yourself this, do you think its more effective introducing yourself to one person directly face to face or to a companys stack of 600+ resumes sitting on their desk? The latter is not even introducing yourself, its just putting your ticket in and becoming a number. Its not effective and a huge waste of time.

Its much more effective and you are in control of the game and not waiting for stupid disrespectful time wasting HR employees to get back. Ive known people who have worked in HR and you would be utterly shocked how many of them dont value peoples (in this case job seekers) time. They really couldnt give a damn about you for the most part.

[testinz]

Connection is important to get you a good job. The person referring you in probably know it's a good job in the first place before referring you :)

Also, face to face interaction with the employer will give you a high chance as well.

Go to ALL career events, even the one at colleges and universities. If you dress and talk professionally with a well customized resume for those employers, you will get a very high chance of stepping through the door. They will leave some note on your resume as you speak, you know that you are through the first step.

Also, in the mean time apply to any places including agencies and don't undervalue any retail or low paying job, it will give you communication skill and you can put a bs line in the Summary or Highlight of Qualification section on top with communication and team work skills: Exceeded exception by ... Great communication and team work skills credited with increasing sale.... <- these are eye catching line that work with McDonald, etc...

Blindly applying and staying unemployed will not help much, use some or any tricks you can find to step through the door. Make sure they are legal, truthful and that you can back up with your skill though. If you want to change your career and you have a skill in xxx but don't have education to back it up: work full time at a low paying place - take a course in the school in the new field, put that program in as part of your education section. Keep on applying. Don't say you have graduated from it though because it will be illegal. Employer will ask in the interview, you can back up saying you already have skills , just need to take some course for enhancements. Go to any fair and compete with those students. it's unfair but employer probably value a professional job seeker than first or second year students.

Talk to someone who work in government and learn how to apply for jobs in the government with your degree. The resume and process to apply for government job are totally different from the private sector. They are longer and need to catch all requirement line by line. it's a systematic process. The one who made sure all the "requirement" line met are the one who got through into the pool. After that connection takes over.

Good luck :)