Dear Career Guru,
I'm a recent graduate and I desperately need to find a job! My loans will start coming due soon, and I don't have any way to pay for them. I have been to my university's career center, built a resume (which I hear is good, just never know though) and I've had some interviews. The problem is that I never get a job offer! It's so frustrating to go through the whole process, and then get nothing out of it. I really don't want to move back in with my parents. Should I redo my resume? Help!
- Jobless in the OC
Hi Jobless,
The good news is that your resume is probably fine, because it's doing its job - getting you a phone interview/in person interview. At that point, your success in getting a job is most dependent upon how you are presenting yourself. The question is, what is happening in those interviews? It sounds like you're getting a bit frustrated with the job search process, and that can sometimes comes out during an interview. Desperate candidates can come across as angry otherwise unpleasant to work with. That will definitely hold you back from getting a job offer.
Your career center would be a great place to ask for a mock interview. Ideally, they would video tape your interview so you can see how you actually come across in person. If you cannot get back to your school, ask yourself these questions:
1) How did I feel before, during, and after the interview? If you recall feeling really anxious or unhappy during the interview, then chances are your employer picked up on it. Some anxiety tends to make people perform better, but above a certain threshold, high anxiety affects your ability to think clearly.
2) What did you wear to the interview? Did it match the office environment? As in, don't go into a corporate job wearing jeans, but don't wear a suit to interview at a surf shop...
3) Did you answer their questions? Did you have sufficient knowledge about the company, its vision, and products?
A great video that covers the basics in interviewing is here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1ucmfPOBV8
Good luck!
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