I've now been unemployed for almost five months, and have been job-hunting seriously in this particular area for a little over two of those months. That said, I think I have done adequate research and come to the conclusion that I have identified the most irritating catch 22 in the universe.
You can't get a job without experience, and you can't get experience without a job. No exceptions.
...Okay, maybe a few exceptions. I guess if you have extremely good luck, shady connections, or rich parents, you might still be able to get a job. But I don't have any of these, so I can't be sure.
It used to be the case that if you had a college degree, that actually meant something, and you'd at least be able to get your foot in the door with a crappy entry-level job. Apparently, those days are no more, they must have ended just around the time that I graduated from Penn State with massive amounts of debt. I've seriously been applying to the most basic, barely over minimum-wage, clerical jobs, and 99% of them never even contact me. Of the few I've actually had interviews with, the consensus has generally been "Sorry, we hired someone with more experience." This really makes me want to smash my head with a blunt instrument. These are jobs that BARELY require a high-school diploma and a pulse. One or the other, in some cases. How much experience do you need to answer a telephone? It's starting to look like the only options remaining are either a) work at a call center, b) hang myself, or c) all of the above. Probably in that order.
(And no, I was not being serious just now, merely trying to make a point of how much I do not want to work in a call center.)
Technically, I do have some experience, but for the most part my employment history tends to work against me rather than for me. I didn't really work when I was in high school because I didn't need to, I barely worked when I was in college, save for some part-time jobs that I can't list as references because I didn't even know my co-workers' last names, and then there was the icing on the cake, teaching in Japan. Which seemed like it would look good on future resumes, but actually does not. Unless you're planning on going into the education field (which even if I wanted to, I couldn't, because I don't have a teaching degree) when you get back, or are good enough at Japanese to actually get a job using it, it really doesn't help at all. Potential employers will either be mildly impressed, as if you just told them you can eat 200+ hot dogs in 5 minutes, or they won't mention it at all. And if you're filling out job applications online, it's extra frustrating, because those little drop-down boxes in the "Employment History" section almost invariably do not have overseas options. Meaning, you end up being forced to list your previous employer as being located in "Tokyo, Pennsylvania", since Chiba prefecture is not one of the options and you can't proceed without choosing one.
And if your company is anything like mine, you can forget about listing them as a reference when you get back. They'll tell you flat-out that even if you were a model employee, they can't be bothered with that shit. But that's another story for another time, probably to be mentioned in my inevitable blog post about "Should you become an ALT in Japan?" Ahem.
So that's where I am right now. Anyone else experiencing this unfortunate phenomenon?
4 comments:
I have experience and I still got ignored by all 400 companies I applied to! I've had experience in a lot of different industries, but I don't have any one focus and I don't seem to fit their box. I'm overqualified for a secretary, and probably would suck doing that anyway, and many other entry-level jobs you need a specific degree to get into. Although I'm not technically unemployed (I work as a substitute teacher/teacher's aide on an as-needed basis, which isn't regular income or provide benefits but it's better than nothing) it still sucks that I haven't been able to find ONE company that thinks me decent enough to even call about my resume.
Thanks for commenting!
That really sucks, I guess in this economy, you need exactly the right amount of experience to get a job. I hear it's really difficult for teachers to find work right now, but I suppose subbing is still better than no job at all. Even though I taught English for a year, no teaching jobs in this country will even consider me because I don't have a teaching degree.
I'm not sure if I'm more irritated by the companies that completely ignore me, or the ones that waste my time with interviews when they have no intention of hiring me. Hopefully we both get calls soon! =)
I don't have a teaching degree either, like you I just have a year's teaching experience in Japan and swore I'd never do it again XD But since I did have the experience (and my mom works at a school) it was the best option at the time.. I do like kids, I just can't stand the pressure of actual TEACHING... running a class, planning lessons, etc. (Plus you don't need a teaching certificate for substituting - just a bachelor's) Although I wouldn't have thought so a year ago, I found I enjoy working as an aide, and I'd like to find a job in special ed.
I guess I'm lucky that I haven't even had people wasting my time with interviews - I just never hear from them at all! Although I pretty much gave up applying to new jobs once I started subbing regularly.. I guess I'm just hoping a position will open up at the school XD Anyway, good luck!
My girlfriend is having a rough time finding work with her art degree. She actually worked at a call center for a bit and was depressed every day she did it.
I'm still holding out for a full time teaching gig, but there are a lot of other people with teaching license in my background who are looking for the same jobs. For now, I'm getting by as a district substitute mostly at Wilson, and doing a summer camp/after school program with autistic kids and teens.
Look into your state's teaching laws and what you would need to do to get a teaching license, if you feel so inclined. It varies state to state, but some will make exceptions or have special programs for foreign language/ESL teachers.
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