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This is only partly true and not correct in entirety.
College =/= Job
Good College = Better probability at not being filtered for job opportunity and getting in line for interview
Networking = Job Opportunity aka Interview by jumping the line
Skill, Experience, Personality, Nailing the interview = Job
Networking just means you can bypass some paperwork and get you to interview stage faster. But you need skills, experience, certain persona, and nailing the job interview to get the job.
On the flip side, even if you have the skills, experience, and the right fit for the job but no network. You'll be one of the papers (virtual) that sits in a stack at someone's inbox.
It's actually easier to get a job overseas in the OP's field (urban planning). Demand is strong in developing countries due to rural-urban migration, urbanization, BPO, industrialization, tourism. What expats usually do is come into these countries as independent consultants, network their way to getting contracts and from there, land FT jobs. Visa won't be a problem if one is coming in as an independent consultant as many such countries have streamlined their immigration processes for self employed people.
What OP will need to do before looking abroad is (a) establish oneself as an authority in the field by publishing or putting up a professional blog, as well as getting a couple more years experience in NYC and (b) learning the language in those countries. Right now the languages to learn are Portuguese, Spanish, Mandarin, French, Bahasa Indonesia and Russian. Philippines might be easier as the business language there is English.
Once in the country, OP can network through the local alumni associations (US universities have a strong presence) and eventually joining the local chapter of professional organizations like the Rotary Club.
Almost ready to bartender nights since I'd nearly make my rent in one or two shifts. Bartending gigs at places that actually pay more than the rent are unfortunately hard to secure also, especially with no experience.
Not everyone can work at a fancy club with big tippers. Still, it's a marketable skill. Some places like quiet bartenders as well! Just show up on time & mix & pour the drinks!
Quote:
Originally Posted by ehanson
bigjake, after all this time- it's me. ... I'm looking to change myself a bit to come off as more sociable. People who tend to get ahead ... tend to be more extroverted and assertive. I'm a bit of an introvert and am inherently at a disadvantage. Seems this character trait is about to land me in the poor house
First step is realizing that you have a "problem". While there is nothing inherently wrong with being an introvert, it certainly won't get you noticed, in a world of go-getters. Make small changes, at first. Initiate some conversations. Politely complain. Laugh out loud!
The vast majority of jobs in this country are acquired through friends and family, or other social networks. It's a sad fact, but a fact nonetheless.
I don't know that it's sad. It does hurt those who lack local family, friends or social networks. But, it's understandable, that someone who is a good employee has the ability to recommend someone else for a job opening. At the same time, there are plenty of people who obtained jobs on their own, and did well at them.
Outside of competitive civil service exams, there's no testing for most jobs, and many feel that a top score does not predict future productivity. Many people feel that a degree should give them an advantage, but education does not always predict success, either. It's also amazing to me, how many people strive to obtain a job, then start complaining about it as soon as they're hired! Don't tell your prospective boss that you are willing to work odd schedules, then complain the first time asked to work overtime or a weekend!
Also...it doesn't do you any good to focus on mistakes that were made in the past. This is the biggest factor effing me up personally, in any area of my life, no matter what. I am trying to be more like my spouse nowadays...he lets disappointments roll off like water off a duck's back.
So you majored in something that's out of fashion now. So you still have skills, and still have a BA (or BS?), which is more than 2/3rds of Americans can say. What skills do you have? Besides Urban Planning, what other types of work could you see yourself doing? Would you like to add new skills? How might you get those new skills? Community college? Maybe check out what's going on at CUNY? Or is it something like web development or programming, where you can get the skills for free with some pluck and hard work?
Spend this weekend planning your next move and thinking about your skills and preferences. Throw out what you've tried before, but do look at what you can bring to the table. Then, look at how that can be transferred to a number of different industries. And then, think about where to meet the people who work in those industries.
Good advice. The OP needs to determine career and location priorities. He needs to basically ask himself this; do you want to be an urban planner as in have that exact work title or is living in New York City itself a priority for you? If it is the former then the best advise would be to look for jobs all over the country if it is the latter than it is best to branch out and look for jobs that are only loosely related to urban planning or perhaps not at all, think real estate, public affairs, city government jobs of any kind, tourism management, etc, basically if your true love is the city itself just do whatever you can to get any decent paying job and be flexible about the field and nature of work. So you can be stubborn about the field but less about location or stubborn about location but less so about the job title, it is hard to be stubborn about both unless you have stellar credentials or are very well networked. I know I have the same dilemma except for me it is Chicago I want to live in and thus I have chosen the latter approach, my career goals are specifically tied to this city and that is why I chose the career path I did (I am political science bachelor's and urban planning master's), I have some classmates who are trying to bust their butts to get the "urban planner" job title even if it is a job in Timbuktu and for many people that might suit their career goals but not mine. This is why I shy away from people giving general one size fits all advice, in the end you are your own person and you have to decide what is best for you but in order to do that you need to answer the question I asked above for yourself because without realizing what your personal priorities are you are likely to be aimless.
Of course, hope is always good. But realism is also a good quality.
Consider the following quote from Truman Capote. He's writing about an aspiring artist, but there are some aspects that apply to anyone who's moved to New York.
**************
"Lunch today with M. Whatever is one to do about her? She says the money is gone finally, and unless she goes home, her family refuse absolutely to help. Cruel, I suppose, but I told her I did not see the alternative.On one level, to be sure, I do not think going home possible for her. She belongs to that sect most swiftly, irrevocably trapped by New York, the talented untalented; too acute to accept a more provincial climate, yet not quite acute enough to breathe freely within the one so desired, they go along neurotically feeding upon the fringes of the New York scene.
"Only success, and that at a perilous peak, can give relief, but for artists without an art, it is always tension without release, irritation with no resulting pearl. Possibly there would be if the pressure to succeed were not so tremendous. They feel compelled to prove something, because middle-class America, from which they mostly spring, has withering words for its men of feeling, for its young of
experimental intelligence, who do not show immediately that these endeavors pay off on a cash basis. But if a civilization falls, is it cash the inheritors find among the ruins? Or is it a statue, a poem, a play?
"Which is not to say that the world owes M., or anyone, a living; alas, the way things are with her, she most likely could not make a poem, a good one, that is; still she is important, her values are balanced by more than the usual measure of truth, she deserves a finer destiny than to pass from belated adolescence to premature middle age, with no intervening period, and nothing to show.
Truman Capote, “New York,â€
Portraits and Observations, 2007, Random House
I need some advice and am getting very frustrated with the way my career is(n't) going. I've been in NYC for 3 years after graduating college and have been interning at a company in Midtown for a little over a year now. I stayed so long because I hoped it would turn into a real poisition. My boss told me no guarantee's after inquiring last week which was disappinting. Before this I was also at low paying internships and despite having sent resumes out for positions I haven't advanced much since I've arrived in my field. Living on $1,366 per month has pushed me to the edge even after lowering expenses and now I'm behind on rent... getting frustrated with myself and the sitiuation now. Not the path to go down.
Almost had a breaking point after on the subway this morning (for those who take the A who live above 145th Street now what I'm talking about) caused me to be 30 mins late- even though I left early.
As the minutes ticked by I thought it might be good to just quit since I'm not being compensated at a salary I can live a reasonable distance from where I work or even pay the rent for my room. Though, going from having barely any money to no money would be a nightmare. I really had to wrestle with myself not to hand in my two weeks notice since I'm not using skills from my degree in urban planning either (a field that has seemed to to evaporate after the crash
Thankfully, the lady I'm renting the room from is understanding once I revealed I was struggling.
Everyone I know who has a real job that pays a real salary has networked their way to that position; all well paying positions they got in about 6 months to one year and are all recent college graduates... they did it the smart and efficent way. Feeling like an idiot for mit developing my network here and am really paying for it (quite literally)
I really need to start networking but I don't have a kind of network that would get me an entry level position in my field or at least a related field. Applying for jobs on Craigslist and Indeed is proving to be useless since people filling these positions recieve hundreds resumes for every open position. And in NYC it's super competitive to even get an interview.
Appologies for the rant but am in serious need of advice of how to develop a network here to get me where I'd like to be professionally. I know others have/ are going through this now and can relate.
Are you from NY? You do know our unemployment is higher than the national average aka double or triple that number for the real unemployment rate? NY is not a place for jobs. New York is a place for contract work, temp positions, and admin.
No recent grad has a network and don't believe all the crap you hear. 9 times out of 10 its all bull **** and if you are a New Yorker, you should know this by now. Your friends probably just picked the right major, did an internship/ analyst program/ training program their junior year and got hired senior year. That isn't networking fyi. Also, that is how most recent grads get jobs by NOT by networking, but by doing a program their junior year of college. Companies tend to hire from pool of interns approximately 1/4th of all new hires are interns. You missed that boat so now you are part of the 1.8mil who didn't get jobs after graduation.
In the case of your friends, 6 months after grad that is networking. What did they do asked mommy, daddy, alumni, professors, university career services, college friends, past employers.
What you do? Firs off, you copy them. Next, you hustle, but it sounds like you have been used for cheap labor. A lot of companies are into that now. A year of interning and no job aka you've been had. Suck it up, write thank you letters move on (this an internship). Since NY has no need for your degree according to you, move to where your skills are needed. If there is no demand for your expertise, rebrand yourself by going back to school aka grad school. At this point you don't have anything to lose. If you lack experience you need credentials. You wont have the entire package, but you will have that MBA on your resume.
Make sure you go to a top one.
Reason no responses is because past a certain age, many employers do not consider internship as work experience. If you haven't been asked, the recruiter will ask you:
1. Why didn't he hire you?
2. Why are you unemployed?
3. What is your story?
4. Are your skills outdated?
You need solid bs answers for those.
IMO best bet is grad school since you are at that age. You'd be surprised how far ahead you'll move once you get your MBA and first job.
Ehanson. Today I just befriended two Transplants who come from Appalachia. Both are siblings and looking for work in NYC. I told them the realities of seeking a job here in NYC even if one has a 4 year degree, it is not enough to get them through the door. To many like minded young folks making it real dfficult for most to obtain a job here in this city.
The interviewer has the upper hand. If they don't like your race, gender, age, sexual preference, appearance, etc then they will not choose you.
You should get a feeling of where you stand from the interview. Remember there are a lot of gatekeepers in a company. The receptionist, the HR person, the actual manager, etc. If you give the wrong vibe to one of them then it's all over. There's a lot of biasness in interviews and it's due to human nature. The interviewer might not like you because of your race, appearance, gender, sexual preference, etc. If the person interview does not like you for whatever reason then you're not getting the job. Practice on being charismatic, extroverted, etc. Interviewing should be a job in itself. You have to sell yourself like a high end escort.
Interviewing is similar to dating, it's a numbers game. You have to approach a lot (interview a lot) in order to get experience when it comes to finally getting a date (job). Sometimes, you get lucky and approach the right person (job) and get a date (job offer) from your first try!
After you acquire the job be ready for high school tactics and antics times 1000.
I can't wait until i win the lottery!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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