Why Is It So Difficult To Get An Entry-Level Job? (cover letters, employee)
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While looking for entry level work for the past three years, I noticed that most entry-level jobs require one to five years experience. The only jobs I've found that don't require experience are paralegal (when they hired me, I received no training, so I didn't know what I was doing), retail, direct care, and commission only sales. Those jobs haven't helped me build a career, but put some money in my pocket. I'm afraid I might end up doing customer service jobs for the rest of my life.
I'm approaching my mid-twenties and I'm ready to start a career. Originally, I thought I would work in the broadcast media, magazines, or online, but that hasn't panned out so far. I'm even looking into non-profit (fundraising and grant writing). All the job postings in those industries are for either senior positions or unpaid internships (which I can't do because I'm not a student anymore).
I know former classmates who found jobs at big corporations and are working their way up. How can I gain paid experience if I can't get into a big company and work my way up? I freelance and blog, but it doesn't pay.
Yeah, it's rough. It was rough for me when I was looking for a job after college, and I had some job exerperience (wasn't related to my degree or the job I was looking to get, though). Every company wants to hire the employee someone else has already trained, it's kind of a catch-22.
Eventually, I lucked out and got into one of those big corporations. I didn't know anyone there, and I didn't even know anything about the company before I applied for the job, they just needed people at the time and college graduates are the cheapest resources to get into the type of entry-level roles they often hire for here. It helped that I had a high GPA and good refrences, I'm sure.
You just have to keep at it, put the word out there about what you want, be willing to move, network (in the good way, not the worthless way). What other choice do you have, really? Don't get discouraged, everyone goes through this.
Meet people. Lots of people. Talk your behind off. One of those people will know someone who's brother-in-law knows someone that does what you want to do. I used to hate hearing that when I was looking for a job, but it's true. When it comes to certain industries (like broadcasting), it's imperative that you know someone first.
Also, entry-level jobs are not what they used to be! Entry-level used to be just that...for newbies or career-changers. Not anymore - now people wholly overqualified for these posts are applying and employers sometimes go with them and thank their lucky stars. Gee, this guy wants to work for this much? Wow!
That might explain the awful experience requirements. I used to get sick just looking at it. Even the most basic jobs require a ridiculous amount of exp. I also know that when I got hired, they told me they only released the freeze on hiring in their company under the condition that the jobs were strictly entry-level. Why? So they don't have to pay you. The state of jobs these days...
Ahem. I tend to ramble, sorry. Network, be open to an opening that may be related but not quite what you wanted. As the above poster said, be willing to relocate and keep your eyes peeled.
Expand your horizons. You have to realize that many of the companies and offices on higher floors could be hiring too, so just walking around near the elevators and lobby is really limiting yourself. Ditch the whole entry level mindset.
I'm in the same boat, as are a lot of people, except I'm looking for an entry level in the electrical engineering field.
I have been trying to get tech jobs but as of right now I can't even get those types of jobs. I figure I am probably overqualified for tech jobs and underqualified for engineering positions.
I know a company that I was told will be hiring soon for assembly line workers for $8 an hour. I made more than that without a degree at all. I did say I want the job though b/c it is a job!
Expand your horizons. You have to realize that many of the companies and offices on higher floors could be hiring too, so just walking around near the elevators and lobby is really limiting yourself. Ditch the whole entry level mindset.
There's some truth to this.
I'm entry level and while my focus is on jobs that are quite obviously entry level, I don't solely apply to those sorts of jobs. I worked in an office at my university through part of school, had internships, and studied abroad- so I leverage the pants off of that. Talking about study abroad, leadership roles I've held on campus, and volunteering on political campaigns has gotten me far in cover letters and interviews. In the past few weeks, my phone has been ringing a bit more and the jobs aren't only jobs geared toward recent grads.
Make sure that the cover letter really highlights how your experiences - paid work or not - can be beneficial to a company. I got offered a 2nd interview on the spot for a job I *really* want in a city I *really* want to relocate to because when asked about my supervision experience, I talked about founding and supervising a small college marching band. Threw in a bit of humor (my college did not have a football team so we played at the women's rugby matches) and highlighted how being in a leadership role for a performance group had unique challenges that could be linked to supervising others on the job, and now I have an interview for a management position.
But yes, trying to find an entry level job right now is incredibly rough. Most of you have seen my posts- I'm at least 600 apps in (lost count but have applied to at least 300 jobs in the 2 months since graduating). I've gotten 3 phone interviews in the past week (plus 2 more that I ended up not taking- one was a $13 an hour job with no benefits that would require me to move 16 hours away, the other was also surprise part time and too far to commute), one which produced a 2nd interview (waiting to hear back for the other two), which is about as many as I had gotten in the 6 months I've been looking. You just have to keep trucking.
Networking helps too. Right now I'm networking the pants off of my old supervisors and office at my college- their department is hiring for 3 positions and I am DETERMINED to at least get an interview for one of them.
Ditto being in the same boat. College Grad with a double major in Security and Intel and German. Catch 22 with jobs for me. Private Sector wants government experience, and government sectors wants some sort of experience. Where that comes from I have no idea. Some from Military I do know, however not everyone in the Gov't is military. I've come to the decision that it's either join the military or go back to college.
Nowadays it's all about who you know, not what you know. You have to network and really sell yourself. When you apply to jobs online, you HAVE to use keywords of the job description and tailor your resume to that. Every resume you send out for a job should be different and tailored to that specific job. No exceptions. Trust me.
And I'll repeat, NETWORK. People you meet, are friends with, etc. you have to talk to them about work. And tell them who you are, what you want to do, etc. and try to have them help you out. It's very competitive out there and you have to work harder. It's possible, just don't give up.
Most of all though, it really depends on what field you're looking into. If you want to be a newspaper writer for example, this may be next to impossible. If you just want to get into a good company and start at the bottom, then this is a possible goal. Some fields are just completely dry.
To the OP - the field you mentioned having interest in are very tough to break into , even in a good economy.
@ 12 % unemployment they can be picky
all the jobs you listed were glamour jobs,
imho
learn a trade and start working its late.
jr college is debt free low cost VE. my favorite pick is LVN/RN. but there is electrician plumber and many other trade jobs. the romantic affair with the white collar promise of career disneyland is over.
time to smell the coffee. its not about fulfilling your dreams, you can do that at night, its about making money and avoiding massive student loans.
The entry level job is almost a thing of the past. My office has an unpaid intern me. A guy who moves from full to part time as needed. We use welfare to work people for filers of paperwork. A cousin works as a unpaid intern for a major company. My Dad's company also uses interns part time workers and temps as well. Lots of non profits use volunteers for entry level work. I knew a kid who was an engineer who did temp jobs for 18 months. Lots of entry level jobs in the white collar world have been sent to India or China for the work to be done on the cheap. Lots of entry level IT and engineering jobs have been sent to India due to the low cost. Older workers who lose their middle level jobs to cutbacks. Now take entry level jobs to stay working. And they stay in these roles because their is nowhere to go. Middle level jobs are being cut more and more started in the 1990's. So you will a 50 year old guy who at one time run the department. He at one time made 50k now he makes 35k in an entry level role. They got rid of the department he ran. This is real common even in good times. We keep pumping out 1 million college grads who have nowhere to go. Now things are even sucking more. So you have back to back classes 2007 to 2010 who for the most part did not find work. They faced no jobs or tried to beat out a guy who had a 10 to 15 year work history. Tons of kids end up underemployed this was common even before the mess now. A buddy of mine runs a cell phone store. He waits tables on the weekend to pay his student loans back. His degree was in marketing. I know lots of college educated people who work at Walmart their degrees rang from HR to business to art. I was at Walmart one time the checkout girl told me in a low voice we have lots of college educated here. It is not uncommon for them to be there years before they find something. Had a guy sell me paint at Lowe's in maybe 2005. He was maybe 50 an was an electrical engineer his job mostly likely went overseas. He told me I will have to work till I am 70 and he was not joking. It is going to be bad for years to come.
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