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I will be turning 23 in December, but I don't feel like I have much to celebrate. I really felt like I would have far more at this stage, but I don't. I am proud to state that I'm college educated (**B.A. in Marketing and Information Systems**) and I have 2 years of information management/social media internship experience, but for some reason I am having a difficult time landing full time employment in my field. I have sent out countless resumes, called employers, attended job fairs, and contacted my school's career services and alumni division, but haven't had had any successful leads, so far.
I am now working part-time w/ a friend designing websites. I enjoy the work but the money is inconsistent and I do not have any benefits or any type of stability at this point. I have noticed that it is extremely difficult for black millennial's in particular to land a good solid position out of school.
My mom doesn't seem to understand. She is demanding $400 per month in rent, but I don't have the funds at this time to pay her. Sadly, she is now threatening to kick me out of the only home that I've ever lived in. The pressure is driving me crazy so I usually just stay in my room with the door closed, when she's home from work. Last night she left an invoice under my door for August rent and all of the unpaid back rent, but I ripped it up. I wish that she'd just get off my back about money that I clearly don't have.
I am an only child but I feel like my mom hates me, because she's kicking me while I'm down.
I feel like such a loser for not having my own place, but I am trying very hard. I want nothing more than to proudly show my mom that I don't need to depend on her for shelter and food, I have the ability to take care of myself.
What can I do to increase my odds? I am desperately trying to relocate and land my dream job working in social media and marketing at full screen, but they don't seem to really hire black recent college grads. I contacted 10 HR people from full screen but I haven't heard back from any of them.
I want to work in this office, but for some reason, these type of companies are not hiring people like me.
What can I do to become more marketable to gain inroads into a job like the guy in the video? I dress preppy and prefer to date white women. I believe I can fit in well in that type of work culture.
Last edited by SocalBound2121; 08-02-2013 at 10:55 AM..
question does your mom require you to have a paid job/internship or would unpaid be alright as well? Yes obviously everyone wants a paid internship, everybody wants the office job but there are many times that the only way to get experience in your field is by working as an unpaid intern.
To settle the money issue you are probably going to have to take some kind or retail, fast food, call center type work whilst still keeping your part time job with your friend. Or if you do find a unpaid internship that is related to your degree, do that internship but work on the side as well.
Parents rarely do understand, many are still in the mindset of "Just walk into the company dressed up all nice and hand in your resume and boom a job!" Or they still believe that landing entry level jobs are a cake walk. Or they still believe that you can actually talk to the recruiter, the HR guy, a person in the company when in reality- its nearly all online now. Explain that to her, explain to her that times have bloody changed. However since she is demanding money right now, you are going to have to take the Wendy's , Target, Walmart etc... simply to make money. Also have you tried out of state or locations that are not too close to you? The job market for your field, where you are located may suck but in other places it may be better.
The fact that you have relevant experience in your degree is great, use that too your advatange for every job/internship you apply to. However until you get the dream job/internship you must be willing to do the retail/fast food.
question does your mom require you to have a paid job/internship or would unpaid be alright as well? Yes obviously everyone wants a paid internship, everybody wants the office job but there are many times that the only way to get experience in your field is by working as an unpaid intern.
To settle the money issue you are probably going to have to take some kind or retail, fast food, call center type work whilst still keeping your part time job with your friend. Or if you do find a unpaid internship that is related to your degree, do that internship but work on the side as well.
Parents rarely do understand, many are still in the mindset of "Just walk into the company dressed up all nice and hand in your resume and boom a job!" Or they still believe that landing entry level jobs are a cake walk. Or they still believe that you can actually talk to the recruiter, the HR guy, a person in the company when in reality- its nearly all online now. Explain that to her, explain to her that times have bloody changed. However since she is demanding money right now, you are going to have to take the Wendy's , Target, Walmart etc... simply to make money. Also have you tried out of state or locations that are not too close to you? The job market for your field, where you are located may suck but in other places it may be better.
The fact that you have relevant experience in your degree is great, use that too your advatange for every job/internship you apply to. However until you get the dream job/internship you must be willing to do the retail/fast food.
My mom wants me to get any legit full-time or part-time paid position. My previous 2 internships were unpaid. I can't really make it on unpaid internships and I have no desire to work in retail or in fast food. I would not do well working in those environments, because I'm more of the creative type that likes to think outside of the box. I also don't think those type of dead-in jobs will add anything meaningful to my life, besides a minimum wage pay check.
I have no intention of working that type of job because I'd never be able to move out of my mom's home and live life as an adult. I am just getting really down about not being able to land anything in my field. I like working on various websites but things are slow at the moment and I haven't made any significant money in a while.
I am hoping to relocate to Southern California, if I'm able to land a full time position that pays at least $40,000.00 per year.
Expand your dream horizons. "Social media" is a fluffy, dare I say fake, industry. Facebook is a house built on sand. It's smoke and mirrors shuffling ad revenue. I'm sure I can use a few more platitudes, but you get the point. It's a venue, not a skill. For every Facebook and Twitter, there are dozens of failed social media experiments.
It sounds like you have decent IT and design skills. Every business and organization needs that. Look for jobs with municipal and state agencies. Look for jobs at colleges and universities providing IT support - this is a HUGE arena. Colleges have tons of data from students and employees, and are just now catching up with the security and infrastructure requirements to process and protect that data. Look at hospitals and insurance providers - same as colleges, they need all the help they can get handling their data.
In the mean time, keep at it with the freelance web design. Put together a portfolio of you work. Lots of organizations need a system administrator 95% of the time and a web master 5%. If you can get an interview for a generic IT support position, the web design skills will get you a leg up.
I think you need to swallow your pride and work a job that pays you money. That is what your mom is trying to tell you by demanding rent and handing you invoices. You can make $400 a month working part time while you continue to look for the full time job you want. You don't have to put this part time job on your resume. I think it is only fair that you contribute to the house you live in and if you have to do less than ideal work to do that, so be it.
I also think things may go more smoothly with your mom if you talk to her and explain things to her. Does she know you are apply for a lot of jobs? How many positions do you apply for each week? Maybe she'd go easier on you if she knew what you were doing in your room all day; she might think you are just screwing around in there, even though you aren't. Your mom may even be able to help you with your resume and cover letters if you start talking to her about your job search.
Also, it sounds like you need to give up on working for that one particular company right now. They know you are interested, and they aren't interested in you for whatever reason. Move on and apply elsewhere. Look for tips on writing a good cover letter and make sure you send one with every application.
Expand your dream horizons. "Social media" is a fluffy, dare I say fake, industry. Facebook is a house built on sand. It's smoke and mirrors shuffling ad revenue. I'm sure I can use a few more platitudes, but you get the point. It's a venue, not a skill. For every Facebook and Twitter, there are dozens of failed social media experiments.
I agree. I have a couple friends who thought they could somehow make careers out of social media. Both of them ended up back in accounting/audit using the CPAs they went to school to earn. They're smart and creative people, but jobs in social media are really fickle.
I have no desire to work in retail or in fast food. I would not do well working in those environments, because I'm more of the creative type that likes to think outside of the box. I also don't think those type of dead-in jobs will add anything meaningful to my life, besides a minimum wage pay check.
I have no intention of working that type of job because I'd never be able to move out of my mom's home and live life as an adult. I am just getting really down about not being able to land anything in my field. I like working on various websites but things are slow at the moment and I haven't made any significant money in a while.
I am hoping to relocate to Southern California, if I'm able to land a full time position that pays at least $40,000.00 per year.
Oh dear, you have got yo get over that and yourself. Hiring managers can smell that attitude a mile away and they don't want anything to do with it, no matter how skilled you are. I'm on the old end of Millennials (born in 1982), and have been hiring my younger peers for 6 years now. I can't tell you how many times I've been burned by creative types. You have to prove you understand the box before you can work outside it. I didn't hit $40K/year until I had a master's degree and 3 years of continuous, full time experience with one employer.
Get over yourself. When you are unemployed and have someone breathing down your neck about money, you are not too good for whatever job you can get. If you are in a metro area, look at private security. The job is not demanding but they are generally hiring and can offer steady hours and a paycheck.
Expand your dream horizons. "Social media" is a fluffy, dare I say fake, industry. Facebook is a house built on sand. It's smoke and mirrors shuffling ad revenue. I'm sure I can use a few more platitudes, but you get the point. It's a venue, not a skill. For every Facebook and Twitter, there are dozens of failed social media experiments.
It sounds like you have decent IT and design skills. Every business and organization needs that. Look for jobs with municipal and state agencies. Look for jobs at colleges and universities providing IT support - this is a HUGE arena. Colleges have tons of data from students and employees, and are just now catching up with the security and infrastructure requirements to process and protect that data. Look at hospitals and insurance providers - same as colleges, they need all the help they can get handling their data.
In the mean time, keep at it with the freelance web design. Put together a portfolio of you work. Lots of organizations need a system administrator 95% of the time and a web master 5%. If you can get an interview for a generic IT support position, the web design skills will get you a leg up.
Older people tend to state that social media is fluffy. Whether you want to acknowledge it or not, social media is our current and future communication platform, it is not a mere trend. I agree that facebook and twitter will become obsolete, but when that happens, social media will not go away, other emerging forms of social media will just take facebook and twitter's place.
I have expanded my job search to include a variety of different companies and government. My mom works in state government. Since she has spent nearly 2 decades on the same job, she has no clue about how difficult it is to land a good position in this economy. I have applied to countless positions each week, with local business, private corporations, government, hospitals etc., but I haven't heard back.
A while ago I read that if a name sounds identifiably black, employers may be less likely to call you back for an interview. My first name is Tyrone. I have thought about changing it, but I was named after my deceased father, so I have decided to just leave it as is, at least for now. Lately though, I've been using the first initial of my name and full middle name, in the hopes of not coming across as identifiably black. Now I use 'T. Anthony Last Name,' but sadly, this hasn't improved my chances of hearing back from employers.
So you don't just have a job in a specific industry picked out, but at a specific company? And in a specific place. Maybe you'll work at Full Screen one day and maybe you won't. The last thing a recent grad with little experience should do on a job hunt is limit their options based on company or geography. You're doing both with no success. You need to broaden your horizons to include other companies (i.e. any company with a Marketing/IS department) and be willing to locate where ever you find a job.
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