Today’s post was sparked when I saw an ad from James Diagle on Facebook.
I’d like to thank Laurie for the opportunity to guest post on Punk Rock HR. Laurie clicked on one of my Facebook ads that I use to drive traffic to my job search website, and was kind enough to let me share with you all how my job search has gone so far.
I’m a December, 2009 graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill with a degree in Interpersonal and Organizational Communications, and I’ve been looking for a job for about two months. I started my search about a month before I graduated. Like a lot of people, I posted my resume on sites like Monster and Careerbuilder, applied for open positions that I found online, and waited. And, like a people, I quickly realized that I wasn’t getting very far. A month after my first wave of applications, I had heard nothing back from any of the positions I had applied for. In fact, as I sit here two months later, the rejection emails from those twenty-odd positions are just starting to roll in.
The only success I had in the first month of my search was with an ad that I posted in the “Resume” section of Craigslist, entitled “UNC Grad Seeks Non-lameass job” for an HR Manager’s reaction to this ad. A Director at UNC Family Medicine saw this ad and had his secretary call me in for an interview. Unfortunately, over 200 people had applied for this position and, as a 25 year old recent college grad, I didn’t stand a chance.
I decided that I needed to get more exposure to potential employers by establishing a web presence. After getting the runaround from a local web designer, I decided to make a website on my own: www.jbdaigle.com. I set my resume as the home page, posted reference letters from employers and testimonials from clients of my moving company, and included my contact information. In order to drive traffic to the site, I made targeted Facebook and LinkedIn ads and networked with appropriate individuals and groups through my professional Facebook profile, Facebook fan page, Twitter, Brazen Careerist, Linkedin, etc.
After a month of online marketing and networking and over 750 unique visits to my website, I’ve landed a handful of interviews, but nothing promising. The interviews were either for positions I didn’t particularly care for, like working “fast-paced” sales positions, or with people that I didn’t mesh with. For instance, one particularly old-school recruiter in Raleigh scolded me for drinking water during an interview.
Despite the rough start, my efforts have not been in vain. Through my networking, I’ve gotten some valuable advice and help from UNC alums and kind souls like Laurie who want to help however they can. I’ll continue to network and apply for positions and I’m hopeful that I’ll eventually land that cool job I’m looking for.
{ 38 comments… read them below or add one }
Here are two more good ways to increase your exposure, expand your network, build your portfolio and sharpen your skills: (a) volunteer, and (b) look for freelance/contract gigs.
For (a): pick any cause or organization that you feel strongly about, so you’ll be motivated to do your best work. Then volunteer your time and talents for their monthly newsletter, or membership drive, or fundraising outreach, or event organizing. You’ll meet some great people, generate recent work samples, do good things and forget about your own issues for a while.
For (b): visit a site like http://www.freelancersunion.org/, and chart your own path, at least until you find something better. Network with other contractors and freelancers in your professional/geographical area. We may all wind up in this boat eventually, and you’ll be well ahead of the pack!
And remember: if Laurie noticed you and gave you this platform, you must be doing something right — keep at it, and good luck!
Laurie- I like anyone coming out of college with interpersonal skills- I would like to see this resume-
Debbie
This post has me thinking- we have to do more with less- A strategic plan, product market strategy, spend more time in the field, travel, have 13 direct reports in multiple countries- we (I am talking about the average corp american leader these days) could use smart help from anywhere. Our challenge is we cannot hire just yet. Having said this, college interns, or recent grads that can afford to ride it out that would benefit from real world experience and stellar references might be welcome on my team-
I would be delighted to consider my colleagues recommendations for these type of folks that could help me with my to do list of 100 items- and return help them find great jobs over time- if not with my firm than perhaps another in my community- Corporate America leaders are strapped- we need help- we may be on to something here- could this be a win-win GenY? Could we mentor and learn from each other?
wow! That’s some creativity and drive. I think it speaks well to the type of employee he’ll make. Best of luck in his search, I hope he finds something soon.
Great effort. Before you go and take Debbie up on her offer to work for her for free,pick up the phone and follow up with the leads you generated. Get some balls and finish what you started. Don’t ever settle for getting someones coffee. You are part of the first great creative generation…make it happen and good luck
James,
Great story, nice site and your email exchange with the hiring manager cracked me up. Let’s talk. You can reach me at ahite at talentrevolution.net or 859.312.8461.
Best,
AH
Call me practical, but as another recent college grad (UNC 08), I have to say that your first job might have to be lame-ass. I wasn’t as savvy as this, but I took the best job I could get, even though it isn’t cool, because I needed a job! Now I have money to do what I love and use that time to build skills for a job I want.
As an underemployed 25-year-old member of the “creative class,” I sympathize. It’s rough out there. I am currently putting my 3.85 GPA, my totally impressive resume and proven record of leadership and creative strategy to work as a part-time assistant to a guy who still dictates his correspondence into a microcassette recorder.
The first few months after I graduated were brutal. I worked disheartening minimum-wage service jobs while I applied for every marginally relevant job I could find. Eventually I started an unpaid editorial internship at a small, scrappy magazine, just to do something with my time that didn’t make me hate myself. I stayed on after my “semester” and worked for free as a staff writer and editorial assistant.
A year later I was promoted to managing editor. And I hired my own interns, many of whom were older and more experienced than I was. And some of those interns now have awesome full-time jobs that working for us for free for a while helped them get.
Here’s the thing: Maybe you’d never want to work for me, and that’s fine because chances are I’ll never be in a position to hire anyone again, but saying you don’t want a “lameass” job might come off not as funny but as snotty and entitled to some potential employers, who have a tremendous field of highly qualified employees to choose from right now. When I left my job at the magazine – a job I had started as a totally inexperienced and easily confused 23 year old – we hired a woman who had just been laid off from 15 years as a senior editor at a major national publication. For a really crappy salary and no benefits.
So, yeah. You’re awesome. You’re smart. You have a website. That’s great, but you’re going to need to put in your time. It sucks and it’s frustrating, but more people than not are in your shoes right now – people who are just as awesome and smart and qualified as you are.
Take an internship. Freelance. Make yourself invaluable. You can’t just sit around and expect the best job ever to come to you because you’re the best.
You know why I love this technique? Because a the end of the day a job search is a marketing problem. You examine your market, segment as necessary, apply techniques for reaching your optimal sements, and make sure you give them a reason to buy.
Seems to me James has done just that. Go get ‘em dude.
And for what it’s worth – if you take the crappy to get to the good, you might end up with the crappy for a long long time. Not worth it. I promise.
Sid (UNC MBA ’09)
Excuse the tyypoees. Tapped on my iPhone.
I think he is working the “plan” just fine, take a temp or temp to per assignment while you continue to search…Our only recent hires past 2 yrs out of school or grad school were intern to perm positions and a couple of technical customer service jobs (engineering types)…since its to late to intern…the less then perfect job will have to do to get your foot in the door and gain some experience outside of running own small company…no one said it would be easy…but hard work and perseverance will land him a decent gig!
M
And a jolly good day to you all. I thank you all for your comments and advice. Your time is much appreciated. Here I go with all the @’s:
@kentropic: I really appreciate your advice. I actually recently applied at the Chapel Hill Red Cross. My initial goal was more to stay productive and not sit around all day wallowing in unemployed cabin fever but, as you point out, it’s a great way to get some experience under my belt and do some networking.
In regards to networking, I recently contacted some UNC alums who volunteered to serve as “career advisors” with the UNC General Alumni Association. I’ve gotten a lot of emails and phone calls from them with a lot of great advice. Thanks to a UNC alum that I’d met previously at a Carolina Covenant social event, I had an interview today with a real estate agent with whom he works. I’ll be helping her part time with her marketing, website, scheduling, etc. This will be a great opportunity to get some good experience, and I’m really excited.
@Debbie Brown: Thanks for your comment. If your questions were directed at me, then I’m always open to an internship, as long as the schedule would permit me to have a paying job on the side and stay in the Raleigh/Durham, NC area.
@HR Minion: Thank you for your comment! I hope that you are no longer a “minion.”
@Rob Humphrey: Now that’s what I’m talkin’ about, Rob! I won’t be willing to settle for coffee-bitch jobs until I exhaust all of my other options. Since I have the luxury of having saved some money, I can afford to aim high and have some self-respect at this point. If that turns out to be unrealistic, then I’ll just have to suck it up.
@Amanda Hite: Thanks for your comment. I’m glad you found that email exchange to be funny-I loved it. The guy made me really mad, but I was very relieved to get his reply and learn that he wasn’t such a D-bag after all. I’ve put it down in my notes to give you a call.
@Jay Dolan: Heels yeah, Jay! You may be right about having to take a lame job to get things started, but as I said to Rob above, I’m only going to go lame when I’ve convinced myself that that’s the only option. I’m glad to hear things are going well for you!
@amy: I understand that you aren’t happy with how things have gone for you, but you don’t have to take that out on me. I mean come on, does it really look like I’m just sitting around waiting for a job to fall in my lap? The medium through which you just chose to ream me is my guest post on one of the top 5 job blogs online.
Maybe you got put through the ringer and had to settle for a shitty job, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that I have to. Give me a chance to do my thing and look for a job that I want. In a society that socializes its children to believe that if you go to college and do your best you’ll get a job, it’s only normal for a college graduate to feel entitled to a job. Of course I feel entitled; every self-respecting should feel entitled to a job that they like. Why should anybody settle for less?
“Non-Lameass” job is me saying that I’m not willing to settle for less at this point. Hell no, I don’t want to work for free or get paid way less than I’m worth. I’d like to think that there are some employers out there that will feel refreshed to see somebody who’s not just going to say and do anything you want them to do to get a job.
Maybe you don’t agree with my way of going about things, but I think you should remain open to different approaches. You may think that your boss is behind the times for using a microcasette recorder, but the fact of the matter is that he’s in a position to hire YOU, so you might take some pointers from him.
@Sid: THANK YOU! You’re an ’09 grad too! What are you up to? Staying in the Triangle area? Our bball team has fallen on some rough times, huh?
@Mark F.: Thanks for your kind works, Mark. I just got my foot in the door as an assistant to a real estate agent in Chapel Hill. I’m interested in Real Estate, so it’s a great way to get some first-hand experience, and also get paid for it.
For some reason this post, and the ensuing dialogue, made me think of Lloyd Dobler: “I don’t want to sell anything, buy anything, or process anything as a career. I don’t want to sell anything bought or processed, or buy anything sold or processed, or process anything sold, bought, or processed, or repair anything sold, bought, or processed. You know, as a career, I don’t want to do that.”
Props on the creative approaches and effort put into expanding your network, and attempts to gain employment. There are certain times that I’d like to post my next job opportunity and title it: Seeking non-lameass candidates….hmmm, I may try that one of these days. Good luck with the RE gig.
My response can’t be written as well as this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcoDV0dhWPA
Worth more than a thousand words in this case, IMHO.
I thought Amy’s response was spot on. James, when you respond to constructive criticism with a response like, “I understand that you aren’t happy with how things have gone for you, but you don’t have to take that out on me,” I don’t think that’s a very positive representation of you, or the potential you have to offer. That smacks of an immature personal attack. The ability to absorb/process constructive criticism (without ignoring it or reacting to it personally) and implement changes accordingly is a MUST for career advancement, at any age.
Be careful to not fall into the trap of branding anything that isn’t your end-game career goal as “lameass.” Instead of seeing these jobs as shit jobs, I’d look at them as opportunities. Which I think you already have done, if you’re thinking about working as an assistant to a real estate agent. Few jobs see as much of a cross-section of people as real estate, and the opportunity to do networking there is amazing. Low lying fruit if you ask me.
You’re smart and you’ve been mega-inventive about your job search. You just had the misfortune of graduating in the shittiest job market in decades. In past years positions could be filled with graduates who were smart and could be counted on to grow into a position. In this market, recruiters are having people walk in the door (unsolicited) who are 100% fits to open jobs.
I’m not suggesting you take a shit job. But building a career is like building a house. Lay a good foundation first.
And as someone who’s a writer and who has worked in corporate communications (I wrote the CareerBuilder piece you quote on your Website that mentions PunkRockHR) let me make a big suggestion: volunteer and freelance like a mofo.
I know you’ve done some of this (the Carolina Covenant marketing) but you want to expand your base of experience and have more pieces to share with hiring managers and recruiters.
- Pitch freelance ideas to your local newspaper. I got my foot in the door by writing 600, 800, 1000 word feature articles. Unless you’re talking about the NY Times, most papers will have an open ear and open mind for writers with little or no experience if you can bring it in the writing department.
I wrote about things that interested me and that I knew about, so I wasn’t talking out of my ass. You like sports? Try finding unique stories about local sports or players. Sports is a crowded field, so you might also want to write about other stuff you know. Tech is always a good one – I wrote about Craigslist back when it first came out. Everyone (including the staff @ the paper) wants to know what it is, how it works, and how it benefits then. New social media and Internet technology comes out all the time. Shit, I paid for the Mac I’m writing on with the checks from 8 or 9 of those kinds of pieces.
- If you want experience with visual communications, offer to volunteer to do that for a local non-profit. I did that for a library and helped them design and edit their annual report.
Yes, writing freelance or volunteering isn’t going to make you rich – it’s often no pay or very low pay. But that feature article, or annual report, or flyer – whatever – becomes a part of your resume and portfolio. That speaks volumes louder than a transcript, and will show recruiters and managers what you can do in a very practical, visible and verifiable way.
Hey James – interesting initiative … good luck.
At the risk of being told “I understand that you aren’t happy with how things have gone for you, but you don’t have to take that out on me”, a few reactions:
(1) Your post begins with “I started my search about a month before I graduated.” What were you thinking? There are countless talented candidates that started their career development years before they graduated. If my company was based in the Triangle, I’d stop reading right there.
(2) “Like a lot of people, I posted my resume on sites like Monster and Careerbuilder, applied for open positions that I found online, and waited.” WOW … you really weren’t prepared for the real world (see #1 above).
(3) Reading through your info, you’re “… looking for full-, part-time, or contract positions with individuals or organizations that foster an open and informal work environment.” I don’t think that’s a common job description written by hiring managers. What can you really do and how can you help my company?
(4) Your use of social media is totally self promotional. Ask Laurie to explain why this is missing the point. She knows more about social media than you’ll ever know (or most people will ever know). Your web site has tons of eye candy but very little content.
(5) Suggestion – take the email exchange with Jordan off your Facebook page. It projects an incredible level of arrogance.
(6) I could go on but you probably stopped reading by now. I read Laurie’s blog religiously. Her writing is insightful and provocative and her loyal audience is full of thought leaders in recruiting. I doubt you’ve ever read her blog or watched one of her video interviews. IMHO … Laurie gave you an incredible opportunity and you blew it James.
One more quick suggestion – have you identified the kind of company you’d like to work for in their marketing/corporate comm/media area?
If yes, try finding an entry-level job there – customer service, data entry, whatever.
Sounds like a shit job, right? Except that I can tell you it’s a plus from experience. Learn about what the company is doing or the product that it’s selling at that basic level, and you’ll be able to communicate and be on message so much more effectively. A paid internship, if you will. And when the corp comm position becomes an open rec, you go to the front of the line for consideration since you’re an internal candidate.
To Ken’s comments, I’d add:
To #2: Monster and CareerBuilder are OK as tools in a job search, but boards like SimplyHired and Indeed are far better since they pull from multiple job boards. So are industry job boards, LinkedIn and alumni boards.
To #3: Open and informal job environments exist. The market to work in a media shop or tech company with that level of informality is insanely competitive. You can find that level of flexibility in traditional companies (see ROWE and Best Buy) but you have to demonstrate your ability to perform and meet targets first.
Patrick and Ken – it was nice to see your reasoned and thoughtful responses. I let my emotions overcome my good sense and posted a snarky video that didn’t add any substance to the conversation. You two did – kudos. My bad.
James – I wish you all the luck in the world and I hope you find what you are seeking, however it happens. That’s the really important thing.
@Frank Zupan: Thanks for your comment.
@Joan Ginsberg: Thanks for your comment.
@Patrick Erwin, and everybody else: I can see how the “non-lameass job” thing can get lost in translation through the internet as me being arrogant, but I assure you that I’m a humble person. My intentions in using that phrase were to filter out the kind of employers that I wouldn’t want to work for. I’m going for a boss with an open mind who would look at that and think it was funny, realizing that I’m somebody who’s trying to sift through all of the work-from-home schemes and is a bit frustrated with the job market. It’s proven to be a very hit or miss thing, but it’s a good litmus test to determine whether my potential employer is on the same personality wavelength as me.
In regards to Amy’s comment, I thought that it was inappropriate–particularly the last sentence–and I responded in a way that I felt was appropriate.
Putting all of the aforementioned stuff on the backburner, I really appreciate your well-thought-out feedback on my job search. You’ve got a lot of great ideas that I will put into the mix.
@Ken: Look, man, I’m just trying to find a job that I like. When somebody tells me that “I’m just sitting around expecting the best job ever to come to me because I’m the best,” of course that’s going to get a rise out of me. I’m putting forth an honest effort here and that’s just not the kind of thing you say to somebody who’s just trying to make ends meet.
I’m not saying I know everything about looking for a job–I am far from that. I mean, how am I supposed to know anything about it–I’ve been in school for the past couple of decades and I’m just trying to do the best that I can in the best way that I know how.
@ Patrick: I haven’t figured out what company, or even industry, I’d like to work in. Now that I’m out of school and have the opportunity to explore careers and all, I’m beginning to figure that all out. I’ll be meeting with some UNC alums in the next couple of weeks to see how they went about the first couple of years after graduation. I’ve had a lot of kind alums meet for coffee and give me some good first-hand advice–as well as great advice from people like yourself. Thanks for your additional advice
@Joan: Thanks
James – I’m sure you’re a great guy or Laurie wouldn’t have given you the fabulous opportunity to write a guest post. And she wouldn’t be 1 of your 24 FB fans or 2 of your 19 Twitter followers. Ms. Ruettimann does a brilliant job of managing her “brand” … follow her and you’ll learn a lot. What you’ll quickly see is that Laurie is highly regarded because of what she contributes to the world, not what she’s looking to take from it.
I really do wish you the best and wouldn’t have taken the time I did to respond if I didn’t think it might help. I’ve hired hundreds of young professionals and mentored college grads and MBA students on career development. The most successful folks I’ve worked with start early and research industries, job functions and companies to understand where the opportunities are and how they can make a difference for an employer. Get the offer and then decide if the culture is right for you.
Let’s change the conversation – I see you belong to 30 different LinkedIn groups. What have you learned using LinkedIn and what advice do you have for other talented job seekers?
@Ken: Thanks for your comment.
Entertaining read for Monday morning.
A couple of comments regarding your online resume. Your language skills (especially spanish) and your experience running your own company struck me as your most valuable business world skills. I would increase the emphasis on the fact that you started and ran your own real-world business.
Second, if you are going to have twitter linked to your resume, watch your posts. Does the following post sound like a honors graduate in communications?
” got a part-time jobby today working as an assistant to a real estate agent! Excited about learning me some houses”
The country has double digit unemployment and over 1 million new college grads a year. The job filtering process is relentless and petty during good times. It is much worse during bad times.
I understand this guy entirely. I am 25 years old, having graduated from college back in December ’07 when the recession first began.
I understand what it’s like having high hopes, but at the same time he has to realize that most people see him as a dreamer, who wants one particular position and nothing else.
You have to lower your sights, even though it does suck and realize that you have to climb the job ladder. Take Internships, volunteer and/or do whatever it takes, to get these skills, list most people have said.
@SalesComp: Dude/Dudette, I think a lot of people are missing what I’m trying to get at here. I’m trying NOT to work for robot people that care so much about self-presentation and identity management that you have to be a walking, living, breathing billboard for your own “personal brand.”
No, “got a part-time jobby today working as an assistant to a real estate agent! Excited about learning me some houses” does not sound like a normal honors graduate in Communications. What it sounds like an honors graduate in Communications who knows how to quickly weed out the kind of people he doesn’t want to work by either A. Them being immediately appalled at my “lack of professionalism” and not contacting me in the first place or B. Them being immediately appalled and sending me emails, commenting on blog posts, or sending me instant messages through my website with the earth-shattering news that this is a tough economic time and I’d better fix up my image or I’ll get nowhere. The kind of people I DON’T want to work for are the people that are incredulous that I would make a post on *Gasp* my PROFESSIONAL Twitter profile that reveals even the faintest glimpse of humanity. Even the President of the freakin’ United States cuts up and jokes around and that’s refreshing as hell.
In my opinion, the purpose of life is to travel, to meet people, to share memories–to just enjoy life. Work is the rent that we have to pay to have our spot on Earth, and in my view of things, it shouldn’t define who I am as a person and influence my life to such an extent that I have to warp my very identity in order to get a damn job. If I have to whore out my own identity in order to get a job with benefits, I’ll just get a high deductible health insurance plan and work pizza delivery for the rest of my life. I have a ton of fun with those guys.
I feel like this thread is ironic on a lot of levels, not the least of which is that it is taking place on the blog of a woman that–as far as I’ve gathered–has little regard for the frivolous professional posturing that a lot of people here are suggesting that I adopt. Even more ironically, a couple of comments have included praise for Laurie’s creative self-presentation and branding, and a simultaneous labeling of that same creativity on my part as being unprofessional.
@Cole: Thanks for your advice, man.
My first post here but as I got involved in my industry in a very unusual way & have an executive level role, I feel I can offer some pearls of wisdom. As a matter of coincidence, I’m originally from NC (Winston Salem) & got accepted to Chapel Hill back in the day (1999-2000) even though I didn’t play a single sport in high school. I actually got my dream job (actually, jobs at this point) even though my field’s one of the hardest to get into.
As someone who’ll be hiring office people in the future & interviewed interns, I didn’t find the “non-lameass job” remark offensive. I think it probably made this guy stand out from everybody else. I absolutely understand not wasting people’s time when you’re not going to be interested in a job or industry; that’s why I didn’t bother sending materials for work in certain law firms. If the salary is too low or the environment is not in keeping with who you are as a person, there’s no need to wait for an offer. Personally, I’d rather someone be honest with me than waste my time giving him/her an interview.
I agree w/paying your dues but once you’ve done something & have a reference, you should not have to start at the bottom EVERY SINGLE time. I got my jobs by applying for internships but got higher positions on the spot b/c of being a lawyer & using my college experiences to prove I was capable of managerial tasks. Nothing intentional, I just think most people feel bad about having even new lawyers do certain things.
I’ve also found that employers (at least in the legal field) who underpay employees do everything they can to abuse them & will lay them off in a second if the mood strikes, no matter how hard they worked or how long they’ve been somewhere. Quite frankly, why should an employee put up with that? I would be deeply concerned about that kind of thing & while new companies should get some slack (particularly if you’ll be part of their long-term future), there are established law firms pulling this sort of thing all the time. This is a large reason why I’m a proponent of self-employment. If you know the web cartoon Foamy, the latest cartoon talks about this very issue.
As a lawyer, I also feel strongly about people’s self-expression & it would personally bother me to see someone’s social networking profile being TOO sanitized or lacking in originality (Lord knows many attorneys have this problem).
I really want to know what Laurie & others who hire have to say on the issue of hiring/retaining people based on this since I have some opinions on it as a lawyer & one who doesn’t have to censor herself b/c of being trusted + the closest thing to an HR department. Do you go around playing Grammar Police on informal social networking platforms? Do you think someone should be fired/dismissed for differing political views found on a MySpace page that have NOTHING to do w/the company or job title?
I’d like to see a post on it sometime since I don’t recall anyone actually discussing this one except for Career Builder’s discussing obvious taboos & issues when people are being considered for a job.
So it’s tough going but I think you CAN hold out for things that will advance your career, paid or unpaid, and not get taken advantage of. Good luck to you, James.
James, I totally get that you don’t want to work at a boring, joyless cubefarm. No one does. And you want a place where flexibility and humor are appreciated.
You came to this site to ask experts who work in this field ****EVERY DAY**** for suggestions. I’m still concerned about how utterly defensive you’ve been about many of the suggestions that people have given you. Defensive + unable to process constructive criticism will, for most managers/recruiters, equal = nightmare hire that will eventually end up as someone who we’ll have to document every single thing they do for a year until we fire them.
The disconnect between what you feel people are saying here on Laurie’s blog and Laurie’s general attitude? Is that Laurie’s got amazing, great ideas and ways to slaughter sacred cows. But her ideas and her point of view aren’t in play everywhere. Corporate culture in particular is often slow to change.
Suggesting that you keep your FB and Twitter feeds professional isn’t a case of people being seriously uptight and having a bad case of clenched butthole. There are a hundred people competing for each job. At some point, all other things being equal, this becomes a process of elimination. You’d be surprised at the petty, ridiculous sh*t that will make someone draw a red line through your name.
I also think you’re missing an obvious point: The hiring process may involve the people you ultimately work for, but it’s not just about having a cool boss that will go windsurfing with you. At this stage it’s about a whole layer of gatekeepers before you even get into the inner sanctum. At this stage, the ONLY goal is to GET to the point where you can have that “first date” with your potential future manager or team leader. It’s like an Wii game, and you DO actually have to kiss a little @ss and play that game to avoid being killed before you even get in the door.
You’re intent on bypassing the joyless cubefarm, and if you’re focused on that, I applaud you for sticking to your focus. Do it! But understand that you can’t narrow your field of search AND expect an expedited process to happen. You seemed frustrated in your initial post that after a few months of job seeking you didn’t have any tangible results. It may take a year or longer.
As the guy who came up with the idea of using Facebook Ads for job search (see here: http://www.onedayonejob.com/blog/use-facebook-ads-to-make-employers-hunt-you-down/), I’m glad to see yet another recent grad using the method.
A lot of people have used it to successfully generate attention and start conversations. Far fewer people have actually landed jobs from using the method. The mid and closing stages are the hard part, and most people struggle at turning a conversation into a job offer (or a business deal/sale/whatever). Marketing yourself online is essentially the same as marketing a product online—it’s all about closing.
I understand where James is coming from. He’s frustrated that he’s an accomplished, smart young guy who hasn’t yet landed a job. I’ve been there. I had the same attitude when I graduated college (although I didn’t use social media to express it), and it’s the reason that I didn’t land a job. I didn’t want a lame ass job, but I didn’t do enough to convince non lame ass employers that I was worthy of a non lame ass job. I never stated my opinion in interviews (or on the web), but the interviewers got it pretty quickly from the way that I answered questions. I didn’t have the attitude that they wanted.
Since my job search wasn’t going anywhere, I started a company helping other people—more than a million to date—find non lame ass jobs. (Blind leading the blind, I know. But it’s worked out pretty well.) By doing that, I finally realized what my problem was. Employers could sense my negativity.
James has defined himself in a negative way. He’s talking about what he doesn’t want. That’s a turn off. It’s like posting a personal ad that says “no ugly chicks.” (I’ll wager that doesn’t work, although I haven’t tried it.)
James is assuming that his approach will turn off boring companies and will attract cool companies. I don’t buy it. I’ve seen what hundreds of great companies say they’re looking for in an entry level hire, and it’s usually someone who will work his or her butt off and can demonstrate a lot of value immediately. They want someone with a good attitude. I don’t think that’s what James’ ad signals.
But that’s just my opinion.
James, why don’t you try split testing? Tell us which headline gets the most responses. Create a scoring system and tell us which headline gets you the highest quality responses. Work on your conversion optimization so that your site does a better job of selling you. That kind of stuff will really impress employers.
We can all pontificate on whether James is brilliant or arrogant, but what really matters is results.
Willy – you said it better than I could.
I hire non-lame ass people to work at non-lame ass jobs in a non-lame ass company and while I am not turned off by James’ humor (it’s actually kinda funny), he also wouldn’t rank high on my list of people to hire for all the reasons Willy stated.
Thank you, thank you, thank you. I read your feed, then clicked the link and read James (love his appraoch btw), correspondence with the disgruntlyed HR guy, then clicked another link (to http://www.27bslash6.com/) and laughed so hard I nearly fell off my chair.
I am also a former HR worker in Australia, but have recently resigned and now work for myself, consulting to the same organisation but in Strategic Planning. I get what you do, however most of my former colleagues do not. I recently implemented eRecruitment in the company’s web kiosk. They refused to review even a single form, much less their business processes. Even after providing them with the templates and spoon feeding ideas. Thus my resignation.
@ Film Co. Lawyer: I’m very relieved to know there are people out there that share my point of view. Like Laurie said on a recent post, I can stand to get rejected by 95% of employers out there, as long as there’s that 5% that is on the same wavelength as me. Because when I find somebody in that 5%, all of the effort will be totally worth it. As Patrick Erwin said, this kind of selectivity will take time, but I’m willing and able to invest that time.
As you said, I would like to hear what Laurie and others have to say about an employee/potential employee’s right to individuality and self-expression. The overwhelming focus has always been on how employees’ individuality can threaten the image and goals of an organization, but what about the ways in which an organization threatens the image and goals of its employees?
@Willy: I came to the same conclusion as you. The Non-lameass job thing only lasted a couple of months until I realized that it would probably convey the same message for me to say “UNC Grad Looking for a Cool Job.” I just figured that “Non-lameass” would make for a more catchy title on Laurie’s blog and, honestly, I thought that it would get a lot of responses from like-minded people, but that didn’t turn out to be the case. This has been a very enlightening experience. I thought that I’d stumbled upon the Holy Mecca of bitching about corporate America, but it looks like I’ve been going against the grain here.
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@ Erin: Thanks, I’ll keep that in mind.
@NW: Thanks for your comment. I thought Jordan’s link was hilarious too. Definitely my sense of humor
keep at it patrick. dec. 2009 grad … it could take a while. i had to take temp jobs for the first 6 months after getting my M.A. in mass communications from UNC-CH (go tar heels!). eventually i found a temp job via mediabistro.com that led to a good FT position.
um, james sorry i called you patrick. step on in interpersonal communications: address others by their proper names. ; )
haha, no prob, col. Go Heels!