• the217
• Life
• Can I have a job?

Related Media

Don’t say the “G” word. Or the “C” word. And especially don’t say the “J” word. If you are a second semester senior, you know which words I’m talking about. As we turn the corner on our last semester in school, we are confronted by real life, job searches and the prospect of living at home again. Can anyone say “stressful?” I have enough difficulty adjusting to sharing a car and renegotiating meal times when I am home for a four-week winter break; I have not spent a whole summer at home in three years. This summer I will be at home, working my unfulfilling secretarial job for weeks on end — that is, unless I can find a healthier alternative. In an economic environment where layoffs are prevalent, the search for a new job can be incredibly daunting, especially if you are unhappy at your current one. My brother graduated from Illinois State University last semester with a Bachelor’s Degree in math and is literally having nightmares about returning to his part time job at Steak n’ Shake. He is applying not only to long-term positions, but also to potentially temporary jobs such as Best Buy and AMC Theatres simultaneously. Though his life is not necessarily consumed by the job search, his phone conversations are. Every member of my family and otherwise asks him about one thing and one thing only: the job search. “No pressure, though.” Are you kidding me?

To say that there is no pressure for a recent grad to find a job would be the grossest understatement of the year. Many colleges have career seminar classes to prep their students for this exact situation. The UIUC Department of Dance spends a semester working with students to build and refine resumés, artist statements and personal websites, in addition to writing sample cover letters, biographies and press paragraphs. In the same class, my colleagues and I were encouraged to research our potential locale and living conditions post-graduation and to begin to accumulate a list of alumnae to contact while we are there. The individual attention and guidance I received in this class gave me the confidence I need to successfully interview and apply for new positions. Yet not everyone has the experience that I did.

My brother, for example, was in a huge degree program and knew none of his college professors on a familiar basis. Due to this lack of intimacy, he had a lot of anxiety and concern about requesting letters of recommendation; though his professors knew his name, none of them truly knew his character. Though this is not entirely the fault of either party, the fact remains that strong relationships between college professors and their students is vital in the post-collegiate job search. The mentorship and networking opportunities that a professor can provide to a student are invaluable, and it can be hard to come by such relationships in the professional world.

So, what does all of this mean? It means that if you are an underclassman, start getting to know the people around you. Linkedin.com is a particularly great networking site that allows professors, previous employers, classmates and colleagues to connect with one another’s professional contacts and to publish recommendations for public viewing. If you are a junior, start applying for internships and look for other resumé-building opportunities. And if you are a senior, you poor thing, start padding your bank account and invest in some painkillers — it’s a long road ahead.