The job search has become increasingly discouraging and depressing as of late. I have personally had to expand my search beyond PR or Marketing jobs related to my field of interest to just any old job that will pay the bills. The well is so dry.
My current potential prospects are the Disney Store and The North Face. Retails stores that are currently fast approaching grand openings at my local mall.
It's hard to hold a Bachelor's degree from a private college in New England at age 22 and not feel like I'm regressing by working at a retail store. I haven't worked retail since I was in high school. I recommend to anyone that is about to do what I'm about to do that there is something you need to keep in mind - your desired career path.
So I got a degree in Public Relations and I'm about to work at a retail shop in a mall. How can I reach my goal of obtaining a professional PR related job? For one, I have to keep searching and applying. And in my case, I still need experience. I need an edge that will push me ahead. I need experience at a firm. How do I do this?
My internship that I was sure was a "sure thing" was not. Quite deflating. I was banking on it as my crucial experience and step-up into the industry. My next move will be to see if I can shadow someone in the industry. Next best thing to actually interning...I hope.
In my job search I have found job placement firms. For those of you who are fresh to the game and unfamiliar, these firms (if they like you) take you on as an employee and keep you posted when a temporary job pops up within your qualifications. If you are hired for the position you are paid through the job placement firm. Your and their hope is that you find full-time employment through them.
Right now, I am "employed" by two job placement firms - Hollister Inc. and Beacon Hill Staffing. Don't feel bad if you work through two or more firms. When you fill out an application at a staffing agency there is a section asking if you are searching through any other firms.
I have noticed something very interesting that both job placement firms share - all of the people I saw coming in for interviews were women. Young women, older women, different ethnicities. But all women. What does this mean? Are more women losing their jobs than men? Are men searching for jobs through other means? Is it easier for a man to find another job or their first job? The people that work at the firms are equally men and women from what I saw. Hollister is located only in Boston, while Beacon Hill is located around the country.
If I had to guess why I have only seen women seeking employment through job placement firms, I have two conclusions:
1. Women tend to work jobs that are more on the creative side - Communications, Advertising, Marketing, Public Relations, etc. These are the fields that have been heavily affected by the recession. Perhaps women are being laid off not because they are women, but because they just happen to work in the most expendible fields.
2. Women with boyfriends, husbands, partners, etc. are beginning to have to find a job because their significant other has been demoted or laid off.
These are just my conclusions but seem to make the most sense.
My job journey continues to challenge me to think outside of the box. Mostly, it has challenged my spirits. I have been very discouraged..angry..sad. I have felt hopeless, depressed, deflated. Useless. Worthless. Like a stray cat left out in a rain storm and the door has been shut and locked in my face.
But to be honest, lingering on these feelings will get me nowhere.
Stay positive. Stay focused. I can do it. We can do it.
No comments:
Post a Comment