Time Goes By So Slowly...

Many recent college graduates such as myself definitely had a hard reality to face once the excitement of graduating wore off. We've spent hours applying to Associates programs, searching for countless full-time jobs and internships on the internet, and ultimately had nothing produce into gainful employment. As we were preparing for graduating and moving back to our hometowns, we were all warned of the job market's treacherous environment we would face, but deep down inside we all thought that some employer would take one look at our resume and shiny new degrees and hire us soon after graduation.For many of us, it didn't quite happen that way and there are still many who refuse to believe that the scenario described will not be something they will experience. 

One key factor in anyone's job search is patience. A lot of job hunters seem to think that the hiring process only takes a matter of days when in fact it takes weeks at the very least. There are several things to consider: 

1) Although the company is interviewing candidates, they may not have the actual approval for the position, so HR is just simply looking to develop a pipeline of qualified candidates for when the position is considered officially open. Please note that approval can take months or never happen. 

2) When managers are gaining approval for jobs, budgets must definitely be discussed. If there's no budget, then there's no job. Unfortunately in these harsh economic times, companies are always looking to find a way to trim their budgets and of course hiring people (especially depending on the career level) is a lot of money when talking about base salary, bonus, and benefits. So while the manager may want to hire a person, if the numbers come back funny, then there's no approval.  

3) You are not the only one applying and interviewing for this job. Depending on the company, they are looking for hires internally (current employees looking to advance) as well as externally (laid off experienced workforce and fellow recent grads). Rarely ever do managers interview just one candidate and hire him/her on the spot. When managers are choosing a candidates, they need to be able to compare qualifications, skills, and talents and they can't do that by interviewing one person. 

4) Bosses may decide that responsibilities that a potential candidate may have can be taken on and spread out amongst current employees. In this case, the current employees don't win because they have more work piled on and you, the job hunter, don't win because a potential job opportunity is over before it started. 

5) The manager may have had a bad experience with a past employee and are extremely cautious about hiring someone and end up taking a while to make a decision. 

However, there are some special cases where a company needs to fill a position immediately due to a massive back up of work that needs to be completed. The company will usually post this in the job description by saying they're interviewing  within a short time frame and looking to hire ASAP. If you come across a job like that that fits you well, then apply, attend the interview if you're invited, and good luck! 

For all other regular time-framed jobs, the best advice is to not be discouraged. Searching for a job in this market is definitely an emotionally taxing process and it's easy to feel like you're not getting anywhere especially if you've been searching for months and you haven't heard back from any company. However, if you've been going on lots of interviews, look at each one as an opportunity to improve your interviewing skills or make yourself more viable to employers.

It's important to be realistic in your job search because if you're not, you'll end up frustrated. It's understandable: you're brimming with fresh ideas and ready to take on the world with your many talents, but you feel like no one has noticed it. But also remember this: you're young and have more time on your side; eventually someone will realize what you have to offer. If you ever feel down about your situation, just think about those out there who have spent years looking for a job, can't provide for their families or themselves and then be thankful for what you have left and toughen up because tough times don't last, tough people do!