Six Effective Job-seeking Strategies to Land Your Dream Job

As a recent college grad with a previous bachelor's degree yet now considered a "special" student in my  future college, it doesn't make sense to get another degree. Currently, I have two degrees; one in Management and the other in Nursing, both from accredited universities. I can't really use them because I believe the employers don't really "care" about the degree but more about the level of experience. I can't get a job in order to save my life. Either I don't have the requested skills or I need bachelor's in a specific field to be "qualified." Now the "new" rejection reason is I don't have enough experience; ha, really? Tell me something I don't know.

So why get another degree? Well, since my "new career" requires it and I do have the time to spare, I would like to keep my credentials current.

According to USA Today, the number of available unemployed college graduates exceeds the number of jobs available in the market and at least 19.1 % are actually overqualified. Hmm, that's interesting.
I think there needs to be an emphasis on the realistic perceptions of the job market, especially for the future. The colleges and businesses are always pushing the "go
backto college" propaganda and manipulating us into believing that going to school enhances our job experience. Don't get me wrong; going to college is definitely a great way to separate you from the next candidate and it does help with providing us with educational knowledge and keeping you current with the news and trends in your field. But if I knew that I could've gotten a job without obtaining my bachelor's initially, I would've done so. And if I secured a decent employment right after high school, I would definitely obtain my college degree while I worked. I'm sure it would increase my credentials and hopefully, (with an emphasis on hopefully) would increase my chances of getting a promotion. And at least I would have the advantage of utilizing the company's tuition reimbursement plan.

But whether you're a seasoned, unemployed candidate or a young professional, fresh out of high school who is ambitious, dedicated, willing to work late hours, weekends and holidays, the following are six effective tips that will help you find your future employment or keep you busy in the meantime:

1. ASK YOUR MOM, DAD, YOUR FRIEND'S PARENTS OR NEIGHBOR: It sounds too good to be true but I think, at times, we forget that the closest people around us could actually help. Ever hear the saying: It's not what you know but who you know? Well, it applies here. Ask your loved ones if there are opportunities at their place of employment and let them know that you are willing to volunteer. This can be a bit easier than researching and cold-calling companies but the greatest thing about asking the people around you is that your foot is half way in the door. Another helpful hint: tell your parents or neighbors to ask their friends about any opportunities and vice versa. Sometimes you can get that "hook-up" from a friend of friend of friend!

2. JOIN A (SCHOOL/LOCAL) GROUP OR ATTEND A EVENT/CONFERENCE: I joined a couple of groups in the past and it allowed me to meet some great people and increase my social contacts.  Like I said previously, it's who you know that will increase your chances of landing your dream job. So you gotta get to know some folks and you can do that by networking. It will increase your social skills, connections to other people and help grow your ideas if you join a group at your school, in your community or even Meetup. Also consider joining a gym class, taking a continuing education class, joining a sports league and attending events from Eventbrite or conferences from Conferences Alerts or All Conferences. You can meet many people, especially the latter, if you attend a conference that relates to your job field. Most of them you may have to pay a registration fee; some cheap or expensive but the investment is definitely worth it. (Meetup.com is free unless you become an organizer; you will have to pay a small monthly fee)

3. VOLUNTEER: It really does help and it helps more when you start early. You wouldn't have the look of desperation because getting a job may not be a priority if your focus is getting through college. But it definitely helps with getting your foot in the door of a company that you see yourself working for. If you can start early, I recommend starting when you're a junior or senior in high school. Start by researching the field that interests you by looking up companies or even job-specific fields that can  give you companies when you research them via online. Call them, let them know you are interested in volunteering and the rest is history; just don't get discouraged.

4. WHEN YOU START COLLEGE (AGAIN), LOOK INTO STUDY-ABROAD PROGRAMS: There is a whole heck of opportunities in other parts of the world. If or when you start college or go back, many of the institutions have study-abroad programs which will allow you to receive credits from your regular classes in another country. This can be a great conversation starter and also will look great on your resume. Some folks may not have the experience in their field of choice, but if your resume states that you studied abroad in Europe, India or even South Africa, it will definitely grab the attention of a recruiter.
5. IF YOUR OPEN-MINDED, HAVE TIME TO SPARE OR HAVE NO OBLIGATIONS, CHECK OUT VOLUNTEER-ABROAD PROGRAMS: This is similar to the latter but when you finally graduate from college, your alumni status doesn't really guarantee you any college perks except using the Alumni computer lab or library. If you are in between jobs, have time to spare, want to increase your community service or enhance your resume that will catch the eye of a hiring manager, check out:
http://www.wisebread.com/volunteer-to-travel-11-opportunities-for-free-or-very-cheap-travel
http://joomla.servas.org/content/blogcategory/44/79/
Healthcare volunteers on a ship (may need experience) www.mercyships.org

6. CONTINUE TO UTILIZE JOB SEARCH ENGINES: I know...why even bother with these job sites if you get no responses? Well, there is a reason I put this tip last.  Although, it's the most widely used, easiest method to look for a job, frustration comes easy when you see many outdated postings that are more than a month old. Additional frustration is added when you send out at least ten to twenty applications per day that ranges from ten to fifty minutes to fill out but...you get no responses. Well, the point I'm trying to make is that you just never know. You may get a call at the most random time or when you're about to watch a reality show on television. But whatever you do, just don't give up. I use Indeed.com, Careerbuilder.com, Idealist.org, Aftercollege.com and of course, Google.com.

Good Luck!