Some of you may know I'm graduating in May with an MA in International Affairs. Well, I'm having trouble finding a job! i've applied to places like CIA, NSA, FBI, etc. as well as anything I'm remotely qualified for that was listed on my school's website. I have my resume out on websites like monster, careerbuilder, etc. And I just wrote some letters to various members of Congress (including the ones I personally voted for) with a letter/resume on the long-shot that they're looking for someone.

I've been job hunting for 2 months now and only received one 'Thanks for sending us your resume' letter. (Well, I don't count American Express as it seems they were looking for anyone with any sort of degree to become a financial advisor.)

So, does anyone have any tips on finding a job and getting an interview?

Know of any international relations/government/political science/etc jobs or where to look?

I'm getting so frustrated because I haven't heard from anywhere and my lease (and money!) is up at the end of June...

When I was job hunting 15 years ago, the state (Colorado) offered job seekers a five week course on how to approach prospective employers. I mailed out 100 resumes and did not receive one answer.
I tried cold calling and received 3 interviews. Cold calling works for getting an interview. My problem was that I was 53 years old and out of a job. Age discrimination in employment is illegal but I was turned down due to my age and former salary. I had 30 years experience in my occupation and knew more about the job than the people who were hiring. I had also made more money than they did.

You have an education and youth in your favor. Pick up the telephone and ask for an interview. I'll bet it works. Good luck.

fjohn is correct in saying that cold-calling works well for getting an interview. Take a look at a books on selling techniques. It's the same basic technique as selling a product since you're wanting the customer to use you and not someone else. It's easy for a prospective employer to ignore a letter, resume, etc., and so much harder to ignore the person if they're on the phone or standing in front of them. Good Luck!

Get your foot in the door. Never discount something because it's "beneath you" or "not what you were specifically trained for." If you get an entry-level job, you can always move up. But, you've got to get that foot in the door first - especially as a new graduate.

I realize that this is probably not what you're looking for at all, but I thought it was worth a look anyway. Might be fun, and might be a very good way to make contacts. Your grad degree might help to balance out your lack of news gathering experience, and might make you interesting to them.

Job Title: Associate Producer
Employer: Time Warner

Job Code: 22532BR
Location: Washington, DC
Date Posted: 03-30-2004

Job Description
Description Qualifications: 3-5 years of news gathering or production experience . Serious interest or experience in politics/government preferred. College degree preferred. Demonstrated communication skills and teamwork is required. Must be flexible about work hours. Must be able to be credentialed primarily on Capitol Hill.

Duties: The primary responsibilities for the associate producer for the Capitol Hill unit is to determine which news events on Capitol Hill need to be covered by contacting Congressional member offices and committees, various interest groups and developing sources. Other duties include field producing and working with correspondents to produce news packages and live shots. A small amount of travel may be necessary. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. and its subsidiaries are Equal Opportunity Employers.

See here

Edited by Sue943 to adjust page width

I havn`t much to add, just to agree with Linda and state that any job is money coming in and not to be sniffed at. Rarely should a job be seen as permanent but should be thought of as only something to do till you find something better. Good luck.

I hope this doesn't sound too cynical, but it worked over and over for me, and that's friends and family. I would either look and see who I knew that employed people and offer my services- this started in shop sales, then teaching, and back to shop sales or people would ask me when they needed someone. It also got me two jobs in accounts though I failed my first year exams in it!
I also cold called places I actually used myself where I thought I might like to work, and one put me on his files and offered me a job a few months later.

Obviously with your level of qualifications you will be in greater demand than those without, and as others have said, it's better to try anything that may appeal as once in your chosen field, promotion will frequently happen regardless of the level you start at. Also volunteering is sometimes a way in if stuck, one of our radio stations took two or three every week, and many of them were kept on despite having had no training previously.

And though you didn't put it on your 'chosen' list, you should always be able to teach as a backup, whether through agencies or employed. If you have an MA over here, it opens many more doors in teaching than just a first degree, including higher education ones. Many colleges offer a few good graduates the chance to stay on and teach, and if you ask where you are you could get something- as I said, who you know always counts when looking for a job.

UNfortunately, I have little to no experience - the most experience I've had was interning for my state assemblyman...

I haven't gotten any sort of job offer or interview or anything right now except from American Express. And I turned down the offer to come in and see a presentation just because economics and taxes are just about the only 2 subjects I've ever encountered where I have no idea how I passed.

I would also suggest that you not discount temporary agencies. They can be very useful for getting a foot in the door to a lot of companies. Most of them, in the US at least, have "temp to perm" positions or contract positions. This would mean that you're not going into a different place every day, but are able to stay with a position for a period of weeks or months. And, if they like you, you're that much closer to getting a permanent job with them, because they've seen your style and know you rather than a stranger off the street.

It would give you invaluable work experience (which it sounds like you need), would allow you to put something on your resume, would keep you from having a gap in your work record and (most importantly?!) give you some INCOME - and possibly insurance (some do provide this - check it out to be sure).

There are many types of temporary agencies - there are those for administrative jobs, there are some that hire out accountants, some that hire out only computer people, etc. So, it's possible to find one that's related to your field.

Also, someone above mentioned volunteering. While this wouldn't pay bills, it is an excellent idea. They always say that, if you're willing to work at something for no pay, it's the right place for you to get a job. It's something that you enjoy. Plus, this is another way of getting work experience.

I've already applied to several temp agencies - still haven't heard anything.

As for volunteering, unfortunately I need the money so that's not an option I can even consider.

Looking for a job, particularly when you have a brand new degree, is probably one of the most frustrating and demoralizing experiences a person can go through. It is awful to send out application after application and either get no reply, or receive only a polite, "thank you for your inquiry" form letter, with no further response. It is even worse to go out on a few interviews and still not get a job. After a while, it is very difficult not to feel worn down, downright depressed or in a panic, particularly if you are in a financial crisis.

So, I think the most important thing to do is to try to keep your morale up, and to try to keep yourself occupied--doing anything--while you wait out what could be a long haul.

This is the worst time of year to look for a job--the market is flooded with new grads. It may well be at least several more months until you find a job even remotely connected with your field. Just accept that--with as much patience as you can muster. Don't even expect to find a "real job" for at least the next several months. If you don't expect it, you won't be quite so frustrated, and you'll be even more happily surprised if a job pops up. Keep reading job ads, take a look at possible fellowships or advanced internships, keep sending out applications, but consider them in a class with tucking a letter in a bottle and tossing it out to sea--you may not get a response for a long time.

In the meantime, keep yourself as occupied as possible. Do anything. Take a civil service test and work as a file clerk at the CIA (or any other government agency), babysit, write a novel, learn a new language, work as a cashier in a local dry cleaners, get involved in an upcoming political campaign, work behind a deli counter, enter recipe contests, see if you can find a job as a movie extra, so we can all see you on the big screen, do tutoring or offer to edit or rewrite term papers, theses, or dissertations for people who lack good writing skills and are willing to pay someone else to do it for them, and, if you can't find anything that pays a little money, do volunteer work because you might make useful contacts--you never know where something might lead. Being unoccupied and broke is even worse than just being broke.

Maybe you have to move back home or sponge off friends, if that is possible. Take any and all help offered to you.

Most importantly, do things that will keep your spirits up. Anything. Sing loudly once a day with gusto and joy, dance around in your underwear, splurge on a little flowering plant and talk to it daily, laugh as much as possible--particularly about the situation you are in. Spend some time volunteering in a soup kitchen, so you will know you can do something to help others who are even worse off. Buy a little jar of bubbles and enjoy a beautiful spring day. Be happy. The world really is waiting for you, and this is an exciting time--you don't know what lies ahead for you. Those doors will open.

As for the job hunt itself, I'd suggest classified ads in newspapers, and you can access almost every newspaper under the sun using the internet. I've always had great luck with newspapers--I owe almost every job I've ever had to the NY Times, which carries both national and international job listings (and their Web site is pretty good too).

Have patience and keep yourself amused and busy. Take any job that will give you a little money--and there are plenty of little jobs around--until you get what you are looking for. Try not to be too jealous if your friends land jobs, your time will come. Consider this interlude character building.

If all else fails, rob a bank.

For that 'interlude' job that keeps you off the streets while you are looking, I would suggest waiting tables. You'll work a lot of nights, which leaves your days free to go to interviews, and the money is better than any other "non-real" jobs. Also, I believe that everyone should work in a restaurant for at least a couple of months sometime in their lives. The skills you learn - time and energy management, putting up with jerks, prioritizing - will serve you all your life.

Well, I've already done the customer service stuff - worked 4 months in a grocery store then 2.5 years at Old Navy/Gap... But I couldn't be a waitress because I'm bad at remembering faces. Plus I have trouble carrying a full glass of water.

My boss right now has talked about trying to keep me on after I graduate for a bitPT (I work for the university). So I could always see about getting another PT job somewhere...

The best Bible for job hunting in America is 'What Color is my Parachute?'. The guy is pretty inspirational and realistic both.
It made me turn my obvious negatives, age, appearance, marital status etc that must be revealed in France for a job, into positives, they could rest assured I wouldn't require a maternity leave..more serious employee, etc.
If they could do that in the poor job market in Europe, then, it's worth a looksee.

One word of caution for the want ad idea. As the other of the above says, employers really hate using the want ads to find people, it requires more effort on their part and they have fewer ways of knowing how you'll work out, therefore networking and word of mouth is better...
This is because using want ads is depressing after a while of not getting responses, yet, it's not because you're not good for the job, but because it's a pain in the neck for the employer to hire someone whom he or she isn't sure of.
This was helpful to me as I've had to resort to them, yet, few people bother answering you these days.
You can use them to see trends, but, don't depend on them as your only method.

You have more than a smattering of languages, must be a way to emphasize that.

I think that using word-of-mouth and "networking" are fine ways to look for jobs, but, realistically, people with brand new graduate degrees generally don't have much of a network to rely on, and their sources for word-of-mouth are rather limited. Those things become much more useful after you have been out in the world for a while and have more contacts--particularly if you are in a very specialized field.

Certainly, if you want to work in government, you have to rely on classified ads or job notices--by law those jobs must be publicly posted, and newspapers are one place to find them. And I would think that LadyMacB might want to land a government job if she could, given her area of expertise and education. And most employers actually prefer the classifieds because they draw so many responses, giving the employer a wider range of candidates. Unless one already has a reputation in a field or area, most potential employers are going to want references--and, for a new grad, that is often former professors, as well as former employers if they have any. I really can't knock the value of the newspaper listings--particularly those in the NY Times. The range they cover is enormous, and decidedly not what you find in the average local paper. And I wouldn't knock listings on the internet either. These are easy ways for a potential employer to draw upon the widest number of interested applicants--and most employers want to get the best person they can for the job. Because ads can pull in hundreds of responses, most people will either get form letters of reply, or no answer at all. That is frustrating and discouraging for the job seeker--very frustrating.

LadyMacB has (or will very soon have) a shining new grad degree in a relatively specialized area, in which there might not be a huge job market to begin with. And, right now, she's in competition with every other new grad for whatever entry level jobs are available in her field. That's a tough situation. It is very hard to land a job simply because of supply and demand, particularly around graduation time. She'll get a good job, I have absolutely no doubt of that, but it might take a while. And, when you've spent a lot of time in school, you want to get out in the world and start using it all, so knocking on doors, and getting no response, is very demoralizing. LadyMacB has to play a waiting game right now, I don't think there is much she can do to speed up the process, that she probably isn't already doing. And, it's that waiting that's so difficult--it's difficult financially, and it's difficult emotionally. Not getting job offers is ego-bruising, and tough to take. Not being able to pay your rent is even tougher.

LadyMacB's "negatives", if she has any, are probably her lack of experience. Only time will correct that one. In the meantime, she needs stamina, a good sense of humor, lots of encouragement, some resourcefulness, and a lot of patience, until she does land that job. Probably some donations, from us, made through Paypal, wouldn't hurt her either. Who knows, some kindly benefactor might be among the members at FT. You never know.

for the government jobs, they're all posted online - so no newspaper for those... USAjobs.opm.gov is pretty good as it tells what you are eligible and not eligible for. The DHS job listings are a bit confusing. The most annoying part is many of these ask you to write an essay for every single application - this adds to the time it takes to apply for everything!

I keep reading that the CIA needs people with specialized language abilities:

Quote:

---

Underlying factors for these problems include the CIA's lacking personnel who can speak, read or write regional languages such as Farsi, Arabic, Urdu or Pashtun

---

http://www.techcentralstation.com/041802B.html

Arabic is a horribly difficult language, with the transition being especially difficult if you do not already have some fluency in another Semitic tongue. Farsi, Urdu and Pashto, however, are Indo-European languages, and from what I understand would be at least somewhat less difficult to master. (Easy for me to say, of course; I can barely make myself understood in English.) Courses are available online.

Even nominal fluency in these tongues might give you an entree to several government agencies. It would certainly make the high points of your resume stand out in clearer relief. .

These people look like they're hiring:

http://www.google.com/jobs/lunar_job.html

Let me recommend a site that has more accessible jobs, and it's actually worked for me and one other person lately. craigslist.
They have one for the major population areas and as it's free and anonymous for the employer and employees, it has a distinct advantage. The site provides a link.
It's a bit like a cosmic garage sale in one way, however, the jobs are valid.

They are starting them up in London, Edinburgh and a few other cities outside the states.
Just check your population area.

Good luck, you know I'm rooting for you.

Are you willing to re-locate, LadyMacB, or do you want to stay in the D.C. area?


Council on Foreign Relations
Human Resources Office
58 East 68th St., New York, NY 10021
FAX: (212) 434-9893
humanresources@cfr.org
www.cfr.org
POSITION ANNOUNCEMENT

Title: Assistant Director, Corporate Affairs (member relations)

Salary: Low to mid-forties, based on experience

Founded in 1921, the Council on Foreign Relations is the leading independent national membership organization and nonpartisan center for scholars dedicated to producing and disseminating ideas so that individual and corporate members, as well as policymakers, journalists, students, and interested citizens in the United States and other countries can better understand the world and the foreign policy choices facing the United States and other governments.

The Corporate Program engages over 200 U.S. and foreign corporations, financial institutions, law firms, and other organizations in the activities of the Council. Executives of member companies have the opportunity to exchange views with their peers in the private and public sectors on a wide range of international issues.

The Assistant Director will work closely with the Director of Corporate Affairs on the department’s top priorities. The responsibilities of this position include, but are not limited to:

• Gathering and maintaining information on member companies’ priorities and interests via questionnaires and personal contacts; managing database of members’ interests
• Monitoring member companies’ contact with the Council in all forms, including participation in Council programs, with special attention to the involvement of senior executives
• Identifying opportunities to deliver added value to Corporate members in order to improve overall member satisfaction and retention
• Serving as the department’s primary liaison with the Council’s research fellows to foster engagement of Corporate members in roundtables, study groups, etc.
• In coordination with the Director and SVP, maintaining personal contact with selected member companies
• Organizing periodic high-level dinners and similar sessions as a way to engage senior executives of member companies in the highest membership tiers
• Representing the Corporate Program at events including, assisting with member check-in and other on-site staffing functions
• Assisting with logistical and administrative departmental responsibilities


Requirements:
Preferred Qualifications:

• 3 years similar experience including management (i.e. management consulting, PR, or marketing), with a thorough understanding of customer relationships
• Degree in International Relations with strong academic credentials; MA preferred
• Results-oriented, dynamic manager with the ability to connect with and engage senior business corporate executives
• Excellent communication skills, including strong business writing skills
• Proven organizational and follow-through skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously
• Proficiency in MS Word and Excel; database experience a plus

Qualified candidates should email, fax, or mail a resume and cover letter to the Human Resources department at the above address. PLEASE INCLUDE THE POSITION NAME IN THE SUBJECT OF YOUR EMAIL. The Council on Foreign Relations is an equal opportunity employer and actively seeks candidates from a diverse background.
Posted: March 2004

----------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------

Oceana Publications is the premier publisher of international legal information specifically designed for law librarians, practicing attorneys, business executives, and researchers worldwide. We are located in Westchester County 20 miles from New York City, near major highways and within walking distance of Metro-North trains.


Oceana has an immediate full-time opening for a Legal Researcher/Online Publishing Coordinator to work on our Treaties and International Agreements product line.

Responsibilities:


Oversee content development for treaties/international agreements (bilateral, multilateral, investment, tax, etc.) and other legal publishing projects.

Research treaty documents and acquire source materials.

Monitor ratification processes, amendments, and parallel citations; track and update electronic publishing databases.

Work with authors, contributors, and internal staff to meet print and Web publishing deadlines; facilitate effective communication among all team members.


Qualifications:

Excellent research skills required.

College degree required; Political Science, History, International Studies, Government Studies, Library Sciences, or related disciplines with knowledge of treaties or international law preferred.

Effective organizational skills, keen attention to detail, ability to manage multiple projects and deadlines simultaneously, and ability to proactively identify and address problems required.

Excellent interpersonal skills (verbal and written communication) required.

Excellent computer skills including Excel and Word required.

Please send a cover letter (include salary history/requirements) and a resume to: position_nyt@yahoo.com. No phone calls please. Due to the large volume of resumes we receive, we regret that we can only respond to applicants under consideration.

------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------


Req ID2482BR
Job TitleAll Source Intelligence Analyst
LocationOther Locations: US
ProfessionAnalysis
Department CodeG076
PurposeTo work as part of an analytical team to gather and fuse terrorism related intelligence, analyze , and coordinate access to threat information. This position is on-site at the sponsor's location in Washington, DC.
Key FunctionsIdentify and assess threats and counter-terrorism capabilities against the homeland and US assets abroad. Provide strategic intelligence, law enforcement and private sector analysis and awareness. Specific duties include researching, monitoring, and analyzing all-source intelligence, law enforcement, open source, and private sector information; and fusing the information into various products for wide dissemination. Coordinating requests for information among DHS components and members of the intelligence community, and producing a variety of reports and studies.
Preferred Education/ExperienceBS/BA with a minimum of 5 years experience. Background in intelligence analysis a plus. Experience with intelligence production process and data mining technology are strongly preferred.
Desired SkillsProven analytical skills, and the ability to work as part of a team with direct sponsor interaction. Experience interfacing with various levels of personnel. Ability to communicate effectively and ability to logically assess information.
Travel Statement*This position will require overnight travel up to 10 % of the time.
Clearance Statement*Applicants selected for this position will be subject to a government security investigation and must meet eligibility requirements for access to classified information. Only US citizens are eligible for a security clearance. For this position, MITRE will consider only applicants with security clearances or applicants who are eligible for security clearances.,


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Edited for page width.

Re: CIA - already applied for a job as an analyst and had one of my profs who works there send over my resume. But that was 45 days ago and they say they look at every application withint 45 days so I guess nothing has come of that...

Re: Linda's suggesiton at Google - hahaha... If only I didn't get motion-sick...

Re craigslist - Will check! I had thought it was only for used furniture as that's where my roommate sold a ton of stuff through...

Re relocating - depends. I'd rather be in DC where my boyfriend is or around Buffalo (anywhere within a 4 hour radius). But if things get desparate enough, I'll go anywhere else.

Re: CFR.org - I am not qualified for that job as I don't have any management experience. I checked that site on Monday and they didn't have any jobs in DC. But I think I'll apply to two of the jobs in NY... (Could I possibly live on a salary in the low to mid 30s in NY?)

Re: Oceana Publications - This looks good, but it says they want salary history/requirements. What do I say for this? I've only held hourly PT jobs and I don't really know what sort of salary I'm looking for (as it would also depend upon benefits and such).

That last one looks pretty good too...

I'm also going to email my professor who worked in the media, was an ambassador and under Albright at State and it pretty good friends with, well, a lot of people, for suggestions. I was waiting to get my midterm grade back.. Got a B which, although it's low to me, he said a B to him means it's a strong piece of work and that he rarely gives out As...

Thanks for all the help, everyone.

My two bob's, vague as it may sound.

Don't wait for a job add. Nearly all positions DON'T get advertised.

Identify ten organizations YOU want to work for that utilise people with your skill. Never think these places are out of your reach, they aren't. Reach as high as you like. Ask yourself can this company enhance my career? Can I learn from this company? How much would I like to join this organization?

Prepare a cover letter that doesn't waffle on and clearly states your credentials and most importantly, what you can offer their organization. The cover letter is paramount. If it's long or dull your resume wont even get a glance. If it's strong, concise and confident your resume may get glanced at, better still filed. You have to appear to be well above the pack. Never forget you are selling yourself and you're a better buy than the next guy.

Then the hard stuff. Show your determination to join the organization. Show them you are more determined than the next guy. Ring daily and don't limit yourself to HR personnel. They are merely gatekeepers justifying their own position, you have to talk to someone beyond the gate and be seen to be more vigilant than the next guy.

Use any contact at your disposal. It's never how good you are and what you know it's always who you know. If your second cousins friends uncle works in one of your ten, use him to get a contact for you and leave no stone unturned. If you get a foot in somewhere, tell them you'll take a lesser position. Once in, in whatever role, it is 100 times easier to move towards what it is you wanted to do. 9 out of ten jobs are never advertised but are filled internally.

It's tough but persistence, persistence and then more persistence will always work. Good luck!

Another question... a LOT of the job postings ask for a copy of my transcript. Problem is, am I supposed to get one froim my school for each of the jobs? I don't really have the money to be wasting $10 a pop for my MA transcript (which isn't complete yet as I haven't graduated yet!) or $5 for my BA!

Can you make your own copies of your transcripts and send those? For a job application, I'm not sure you need the "official copy" with the university seal. If they hire you, or are really serious about hiring you, then you can give them the $10 copy--the final version.

Your cover letter will explain that your graduate transcript is incomplete because your degree has not yet been conferred.

The job center at your grad school should have a service to do this. In fact, they'll take your letters, profile and transcripts and send them from one place.
They keep your file.

It's in their better interests as they can say they have so many grads finding jobs.