The Amazing Unemployable Social Worker!

[Antisocial_Worker]

Well, here it's been about a month and a half since my internship ended, and a month since I graduated with a very expensive piece of paper that says I'm qualified to work as a social worker. Strangely though, nobody seems to trust the assertions of the expensive paper, and I remain unemployed.

It's not that I haven't looked, although truth be told, I could have definitely been looking harder. In my defense though, the jobs I applied for were my dream jobs and so I gave them preferential treatment. I didn't want to apply for them, then apply for other jobs that I would settle for, for the chance that one of the settling jobs would want me and hire me and only then would I get the magic call from the dream jobs.

So here I am. I suspect there three problems working in tandem here to doom me.

Problem 1: The city where I live is the only thing that could be called such in this entire part of the state. To find anything equivalent or bigger you have to drive an hour south, two hours east or west, and God alone knows how far north. As such, all the major providers and big players are clustered here.

Problem 2: My city is famous for its extraordinary quality of life. This is a problem because it draws scads of people with advanced degrees who want to walk in the woods on the weekends. Because of the hordes of such people here, even the most pissant job can A) demand an advanced degree and B) offer shit pay because if you won't work for pennies somebody else will. People truly want to live here that badly.

Problem 3: I may be terrible at interviews. I'm not sure. Twice now I've gotten called for an interview very soon after applying. Both times I thought things went very well. Twice I have been turned down. With the second one, they even asked me if I could start on a specific date. As that date approached I got antsy and called them back twice to find out my status. Then I received a call from one of the interviewers, who pointedly noted that she was calling me back because she said she would. She informed me that the agency would not be filling the position at all anymore. I called back to ask her how I had done in the interview, for tips on future attempts... only to find that she was conducting another interview.

Meanwhile, it bears noting, yet another dream job fell through because a grant was not approved, and so they couldn't afford another position at all.

This is really starting to get me down and I'm running out of money. It also pisses me off because I was damn good at my internship, plus I saw things there that would make the average person start shrieking and tearing at their hair. I know my shit and I am tough as nails.

So why in hell will no one hire me?

[Shyla]

Sounds sucky. The first two I don't have any advice. The third is different. Interviews take practice. Prepare as best you can but you'll just have to do them and figure out how best to handle them. You'll screw up occasionally but it's ok. Keep applying for jobs. You don't know it it's a dream job vs mediocre job until you talk to them. Remember interviews are a two-way street. You want to also learn as much as you can about them. Then you'll know if you want to say yes if they offer you a job. It's also tricky to find that balance between calling to check on the process and being an annoying pest. Good luck!

[XCashier]

I feel your pain. I'm trying to find a new job, too, but nobody will hire me, either. I know the job market is still a bit tough, and there are loads of applicants, but surely someone should be willing to give us a chance?

Problem 2: My city is famous for its extraordinary quality of life. This is a problem because it draws scads of people with advanced degrees who want to walk in the woods on the weekends. Because of the hordes of such people here, even the most pissant job can A) demand an advanced degree and B) offer shit pay because if you won't work for pennies somebody else will. People truly want to live here that badly.

We've got a similar situation in my city, too. We've got good weather, we're surrounded by a beautiful green forest, and an hour's drive from the beach (a beautiful drive at that, too), so more people want to live here than there are jobs for.

[WishfulSpirit]

If moving is a possibility you might do better in a big city. Denver is exploding right now and with so many people moving here, social workers are desperately needed. You might check out the state of Colorado job listing websites (including colorado.gov) and see what you can find, some of them will even do interviews over the phone and help with moving if you are offered the position.

[depechemodefan]

Sounds like Antisocial_Worker lives in Austin Tx. Everyone wants to live there. Houston is the pits, so I don't blame people wanting to go to Austin, though San Antonio is a nice place, I don't know why more people don't move there.

My cousin is in LDS (I'm not though). She signed me up with the local Employment Resource Services. I went to one class, which I think helped me. I went to the class 2 weeks ago, and realized how I might have sabotauged myself in interviews the passed year. They showed me how to sell myself the an employer.

I havn't gone to any of the Texas Works classes (state unemployment office) but you probably can find a local *Name of State* employment office that might have classes. Classes can't hurt.

Also, from diff. classes I've been to (not just the LDS one) remember to send thank you notes to the people who interview you. Makes them remember you and also gives you some brownie points.

[Antisocial_Worker]

Here we are as the summer drags on, still unemployed and with -- at last count -- nine rejections under my belt. It's gotten so bad that out of sheer desperation I went to see a career counselor.

She thinks she may have found the problem. You see, it would seem that everything about me, from the way I stand to the way I hold myself to the way I dress to the way I speak, is carefully calculated to tell other people to back up and fuck off. I have a hard and unsmiling face, a cold sort of beauty. I hold myself with the bearing of a soldier. I wear colors and combinations that also make me seem to be cold and hard, and unapproachable.

Essentially, if you see me, I do not look like the sort of person you would dare approach. I seem to be the sort of person who suffers no fools, is smarter than you and who will make you feel stupid merely for existing, and whose every movement and gesture intimidates.

Now, on the one hand this is wonderful. Pretty much all I've ever wanted out of life is for everyone else to be as afraid of me as I am of them. I want to be a hardass and to give the impression of frighteningly adept competence. On the other hand though...

Well, at my last interview let's just say that I went out of my way to be the nicest so-and-so in three zip codes and explain in that infamous "What's your biggest weakness?" question that my misunderstood demeanor is my biggest weakness and that if I seem cold and imperious I am merely doing my best not to embarrass myself.

And so we shall see.

[Kiwi]

It might not be anything to do with you at all, people are still recovering from the 2008 economic collapse and overly experienced people are still applying for entry level jobs.

Keep trying, you will get in eventually!

[Antisocial_Worker]

Still amazing! Considerably less unemployable!

Thread to follow.