The Unending Job Hunt

So, I've been unemployed basically since Nov. 7, 2008. It's getting old. I've sent out several resumes and cover letters a week. I can count on one hand the number of responses I've gotten (and that includes notice of receipt), and on one finger (preferably the middle finger) the number of interviews I've had. I'm constantly asking myself what am I doing wrong? I've got a solid cover letter, I've got a solid resume in a good modern format, so seriously, wtf? 

Am I looking in the wrong places? Most of my job hunting is online, I use craigslist extensively, I've got a good network of people in various places that I've gotten good tips from and have postings forwarded from them (this is where I got the only interview from a House Chief of Staff's mailing list, yay for random people!), and the HRC alumni list has been helpful too. It's fantastic that I'm getting several postings to my email every day. Unfortunately, just about everything out there is not entry level or anything that I can apply to. 

You name it, I've used it: USAJOBS, Idealist.org, Monster.com, Careerbuilder.com, Senate employment board, Massachusett's agencies job postings, the list goes on and on. What am I missing? Are there really no jobs out there for my level of experience? What other resources are out there? I feel like no one posts real jobs in newspapers any more. 

What are your thoughts on job hunting? Where would you be looking?

Job hunting sucks

Job hunting sucks enough to begin with, but it wasn't so bad only a year or two ago. Now, I don't mean to say that being unemployed at any point in time didn't suck, or that it was necessarily easier at one point or another, but there was a level of respect towards the applicant that seems to have been tossed in the dumpster next empty beer cans, dead cats, and the local homeless man. In the past if you applied for a job, you got an acknowledgement that you were considered and the job went to someone else. Fine, it's going to happen. You aren't going to get everything you put your name in for, but at the very least, you used to get confirmation that your application was received, even if they made it clear you wouldn't be contacted unless you were selected for an interview. What happened to that? I've sent out 31 applications and resumes to various employers and I've gotten just one response. One. 1. Uno. Ein. Even then it was just a one line rejection because I got the person's personal email address from a person that knew them. Where the fuck did common courtesy go? If someone sent me a response to a job that I posted I would feel pretty obligated to at the very least thank them for putting the effort in. I can only imagine how they treat their employees and clients when they can't take 5 seconds to try to expand their employee base. Bah.

Superlatives for 2008

Since people are doing some reflections on the past year I thought I would do some one liners on the topic.

2008 was voted:

Revolutionary

Biggest flirt (Economy shits the bed, gas gets cheap)

Ok fuck that, 2008 was pretty sweet for me. I helped deliver the first primary win for a serious female candidate. I graduated from college. Put myself enormously in debt. Took a job, moved to virginia beach, beat our vote goals, swept the state. That was pretty sweet. 

Next thing I know, I'm back in town, expecting to find a job in Boston or DC with ease. 3 months later here I am. It was a pretty good epic ride that went from 100mph to 0 instantly if not sooner. Bummer, man.

2008 was a good year. We'll leave the job hunting for a later post of epic ranting. 

Tops for 08:

Movies: 

Ok I actually only saw like 4 movies in all of 2008. AVP 2, Cloverfield, Dark Knight, and I swear there was something else. Oh well. Anyway, Dark Knight was easily the only real movie in there, and as part of my office's forced family fun program we were required to see it as a team. Best thing I did all summer. I liked the fresh take on the Joker, and the reimagining in general. 

Music: 

Introduced to MGMT, Crystal Castles, Girl Talk, Cut Copy, that was probably about it. Been a tough year trying to find time to find new things. Crystal castles is still one of my favorites out of those. They're one of those groups that I can just zone out to. Electronic music has always been something I've liked and I'm glad it isn't just dismissed like it has been in the past. 

TV:

Again, haven't had much time for this. Battlestar Galactica had a decent half season, ending on a really strong, depressing, and altogether soul crushing note. Which was really awesome if I do say so. It's refreshing to having something that isn't always a fucking ray of sunshine, where you never know when main characters will be unceremoniously killed off. For 2009 I'm going to take several people's advice and watch The Wire, which is more or less a spiritual successor to one of my favorite shows of all time Homocide: Life on the Street.

Anyway, I know this is a weak first post, but I'm just doing it off the cuff. Tomorrow I'll have something a bit more substantial.