The Dolphins Make Me Cry.com - Forums

I'm currently in my last semester of my undergraduate career and I was wondering how long it took yall to find jobs after graduation. Any advice you do not mind passing along here that would ease the pain of the job search process? How strenuous was it for you to secure your first position of employment with a bachelor's?

I'd go looking for one right now.  A lot of companies recruit soon to be college grads at this time of the year and in March as well. 

I was in a good position -- lived with my parents, so no sizable bills.  I took a chance and joined a startup company for a stake in ownership, and essentially worked for a salary that I invested back into the company.

Go to any job fairs you can.  I had a job 2 weeks after graduation thanks to interviewing while I was still in class.  I went to a job fair in February, graduation was May 5th, and my first day on the job was May 20th.

Start looking now, and you'll be better off.

It's going to depend on your major and where you are located.

I graduated with a BA in History.  Finding a job immediately was no problem.  Subway was very interested in my sandwich making skills.  I decided to skip a career in the culinary arts and stayed in school.  I earned a BS in CompSci and had a good job offer before I graduated. 

I've done some university recruiting for the company I'm with.   I get a ton of resumes.  The truth is, there is a lot of competition and employers can be very selective.  I initially screen all resumes by looking at the following 

- ability to work permanently in the US (not here on a student visa)
- have a desirable degree (comp sci, comp eng over math, business comp)
- A GPA of 3.5 or better

It you make this cut, then I'm looking at

- internships (very important these days, I rarely hire anyone without intern experience)
- other work or leadership experience
- willingness to relocate
- languages other than English (not necessary, but can help)

So...........what's your major and where are you located? 

i'm a criminology and psychology major and i'm also located in tampa/ft.lauderdale.

It depends on what your BA is in. 

I looked at a description of the degree.  Apparently, there is a BA and BS option.  With a BA, here's what I found -

^{Criminology provides a general background in the causes of crime and the agencies of criminal justice. Specific areas covered include dealing with deviance, juvenile delinquency, the court system, and correctional facilities. Students can prepare for careers in the court systems, prevention, and correction agencies.}

Looks like you have some options, but your chances of quickly finding an entry level position will depend on how selective you are.   The really cool "investigative" jobs require advanced degrees and significant experience, so that's not realistic.  Unless you plan to stay in school, you need to be searching and interviewing now.  The longer you wait, the more pressure you will be under to take whatever you can get.

In the end, only you know how strong a candidate you are.  If you have an average GPA and no experience, you may need to take a lower paying, less desirable job so that you can get your foot in the door.

Join the Army and become a member of the CID!

^^^^^^

If you don't find anything (and you are okay with the military lifestyle), this might not be a bad option.  With a college degree I assume you go in as an officer.   The experience you gain would be valuable and it doesn't hurt to have a military background in this field.  Also, the contacts you build could prove to be very important afterwards.

If I was just getting out of school and had limited ties (not married w/kids).......and my choices are a juvenile corrections officer or the military.......I think I would take the military.  Less violence.

There's always law school...

Do yourself a favor and ignore that advice.

...a lot of people seem to get their J.D. after toiling through a B.A. / B.S. / M.B.A. / M.A. / M.S. in a few different fields - English, Literature, Speech, History, Music, and my favorite, Communications.

ha ha ha! I can't disagree. I ignored that advice too.

That's how I ended up doing it.  At the time, for whatever reason, there was a huge need for MP's and the signing bonus was great.  I had no interest in law enforcement.  Once I graduated I applied for, and graduated OCS and made my way into the CID.  Of my old unit I am one of the few that isn't high level law enforcement of some kind in the civilian section.  It's a very reasonable option.  And even 2nd LT makes decent coin, too.

Thank you all for your advice.

There was a job fair earlier today. It wasn't that big, only 8 companies were there. I visited 3 of them. I spoke with representatives from the first two companies, but nothing special came out of that. However, the last one I had spoken with was really interested in me and I was able to connect with the recruiter on a personal level as well. She wants me to come in tomorrow for an info session and interview.

There's another job fair tomorrow on campus that I am going to, I hope more employers find me of interest.

I probably don't have to tell you this, but dress appropriately for the interview.

You don't know how many people think khaki's and a polo are appropriate for an interview.  Dress shirt and tie minimum, jacket recommended, and nice shoes.

Good luck, let us know how it goes.

I attended the info session but refused to go forward with that company because I didn't seem interested in them when I learned what they were actually about.

I went to the job fair today and I am scheduled for 2 interviews. One of the recruiters seemed interested in me and I spoke with her for about an hour about everything. These job fairs seem to really help, hopefully I can come out with a job at the end.

I am also going to apply to the places of employment where my parents work, there are a couple of open positions that relate to both of my potential degrees. I've heard that family referrals within their workplace help a whole lot, actually I am just assuming.