Nathan Ho '04

 

All Dressed Up With Nowhere to Interview

It was the first week of June, and with my honors thesis and classes behind me, I was finally able to plan my August graduation trip to China and to begin applying for jobs. I sent each résumé with great anticipation and excitement. Where would my first job take me? Boston? New York? Atlanta? Chicago? I was ready for something new. I applied for nearly 75 jobs in late June and early July. I had done everything right: graduated with a double major, earned a few scholarships during my four years, worked in an internship for almost two years, been involved in numerous campus groups and taught myself several Microsoft applications. I was ahead of the game, wasn’t I?

An Employer’s Job Market
Rewind three years. Jobs were nonexistent. North and South Campus grads alike sought refuge in graduate schools. With those memories fresh in my mind, I was prepared for a hostile job market when I began filling out job applications.

However, I was pleasantly surprised to find so many jobs listed online and in the newspapers. Finding a job would be a lot easier than I thought. My resignation naïvely turned into expectation.

Only seven employers responded to my initial applications, each suggesting I call when I got back from China. They each assured me they were looking for the right person to fill the positions, but there was urgency to fill them as soon as possible. Translation: The job may not be available to you when you return.

Mind the Gap
Out of the 75 jobs for which I applied, where were all the offers? What were they looking for that I didn’t have? The answer lay in my lack of persistence and follow-up. There was no gap in my résumé, but a gap in my job search strategy. Most companies and firms are so busy with day-to-day work that filling an open position, though necessary in the long run, is a chore that can be put off. Your and my résumés, e-mailed weeks before, are still sitting in some HR director’s inbox, marked “Unread” in Outlook.

When I returned from my three-week expedition in China, I began my true job search. I had bought a snazzy business suit in Hong Kong and was ready for interviews. I contacted all the people who had asked me to call back when I returned from China. Most of the positions had been filled, but there was a crack of light at the end of the tunnel: One marketing company was considering creating a new position and they wanted me to come and interview for it.

Reality Bites; Bite Back!
Even though it’s definitely an employer’s job market, meaning they can be picky and offer less money for a position, there is still wiggle room for recent college grads like myself. It just requires a firm grip on reality and a lot more initiative and persistence than I had initially thought.

The reality of the times is that jobs are harder to come by. It’s not Mission Impossible, but it is trickier to find that ideal job you thought you would have by the time you graduated with a UCLA degree. I want to find a job and earn money, yes, but more importantly, I want to find a job in which I know I can make a difference and be challenged on a daily basis, so I’m not going to settle.

I’m not sure how the interview is going to turn out next week. I’m not worried, but a little anxious. I feel I have been well prepared by UCLA both inside and outside the lecture hall for the challenge of finding a job. Though a UCLA diploma doesn’t go as far as it used to in the job market, I’m still excited about my future and the unknown that lies ahead. I obviously am praying for the best, but I know I will end up where I belong. I always do. And I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.