Comic Fury Webcomic Hosting - Does anyone else have trouble with getting a job?

I guess I'll write this because everyone I know doesn't really get it, or is going to college... I don't want to go to college yet because I don't have a reason to, like I don't know what I'd go there for. I hate school, and I want to work on my personal goals, which would either get in the way of school, or school would get in the way of it.
/rant

Anyway. I've moved from Oregon, to Texas, and now to California. It's been 2 years since I graduated HS and only one place has hired me... Vector Marketing AKA the Cutco company. Big whoop. I had to find my own appointments and after doing some for people, the rest were like NOPE. There went my job.

I've applied to sooo many places, and I had one interview in Texas.. This movie theatre. I went in and they never called me back, and put me on hold whenever I called to ask about it. I'd be on hold for like an hour and people would pick up the phone, then hang up again.

Moved to California, and I was hounding FYE for an interview for three months. Finally got one, and they said they could only choose two people and I wasn't one...
Had an interview at Petsmart. Called back, she said if I didn't hear from them to just apply again.
Had an interview at The Buckle. Didn't even hear from the dude. Got an automated email saying no.
So then today I had an interview at the Build a Bear. It was a group activity interview, and I thought it would be easy to get. What probably messed up my chance was when they told us to grab a random person from the mall and bring them in the store.. I got shot down by everyone I asked, and had to go back with nothing. They hired two people and I wasn't one.

It's so frustrating and disheartening. People say I'm not trying to get a job, but I can't really just walk in and automatically start working in the store.
It also bothers me when people make a big deal out of not having a college degree. Even with one, I wouldn't automatically get handed a job. I don't even want a job that requires a degree right now.

I guess I just want to vent and see if anyone else is stuck in the same rut as me.

I have a college degree in Biology and it still took me 4 months to get a job after graduation. And it's not even related to my field of science. I'm a lab technician in a GLUE LAB.

I guess the best advice I could give would be to try as hard as you can and change your game if it doesn't work. It's easy to give up hope and stop trying, but falling in that rut is a dangerous game. The longer you go without a job the harder it is to get one. Treat getting a job as a job and do it non-stop from 9 to 5. And try different things. If going into places asking for jobs doesn't work, post your resume online at monster or something. If that doesn't work, try posting on craigslist to do housekeeping or dog walking or something.

And for the record, 4 places isn't a lot of places to apply. In this economy, I had to apply to DOZENS and DOZENS of places before I got a job.

Getting a job sucks. I am lucky enough to be working part time right now 40% (aka no benefits hours). Each year I apply to about 10-15 teaching positions. The majority don't want me because I have not worked enough years, which sucks because what can I do about that? Most of the rest never respond. And then you get the one or two that do and interviews are just always really weird, you are meeting all of these random people and have to work on thinking about how they want your comments to sound. Plus, I get kind of weird nervous/hyper during interviews, something that does not happen to me any other time and I think makes me look a bit neurotic. And on top of that most people think I look 14 which does not help when you are 27 and looking to teach 14-year-olds.

And then, the past three years, the jobs I have actually gotten each year are for some random spot that I did not even apply for.

The thing is when I was trying for my non-'professional' jobs I had even less luck. I would apply to so many random cashier type jobs and the answer was almost always no response. I had worked at Target for one summer during college, and for the year between my bachelors and my teaching credential I applied to work there again. They were hiring, I had worked there before with good reviews, I had a degree, and still got nothing.

Anyway, enough of my rant. I wish you the best, the thing is to just keep trying, look around and be willing to do something that might not be your first choice because it is at least money now and experience for later. And try to go away from each interview asking yourself what you think worked and what didn't.

Yeah, I'm trying not to fall into a depression about it.
Also, I've applied at more than four places. xD Those were the only places I got an INTERVIEW at. Everywhere else either said they weren't hiring or just sent me an automated rejection email. EDIT: Also, right after the interview today, I handed in applications to 4 more stores.
I've gone to the mall and went store-to-store asking for applications... Idk, I'd say so far I've applied at like thirty places.
It sucks, but I'm not planning on quitting.

I hate when places say you need more experience to work there. How is one supposed to GET experience if no one will give them any experience. x(
My first interview I was really nervous and shy, but after that I became more vocal and talked a lot. I have the YOU SHOULD HIRE ME BECAUSE I'M CONFIDENT AND A GOOD WORKER ; ) attitude now when I go in for interviews, but it still doesn't happen...

I hope you can get a full time job. D: Make that degree work wonders for you. I'd be pissed if I got a degree in something and it wasn't as fast and easy to get a job in it, like everyone says it is...

The employment game has certainly changed entirely even from as little as five years ago. Employers now seem to follow "the golden rule", that is, they have to gold and they make the rules.

Unlike five years ago, there seems to be either a complete lack of empathy for people looking for a job or it could be just callousness, because you're more likely to get no response at all from a potential employer than anything else. Even a simple courtesy call to say that you didn't get a job seems to be beyond the ability of most people.

Seriously. x.x
A lot of older adults keep thinking it's like a few years ago when you could go in, ask for a job, and start that same day.
It's like, now you have to PROVE you want to work there by calling constantly and going in a lot and stuff.
I HATE when they don't call back or tell me no to my face. I hate sitting, waiting, to hear back and don't hear from them at all. "If you didn't get a call from us then we hired someone else." "Oh, sorry, the position has been filled."

The job at FYE said I'm at the top of the list for people to be hired next if the ones now don't work, or if there's another opening, so I'm going to keep going in to talk to the manager and let him know I'm gonna be interested... until the day I die.

I have absolutely no job experience, Im just a teacher at a tae kwon do school and im 18 and yet to escape the horrors of high school so best you dont take my advice all too seriously

All you can do is keep trying, I have had my older sister go through the same delemia, and each time she got rejected she would apply for the same job over and over (as well as many others.)
they saw she was determined and gave her the job!
then they saw she was a good worker and that they made a good choice.

so just keep trying over and over and hopefully you will get there, then keep your promises and work as best as you can.

if all else fails punch em in the face!

Haha, that's what everyone keeps telling me and what I'm doing. X3 (minus the punching in the face)
It's awesome you teach tae kwon do. :D (High school suckedddd)

The job economy sucks right now. I live in the northeast, have a degree from a pretty damn decent school, and I was unemployed for nearly four months after I graduated college. I sent out dozens upon dozens of resumes, and wound up working as a waitress for four months and doing some work as a nanny before I got an offer for a legit job at a marketing company. So I went eight months of trolling job sites, monster, craigslist, etc., before I landed something decent (I maintain that in one of the circles of hell, damned souls are forced to wait tables for all eternity). I now work two jobs to make rent (I part-time as an SAT Prep teacher/tutor) and freelance with art on the side, so I'm doing alright, but it's a really tough climate to get work in. One of my friends has a degree in English and is stuck bagging groceries. *shrug*

Yeah, you are not alone. In the states its pretty bad all over. I took the work I could get, it pays the bills and thats about it.

I have heard that some employers here wont hire you if you have been out of work longer than 6 months, or if youre credit rating is crap. Im not quite clear on the logic behind this. How can you pay bills if you cant work?

The only bit of advice that I can give is to see if you cant get even a part time job somewhere, doesnt matter what. Some of the Human Resource people I know say that this shows you are proactive. They see it as you are doing something while you are trying to break into the field you want, instead of sitting around collecting unemployment.

Take that for what its worth. Job hunting sucks no matter who you are these days.

Guhhh. That sucks so much.
Although, I'd be happy with any job right now. xD
But it still verifies that most places don't give a shit if you have a degree or not. -.-

Send all the idiots to an island and never come back, so we can have a chance at getting jobs.

Haha, I'll admit, the degree did wind up getting me the two jobs I have now (one of which straight up required a college degree, the other I landed cause my boss knew of my school), so I'm not saying higher education doesn't help your job prospects. Just that it doesn't guarantee anything and even when you have a supposed "leg up" it's pretty rough.

It's also hard when you're young. You don't have a lot of work experience, and some places are more interested in hiring folks who have families to support than teens and twenty-somethings who will be moving on soon.

I do really agree that things are harder now. In 2003 I got my first job working at Sears as a cashier. I had absolutely no experience working, it was my first interview for any sort of job, and I was just applying to work for the summer. I seriously walking in, applied on their computer, was called back the next day and was interviewed and hired. The job market does suck now a lot compared to how it was. There is no way I could walk into Sears right now and get a job even though I have experience and what not.

Ohhh boy, you're preaching to the choir on this one. I have a degree in English, Creative writing, as well as a Master's in teaching. But because I had to take a summer class, they delayed my diploma, which delayed my certification, which literally caused the only school to EVER offer me a full-time position to take back the offer. After that it was a summer of being ignored, being rejected, watching positions fill within 3 days, and one ridiculous interview where the staff acted like children to test my "management potential." Whatever, that's stupid. You're 40, not 12; you're not even acting like a real 12-year-old, and I can't tell a 40-year-old to stop talking. What kind of stupid interview is that?

This entire year I've been a substitute teacher. From August to December, I worked as a day-to-day sub, waiting for the phone to ring every night. Luckily it usually did, but it was still stressful. Then I landed two long-term gigs in 7th grade English classes and two different schools, and the second one just ended. Today I got to have the same kids again, but in a different class for the day. Needless to say they don't all remember me fondly.

Recently I was told that I would make a fantastic teacher and I have a lot to offer the profession, but that they wanted someone with more experience. WTF?! Like Gecko said, how do I GET experience if nobody will hire me?! Again, like Gecko, I look 14, which doesn't help with the whole "Taking charge of the classroom" thing. :I

In short, no you're not the only one having trouble. I'd say something like "hang in there," but sometimes I feel like giving up too. I'm sure it'll work out one day, for both of us -- but just know that I share in your frustrations! You are DEFINITELY not alone out there! Best of luck! :)

If you have a game plan but it's not working out:
Try working in another city, or another state, or another country.
If you just stay in your hometown or home city, you may never find a good job. When you're young, don't be afraid to strike out.

If you have a HS diploma and nothing else, and you're not sure what you want to do:
1. Why are you not sure what to do? What are you waiting for? There's no time to waste. This is 2012 and it's life-or-death for you.

2. Don't want college? Fine. I agree, a Biology/English/Philosophy major is an expensive joke unless you had some sort of game plan. But maybe you should look into trade schools.

3. What do you want out of life, if you had your choice (a realistic choice)? I'm sure you don't want to be a cashier or dishwasher, correct? So don't waste your time doing those things; develop your game plan with a set time frame and work towards the long-term goal instead. If your parents are capable of supporting you for a limited time frame, do that but use that borrowed time to go along the game plan.

Most of the idiots are on an island. That island is called Manhattan and the idiots are contained on the tip of it; to the south of Canal St.
Those people are for the most part the turds who caused the current financial woes and did they suffer because of it? Not a bar!

Angry. Angry. ANGRY. ANGRY!

@ Rollo:
Are you in the USA or a US citizen??

I moved so many times, just to find a better place to live. x.x I'm in a biggish city now and I'm gonna try here.
Right now I want a part time job just to work up from. Personal life/career goals are what I don't want to go to college for. For the time being, anyway. I'm still thinking about going to college, if I NEED it to do what I want.

Dude, Christian Weston Chandler. One person that mooches off of Social Security and is in debt to credit card companies. I swear to God he's one of the biggest reasons why we're in a depression.