[ShadowPuppet]

The shocker - I've been in school (university) ever since I graduated from high school and I'm 25 now. I lost a year attempting to switch majors from biochem to computer science and lost another semester due to depression. Between social anxiety, depression, and seasonal affective disorder, I was practically nonfunctional during the winter. I'm fine now honestly with the exception of social anxiety, which can be cured once I get my foot through the door and start a career. As for building a resume, I have zilch, nada. I plan to graduate this summer with a B.S. in Biochemistry and I'm feeling lost.

So my question: how do you sell yourself when you have nothing to sell? I don't have contacts, volunteer work, etc... I had one real job that didn't last long (few months), but left due to false advertising and harassment by men. At least with the computer science courses I took, I have some experience with HTML/css and Java. I love learning and believe I could do anything if you threw a manual at me. Without proof though, that's "he said, she said." Any advice?

[Travelinglady]

My son is a Senior in college, and he has nothing much to put on a resume either. I assume you weren't involved in any groups on campus or in any volunteer work either. If you were, then you might be able to couch those in ways that sound good.

I am suggesting that my son try for some internships or a job related to his career before he finishes. Since you're not sure about how to get your foot into the door with a job, then have you considered an internship or even volunteer work? You will probably have to take something unpaid at this point, but if you can work even that way, then you'll have something on your resume.

What kind(s) of job(s) are you searching for? Depending on what it is, you might be able to offer some related service on the Internet and put that down, plus do some sort of volunteer work.

[ShadowPuppet]

Unfortunately, no volunteer work or extracurricular activities other than data entry and maintenance for my father's business. Most volunteer opportunities are distant so I pushed it aside, but I'm considering volunteer work for a hospital to gain experience in a medical environment. I'm just lacking references right now considering I burned a lot of bridges and I was too shy to make myself noticed in classrooms with more than 100 students. I'm also somewhat embarrassed to ask professors that do know me - I just feel like they have enough busy work as it is without being bothered with background checks.

I still have to complete a research project, which I plan to do this summer. I have the contact information for a senior project manager of a company that biologically engineers antiviruses so as awkward as it seems - I may ask to do nonprofit research with them. Can't hurt to try I suppose. Otherwise I will look for a research group on campus.

I would like to start out as a lab technician - running gels, sequencing DNA, basic protocols. Beggars can't be choosers though.

[Travelinglady]

Yes, professors are busy, but they are willing to write recommendations. (I was a college prof.) So, please don't hold off on that. You do need them. Now is not the time to be shy. Visit with them personally. I made the mistake of putting a recommendation in a prof's mailbox when he wasn't around, and he later claimed he didn't get it.

Your research plans sound good. At least that will give you something on a resume. Did you do lab work like what you want to do in your classes? At least you could talk about your lab experiences, if you had any. Otherwise, you could check how much experience these places expect and go from there.

[ladytiger]

nothing wrong with volunteering, but that means nothing in today's economy. as i have seen, whatever volunteer experience you have and the position you apply that correlates to it; a lot of employers are looking at that as u worked for free so u dont care to work for a paycheck?

i have met people and read online articles about that it is such a mess. the main question is how are you living? parents/relatives? do u have any backup money? i would look to see if you are getting good help where u can travel all the time to work (volunteer) and you are not concern about finances then i would volunteer.

obama said if you volunteer for a year, it is suppose to count as work experience and in the job workshops i have attended, these employers are not considering work experience. ill be 27 in two days i have a degree and only had one job not much real work experience behind me.

this is my situation: i live at home, barely getting any help from my parents, my dad gives me some money that only pays for my cell phone, i have a car but i have to "torture" (figuratively) my mom just so i can get gas money for my car thats always an argument since i am always out looking for a job.

someone else i talked to volunteered at the animal shelter for 2 yrs and still waiting for a job. i couldnt believe it so i dont know what happen to him. my situation is not the same for everybody and i think the job advice needs to be changed depending on who we r talking too. for me, i need an income because where i live its not easy getting around and i live in a city everything is spread out.

ppl have told me i need to work for free for a while, no i dont. i always ask the million dollar question who is going to pay for my financial means of transportation? nobody can't answer that question! for my degree, i dont have certifications too costly and the jobs my instructor's know they want more job experience.

u could talk about the clubs u were in (if any) but i dont know how much of that an employer will care about. most dont even care and will use but its not a job it doesnt count. like i said volunteering doesnt seem to count because your not getting paid for it and they r considering ppl lazy for working for free it is ridiculous!

[Travelinglady]

I disagree about volunteering always not being a good idea. But you DO need to volunteer in a place where your future employer will see that you are getting experience in the appropriate line of work. Even most internships these days are unpaid, but they can be valued as "experience." What's the alternative if you can't get a job you want because you don't have any "experience"? Sitting at home?

True, the money for even volunteering has to come from somewhere. My husband and I paid for one of our sons to have an internship with a national department in Washington, DC over winter break. (He wants to do something like that when he finishes college.) So, that can be an issue.

[ladytiger]

Internships are looking for people who have previous work experience. How do I know? I have looked up a lot of interns for IT! I remember a time where interns were zero experience and they taught you the basics about the company whether they hired you on or not.

I agree that sitting at home does nothing, but I noticed you couldn't answer does being broke help too? I will only speak for my situation: I am unemployed (said it many times) and need an income. My social worker told me why volunteer if you have no means of getting to the place financially? Does it not still take money to go from A to B?

I do not live in a state where it is close knit, but I do live in a city and the state I live in is spread out which means you need a car to get around. Screw the bus/light rail systems that we have, they still do not travel further because the bus drivers choose not to and hate their jobs.

My important goal is to get something where I can earn an income period end of sentence. I do not understand why that is so hard for people to understand, but I have to rebuild my assets back. So, why would I volunteer if I am not getting an income? Nevermind the experience/skills, why do I want to do free work when I have debts that need to be paid off?

Now, I am not talking about other people's problems just mine. If I decided to volunteer, I am certainly not going there with an impression that I will get a job no matter how many promises they claim. You obviously have no idea what these nonprofits are doing but I have spoken to many different people about how they volunteered and never landed a job and also went through 4-6 different nonprofits and still no job.

I applied for SRP's intern for IT and couldn't believe they wanted you to "already have IT experience," this was when I was in college. I applied to it anyway showing I was taking courses in IT and got an email back saying I wasn't qualified for the job. I have an IT degree no certs too costly for me and still can not land a job.

As I said many times, the job advice can not be the same for everybody. We can't tell someone to volunteer if they are losing their home and may end up homeless. Volunteering is not on their mind, will the free work land them a new home? Will it help them pay off their debts? Didn't think so and I think our brains have been fried since 08 that we Americans certainly don't have a pot to piss in!

For me, will free work pay the gas in my car or a bus fare? Like I told people, you tell me how am I going to get there? They shut up real quick with no answer to spew out of their mouths. The state employees have no real answer and one employee that I won't ever get "hired" if I don't "volunteer." I just looked at him and asked the same questions I just said in here to him.

He scurried around the question I was hip to that really quick! I get told by career counselors to "nevermind the money issue and shouldn't be so focused on money," I told them ok, the state of AZ should write me a huge check of one million dollars and once you do, then I will have no problems volunteering!

They just looked at me with their mouths open and I thought they sucked enough oxygen because it took them a long time to even come up with an answer! I said to them come on, we cannot keep giving this meaningless "job advice" to those whose situations are not the greatest.

I am not sure if you watch Suze Orman, but her motto is people first, then things, then money. My motto is me first, money, and then things. Let's get the priorities done first before I can go worry about volunteering somewhere. I will only take the advice of my social worker nobody else matters as their opinions is meaningless to me!

All my social worker told me to do is just keep applying (yea, such a boring method) but that's all she can tell me. I do agree with her on the don't volunteer, she is one of the few people I have spoken to who makes sense.

[Travelinglady]

Hmm. Then why are my sons, who are still in college, getting internships?
I'm not trying to give you a hard time. You are having a different situation than some folks. We are posting, though, on Shadow Puppet's thread and I was trying to help her. And she hasn't said she has no money, etc. I didn't want your post to lead her to think that volunteering or getting an internship were necessarily inappropriate or impractical for her.

I will be glad to listen more closely to your issues and concerns, if you'll post on your own thread. I do want to be responsive and I am not unsympathetic. And I do appreciate learning what you have to say.

I can tell this subject is really upsetting you. On this thread, you kept saying, "As I said many times......" Where? I don't see it here on this thread, and we have not met before....And, to defend myself, I did mention that working for free is impractical for people with no money.

I can understand how frustrating this job problem is these days. Let's see if we can help ShadowPuppet by listening to her responses. Okay?

[ladytiger]

Originally Posted by PAYNE1

Hmm. Then why are my sons, who are still in college, getting internships?
I'm not trying to give you a hard time. You are having a different situation than some folks. We are posting, though, on Shadow Puppet's thread and I was trying to help her. And she hasn't said she has no money, etc. I didn't want your post to lead her to think that volunteering or getting an internship were necessarily inappropriate or impractical for her.

I will be glad to listen more closely to your issues and concerns, if you'll post on your own thread. I do want to be responsive and I am not unsympathetic. And I do appreciate learning what you have to say.

I can tell this subject is really upsetting you. On this thread, you kept saying, "As I said many times......" Where? I don't see it here on this thread, and we have not met before....And, to defend myself, I did mention that working for free is impractical for people with no money.

I can understand how frustrating this job problem is these days. Let's see if we can help ShadowPuppet by listening to her responses. Okay?

You tell me, maybe a different state? I went to college and they didn't have an internship program you had to find it on your own. Many students/grads whom I have spoken to in the state I live in can't find an intern position and I stopped looking a long time ago. People we live in different states don't compare your state to the one where I live and say it is all the same thing because it is not. Have you heard of ASU here in AZ? Tons of graduates from there who can't land a job! I have spoken to quite a bit of them and the school does not offer job placement assistance and they have to find their own jobs.

When I said "as I said many times," I have said it on other sites, one of my old posts, in person, and in previous posts from other people on here thank you very much. Like I have told people do your research nevermind what the pathetic media has to say. I do my research and talk to people about their experiences I do not get my info from John McCain or any of the idiot politicians.

I'm gonna say what I want period end of sentence. Nobody is not going to stop me. My post is from my experience and the people plus the research I have done, where is your research? I've had conversations with some people like you who don't have a pot to piss in and can't provide their info to me. As much as I've done research papers and argued points with my narcissus parents, I have learned how to tear down BS really quick!

To the poster, we don't know if she is broke or not. Let's say she is broke, why would she volunteer? Is she getting help? If not, how is she gonna get to the job? Does she live in a city where it is close knit, lives in a state that is spread out, or lives in the boonies/small town? If she has a lot of money in the bank and she is not hurting for money, then she should volunteer only for the gratification not to have the impression that I am gonna get a job with this nonprofit. If she gets a job from them and it's everything she is looking within a company, I suggest she takes it.

My opinion/experience does not reflect the opinion of others so if you don't like what I have to say, fine. It will not hurt me one bit as I will keep speaking based on what's on my mind. I was talking to the poster not you! I spoke to you until you made a comment on how you disagreed with me. Let me put it this way like I tell my idiot parents back in the day is not the same economy as today so can we stop living in the past and stay in 2013?

We can not assume that people can volunteer when they wae up out of bed especialy if they have such severe financial issues. I told my therapist ever since 08, we have lost common sense and forgot how to pay our bills. The new advice I have been getting is save money, move out, then get a job. What sense does that make? Last I checked, it was get a job, save the money, then move out!

People are saying nevermind about the money, just go volunteer and everything will be fine. Yea ok, free work will pay for anybody's bills right? Our status in this country keeps falling further and further a country of idiots!

To the poster, look at your situation and see if you can volunteer. It will help you be more positive on giving back and what not. What is more important to you? Free work and who knows how honest these nonprofit employers are or needing an income? Like I said, if you got all your ducks in a row and your not lacking for money, then do what you want.

I think you should go to a one stop career center, workforce connections, or employment services to see what they can offer. From my experiences, they didn't help at all. I don't know what it is like in your state, it doesn't hurt to check it out and if they don't help, you will see why! Nevermind what joe-shmo says online who doesn't know you in real life to know anything about you.

Anyway, best of luck to you.

[High Treason]

What is it exactly that you want to get a job doing? You say you're graduating with a degree in biochemistry, and then also list your skills in computer programming as well. If you want to get into programming, there are all kinds of open source projects you could join to get stuff to put on your resume and learn more. and you can do it right from your house in your own time and work another job, too if you need money. Even with the bad economy, computer jobs are doing better than most because the world is increasingly using computers more and more. Heck, I'm looking to hire a Java developer as we speak.

If you are looking for a Biochemistry job, I wouldn't really know much about that, but I imagine it's pretty much the same path. Figure out a way to do it by volunteering your time and building up a body of work you can point to.

[ShadowPuppet]

Sorry I haven't been responding - got lost in the semester. I have money that I have saved up but it's not much. I will be busy over the summer doing research for a professor at my university (related to biochemistry) but I intend to throw out applications for part time jobs no matter how embarrassing my resume will appear. As they say, "showing up is half the battle." It's discouraging to hear that people are applying and aren't getting in, but I can only keep my head up. I do live with my family and I am fortunate for all of the necessities they have provided (food, etc...). I intend to pay them back for the loans they claimed - most is under my name of course. I'm just a do-gooder, straight up honest and too critical of myself. That's what I need to work on. I'd rather walk on a job starting at minimum wage and let someone tell me what I'm worth once they see me in action. I almost make myself sick, lol.
I wanted to thank you all for replying - as I am still reading .

[ShadowPuppet]

Originally Posted by ladytiger

I agree that sitting at home does nothing, but I noticed you couldn't answer does being broke help too? I will only speak for my situation: I am unemployed (said it many times) and need an income. My social worker told me why volunteer if you have no means of getting to the place financially? Does it not still take money to go from A to B?

That's been an issue for me as well - driving the distance just to volunteer. My hands would be all-in if everything was nearby. I guess it's like an education though, something to invest in. When you're already in debt it doesn't look appetizing.

[ShadowPuppet]

Originally Posted by ladytiger

Last I checked, it was get a job, save the money, then move out!

Well this made me giggle a bit, I always had that in mind but everyone here would prefer to move out and live on Ramen Noodles, scraping dimes just to live on their own. Maybe I need their mindset though. I just don't care to spend money on an apartment that will never be mine to keep. I'd rather save the money to buy a house. Just a life of embarrassment and shame but if I play my cards right I'll be out when I'm 30. Even the thought makes me cringe. Even more so when my mother can't wait for me to move out so she can move in with me. I think part of my problems stem from my parents - they're (still) verbally abusive and that's how I'll always remember them. Maybe I do need to move out into an apartment and forget the "house plans" for my own sanity.

[H3rmit]

Originally Posted by ShadowPuppet

I will be busy over the summer doing research for a professor at my university (related to biochemistry) but I intend to throw out applications for part time jobs no matter how embarrassing my resume will appear.

Congrats! That will be a solid piece of your resume that you can leverage to the future. You could ask your prof if there is room in the research budget to get you a bus pass so you aren't losing money by volunteering. When my husband worked in a research lab one summer during undergrad, for money, the prof added in a bus pass each month from her budget. You can probably find your prof's research budget on the net. It's probably large. Prof may say no, but it shouldn't hurt to ask.

Keep a professional attitude; don't be like some people who gripe but don't use their minds to analyze the situation they are in and make better and creative choices. You've don't well by getting this really solid sounding position. You'll get to do more than clean glassware, right? If you start out cleaning glassware, pay attention and try to learn everyone's job by listening and watching, so you are ready to take over on the day they can't make it in. Then your learning curve at that moment will be much smaller.

[ShadowPuppet]

Originally Posted by PAYNE1

Did you do lab work like what you want to do in your classes? At least you could talk about your lab experiences, if you had any. Otherwise, you could check how much experience these places expect and go from there.

Yes, but I'm intimidated if someone wants me to do an experiment off the top of my head without an actual procedure or the resources for that matter (including reagent concentrations etc.) Otherwise I've been exposed to a variety of lab protocols that are commonly used to purify/amplify proteins, clone genes, that kind of business. I'll definitely have to incorporate that into my resume so they know I'm not a complete dud.

Originally Posted by High Treason

What is it exactly that you want to get a job doing? You say you're graduating with a degree in biochemistry, and then also list your skills in computer programming as well.

Sorry, I did mention that. I only know basics of java, I couldn't create an application with a graphical user interface so it's worthless - well for the public anyway. I enjoy working with computers in general: debugging, repairing, etc. So to answer your question, I'll probably stick to laboratory research. More specifically, pathology and genetic research. Unfortunately, without a PhD, I'll end up as a lab technician. It's a start at least and maybe if I'm "worthy" they'll support me through grad school. I can dream at least.

[ShadowPuppet]

Originally Posted by H3rmit

Congrats! That will be a solid piece of your resume that you can leverage to the future. You could ask your prof if there is room in the research budget to get you a bus pass so you aren't losing money by volunteering. When my husband worked in a research lab one summer during undergrad, for money, the prof added in a bus pass each month from her budget. You can probably find your prof's research budget on the net. It's probably large. Prof may say no, but it shouldn't hurt to ask.

Keep a professional attitude; don't be like some people who gripe but don't use their minds to analyze the situation they are in and make better and creative choices. You've don't well by getting this really solid sounding position. You'll get to do more than clean glassware, right? If you start out cleaning glassware, pay attention and try to learn everyone's job by listening and watching, so you are ready to take over on the day they can't make it in. Then your learning curve at that moment will be much smaller.

Unfortunately, it's part of the core requirements for my degree - to do undergraduate research that is, but I'm hoping I can make contacts. Hehe, no I'll be doing more than cleaning glassware. If my hands are not on agarose gels or chromatography columns, I will be observing. I plan to spend as much time as I can with the team. Until I'm done with finals I won't have the full details, but I'm excited to actually apply what I'm learning to the field.
Lol, now the "bus pass" is an idea if I can volunteer after I graduate, but I doubt they'll want an alumna unless I'm a student. Plus, I live 30 minutes away from campus so I'm forced to drive. If I only knew back then what I know now. Far too many regrets already.

[H3rmit]

Sounds like you know a lot and are keeping your wits about you. I thought you had graduated already; my mistake. Hang in there.