[MeganMariah72]

I am 22 years old and just graduated college. I've been searching for a full time job in the field of psychology for the past 7 months now. I've probably applied to over 30 jobs and got called in for an interview twice. The first interview went really well (I thought), but the man actually lied to me and said he wanted me to come in the following week and he never got back to me! I sent the thank you email right away after the interview and even followed up with him a week or two later, but no response. The second interview went well for me also (it was for a teaching assistant position at a pre school), but I soon realized during the interview that I did not want to work at a place like that (one of the reasons: a woman came in screaming at the interviewer about how poorly run the institution was)..

Right now I am currently looking for any job in the field of psych, even a starting position, or internship. The hardest part is getting experience because most positions require you to have experience. But how would I get experience when I can't find a job/internship to get it? I have a BA in psychology and BA in visual art. I want to go for my masters sometime in the next two years for clinical psych.

I guess what I am trying to ask is, what would be some advice to better my search?

Thank you guys for your time!!

[ladytiger]

i am 27 years old got my degree in 2010 in network admin for IT and still no job. honestly, lots of people are gonna tell you to "volunteer." however, there is nothing wrong with it while gaining new/updating skills, but u need to look at your finances to see if it is worth it. i am volunteering at a library has nothing to do with my degree, but updating my organizational skills. i am ready to move on and get a paid job!

they were hiring for a manager position not something i want anyway, i don't have that kind of experience. i agree lots of companies want experience how can anybody gain experience when they can't hire you so you can gain experience? i don't get many interviews a year and if i do, they are usually too far from me i have a beat up old car so i want something closer. your question, i keep asking the same kind of question. are you working now somewhere? if not, u may have to get some kind of job depending on how your state is doing, start there then see if you know someone who can help you with your field.

i talked to some ex instructors in IT, one guy told me to learn wordpress for web design. i am tied between job searching and needing to keep my skills up, not like i have time to learn other programs. others will say go to networking events, i haven't been to any at all but they say make contacts. don't be surprised if they can't help you most times they can't if their employer is not hired or is hiring and they didn't call you back nothing you can do about that.

keep their info for future references. i have applied everywhere and i was told by employers how volunteering is good but i dont have a work history other employers just snubbed it off on volunteering telling me anybody can gain those skills why do free work? that told me everything i needed to know about them. talk to your instructors or maybe visit the school's career center see if they can you. i hated my school's career center in the past they did a lot of changes but the jobs they always wanted to refer was in the northern part of the city where the rich snobs are.

ask your school about interns, i am still looking for that. i am seeing out there nobody doesn't have any answers to this ridiculous job search and i told people i don't plan on volunteering forever, we all need money to do things. next place i want to volunteer is with an income i am doing this volunteer to be on a schedule for getting up on time for work etc.

[winter4me]

Originally Posted by MeganMariah72

I am 22 years old and just graduated college. I've been searching for a full time job in the field of psychology for the past 7 months now. I've probably applied to over 30 jobs and got called in for an interview twice. The first interview went really well (I thought), but the man actually lied to me and said he wanted me to come in the following week and he never got back to me! I sent the thank you email right away after the interview and even followed up with him a week or two later, but no response. The second interview went well for me also (it was for a teaching assistant position at a pre school), but I soon realized during the interview that I did not want to work at a place like that (one of the reasons: a woman came in screaming at the interviewer about how poorly run the institution was)..

Right now I am currently looking for any job in the field of psych, even a starting position, or internship. The hardest part is getting experience because most positions require you to have experience. But how would I get experience when I can't find a job/internship to get it? I have a BA in psychology and BA in visual art. I want to go for my masters sometime in the next two years for clinical psych.

I guess what I am trying to ask is, what would be some advice to better my search?
Thank you guys for your time!!

let's see try:
-any hospital with a psych unit, psych hospitals
-?activities director/merging art and...
-group homes (for the mentally ill, the forensic population, kids, etc)
-non-profits that work with mentally ill population
-mental health centers (eg: case management)
-if summer, a camp for the mentally ill
-day mental health programs (usually through a hospital)
-crisis intervention centers/programs
-substance abuse programs
-corrections (might have to train as a correctional officer, may be able to work in a program as a "civilian")---jail, prison (prison psych unit even)
-outward bound with troubled kids/people if you are the adventurous sort
.....other....

[mazing]

I had a similar issue when I first started. They loved my qualifications but I couldn't find work because there were others who had the experience over me. But it just involved being a bit more creative and taking some extra time in my case to build up my practical skills.

Volunteer work can be extremely helpful. It gives you the experiences working with people etc. and a good reference. Also, I ended up working for a while in a volunteer and then paid position providing direct care in the disability sector. It didn't exactly relate to my qualifications but it gave me a range of experiences that I could use in interviews including:
- working with challenging behaviours
- managing crisis situations with clients
- communicating with individuals who struggle to communicate and have unique communication styles.

It also gave me all of the buzz criteria that they like - working independently and as part of a team, communication skills, advocacy skills, planning and negotiating priorities, meeting deadlines etc.

It took an extra year on top of my degree but gave me the skills for an entry level position in the area I wanted to work and has now led to me being able to work towards where I want to end up.

I would really suggest looking at the selection criteria for positions you are interested in and imagine you were the interviewer. Think about where the gaps may be and ways you could look at building skills to fill those gaps. That might be through paid work, volunteering or charity work. They all help to give you skills and examples to use at an interview.

Good luck!

[Gingersnapsmom]

Wow. I just got my B.A. in psych this past May and am finding the same thing everywhere: must have degree AND experience. This thread was very helpful, thanks to all.

[Rise]

I seem to have a bit of a talent for the recruitment process. Never applied for a job and not got it . I'll tell you about some of my experiences and hopefully it will be useful for you.

My most recent job was a really well paid graduate job. I went to the interview with an unconventional combination of suit and trainers and was very casual. I think that by being a bit different combined with my super brief one page CV, it made them intrigued to know more and they would feel like they may be missing out on something if they don't hire me. That is a powerful thing when getting people to take action, the 'fear of loss' as it is known.

The job before that was a placement year. I was six and a half hours late for that interview. One of the questions they asked me was 'Give an example of a time when you have had to show determination'. I took the opportunity to explain what a long day I had had and all the obstacles I had had to overcome to get there, in a humourous way.

It is very important that you stand out.

I refuse to buy into the whole professional conduct game, it's so fake. I am just myself. I think that employers respond well to that. I imagine it is probably a breath of fresh air.

Be calm,
Be confident,
Be humble,

Don't be afraid to be yourself,
Don't be afraid to be different,

Don't feel like you are at their mercy, they are the one who are looking for an employee, it's them that needs you. After all, you are the best candidate and if they don't give you the job then they are loosing out and some other company will get you

If you want I can have a look at your CV and see if I can suggest some improvements for it? Two interviews in over 30 applications is not enough, I can almost guarantee that your CV can be improved. Either that or you are applying for the wrong jobs.