Accepting career advice for the Entry Level

First, don't feel bad... We are currently in the worst job market, especially for IT, that most of us have seen in our lifetimes. Even many extensively experienced IT pros are having a lot of trouble finding suitable employment right now. While Texas isn't suffering from this recession as bad as some places, it isn't as rosy here for quality jobs as the news media likes to portray it. The job market for low-end unskilled employment here seems fairly robust, but when it comes to the IT job market there are just too few opportunities for the number of available candidates.

One problem right now is that there is no such thing as an "entry level" job anymore -- only entry level salaries. Most employers are only hiring people with several years of experience right now because there is such a huge glut of talent right now that they can get well educated, highly skilled and experienced people for what were entry level rates a few years ago. Because of that employers have become extremely picky and have piled on additional requirements and are often holding out for the "perfect" candidate at a bargain price. Be glad at least that you aren't "over the hill" -- it is worse for those who are 35+ because employers don't want to pay for people who are too highly experienced.

You don't say specifically what your degree is in or what kind of experience you got while doing your co-ops. You are luckier than the average recent grad in that you at least have that experience. The local schools, especially UT turn out thousands of new techie grads every semester, and those that don't have any non-academic experience on their resume are really facing an uphill battle right now. Unfortunately since your degree is not from a local school you may face a little bit of discrimination from some employers who prefer to hire locals or at least people from schools they are familiar with (better still if its the hiring manager's alma-mater). Moving without working to build up your network in the new location first or even better already having a job lined up first is always risky but since you're already here you need to work much harder at networking. I don't know what brings you to Austin... but you arrived at a pretty bad time as most of the large employers who usually hire recent grads have gone through layoffs and hiring freezes lately. Even in good times Austin's IT job market is extremely competitive. It is often said that "Austin has the best educated waiters in the world" -- and its true. It is not uncommon to chat up a bartender or waiter and find out they've got a Masters or PhD.

All that said, you've come to the right place (this site)... And while I've said a lot of "bad news" things -- its best to be aware of the obstacles you are up against. Anyway, you've just got to be persistent and leave no stone unturned. Attend as many of the local networking events as possible (they are usually announced here). One suggestion for getting out of the house, and getting your name out there is to try volunteering. It won't bring any $$$ in, but hopefully you've got at least 6 months to a year's worth of savings to fall back on until you can find a job. If not you might want to consider what "survival" job (retail, food service, etc) you can get in order to make ends meet in the mean time. It is best to have the basics taken care of so you can be without those worries while you are looking for a better long term job.

Cody,

You made a good start, ask for advice from others. Here are a few network tips.

1. Attend the Door 64 coffee mixers on every other Weds. , great way to meet others.
2. Attend a few Launch Pad meetings and maybe become active in one or more sub groups.
3. Become a member of Workforce Solutions “Work in Texas” you do not have to be laid off to take advantage of their programs.
4. Attend as many tech shows / events as you can. These are not the places to pass out resumes but a great place to collect business cards and talk to people.
5. Subscribe to some of the free industry magazines for your industry, Eweek is an IT mag, keeps you up to date on current trends and provides you with a lot of companies advertisements and stories.
6. Consider volunteering at some events to meet people, you will never know who will provide you that lead.

A few things before you start:

1. Assess your skills, what you can do, what you want to do.
2. Have your resume reviewed by people in your field which, you will meet at the network events and by some of the professional resume reviewers which, is free at Workforce and sometimes at Launch pad. Do not pay money for this service. When you are at the point where one person tells you change an item where another told you to add/change that item. You have a good resume. Everyone has an opinion on resumes so, you will never get a perfect one.
3. Have some business made up with your contact information, and a business title that broadly fits the job your looking for. Vistaprint is pretty cheap for cards.
4. Attitude – Keep positive, positive, positive. Get some exercise every day, ignore the negative nannies. This is a tough job market for everyone. Keep your head up and keep trying you will succeed.
5. Training – Watch out for free courses to add to your skill base. There are always free things on the internet if you search hard enough. And as you meet contacts they may have some training books you can borrow as well.

Good Luck!
Mike