i am graduating this sem from sim rmit marketing, minor in management (now waiting for my results) and just want to share my experience with job hunting

background information:

- graduated with a diploma in business IT
- have done freelance web/graphic design and can do front end developing
- have been taking up various temp and ad hoc jobs to earn extra cash but all have nothing to do with my degree

2 months before graduating, in march, i started sending resumes to find a marketing job. it was honestly not an easy feat because after sending out countless of resumes NONE of them got back to me. i then started to extend my job search to human resource and accounting, neither have they gotten back to me.

it was seriously damn demoralizing, but fortunately i still had my diploma to bank on. i then narrowed down my search to digital marketing and web design, that was when companies started getting back to me. i have gone for about 5 interviews so far, the 2nd company that i went for is a local fmcg company and they actually offered me 2.4k with about $200+ allowance, was quite tempted to take it up but in the end rejected because of the location (too ulu and far for me) and hostile work environment (could foresee dragging myself to work everyday). and that time i thought i still had a few more weeks before i finished my exam, so i wasnt in a hurry to secure a job.

after i ended my exam in mid may, i started my job search again. this time, it got even more demoralizing that i wished i took up the previous job offer. the 3rd and 4th interviews that i went for (local smes), the interviewers really put you down like no tomorrow. laughed at me when i requested for a 2.5k salary and said i should be expecting only about 2k. the recruitment consultants also called me and said i should only be expecting 1.4k, and they would try all sorts of funny methods to psycho you into accepting a lower salary jobs and that "its the market rate now".

finally came my chance, i applied for a contractual position in an mnc, and was really lucky that although the interview was a bit tricky at the start, i managed to end it off quite well (i think)(thank god for everything that i have learnt in poly). was offered a 2.4k salary with relatively good benefits and i gladly accepted it. although its just a contractual role and pay is not exceptionally exciting or fantastic compared to many people, gotta think of the long term benefits, like my next job hunt would be made easier because i will no longer be a fresh grad with no experience, company is huge and well known and at least i am not jobless for too long etc.

advice to all the undergrads, please find some part time or temp job or internship relevant to what you may be doing in the future. luck although plays quite a huge role, most interviewers will put you down and say "but you have no experience". eg, if you're applying for an accounting job, your part time sales experience will not be counted as relevant experience. especially if you're taking a very general degree, say, management, you gotta have an edge over others (why is it that they should hire a management grad over an accounts grad for an accounts position? is it because you have had exp in an accounting firm, etc)

also, you can start applying for jobs before you graduate from your course, and even if you don't get the job you at least gain some experience dealing with the interviews. my first interview was pretty damn screwed up, the previous person who went in lasted for an hour, i went in and was out in less than 10 mins LOL. and obviously i didnt get that job.

HTHS!