After graduating I couldn’t even get an interview for a relevant position. I took whatever random jobs for a while until I got sick of it. Getting a good job in the city was impossible so, I started looking for jobs anywhere and everywhere. Before long I found one 600 km away from where I lived at the time. Turns out, it’s very difficult to find competent people willing to work in the middle of nowhere, so even fresh graduates will do.

I needed money, they needed people. The job was also a pretty good match to my degree, so it was a win-win for everyone.

Pro tip: if you want to compete with all the PhDs with 10 years of experience, stay in the city. If not, be open to relocating. Don’t be afraid of small towns, they are actually pretty nice. Oh and the rent! I’m paying peanuts for a very nice flat, because it’s so far away from all the big cities.

I made my own job.

I run my own ride service. I work the apps like uber but I also have a large (and growing) list of private clients that call me for airport runs or to see if I can get them to and from a dinner with friends/colleagues/etc.

I work for a customer service call center. I just went on their website and filled out an application. After that there was a phone interview then an in person interview, then I had to do a drug test then I was hired!

Recruiter messaged me on LinkedIn (Software Dev)

IT service desk at an MSP.

Put in my resume on the company site, conducted an interview and showed up on the first day.

I’m a programmer, which is in a pretty bad spot if you’re looking for work right now.

I was laid off in January and had to start looking again. While it’s important to be able to demonstrate your skills, the only way I got an interview for my new job was by being referred by an old colleague. Turns out maintaining relationships with people who can vouch for your work is a very big part of the process.

Art Therapist. I am the services director at a youth shelter. I oversee the art therapy and psychology interns and the other staff, making sure we are providing the appropriate services (shelter, life skills, therapy, case management, fiduciary, etc) and are generally meeting the needs of our clients.

Additionally, I get to be the handy man…because stuff needs to get done and I’m the one with the drill and willingness to climb a ladder.

I got my current job due to my degree in art therapy. But before that, I worked in an embroidery shop. My kids have special needs and I wanted to be available for them while they were young. I replied to an ad for an embroidery specialist (without any training), and they hired me to run the shop based on me having a good work history, good education, and the expectation that I would be around for a while.

TL;DR. Most places just want to see that you’re dependable and willing to work hard. Build up that reputation and you can branch out into different fields a little. Just apply to anything you are interested in. Good luck!!

Nuclear engineer. Went to school for dual degrees in Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering, got decent grades and had two relevant internships. Interviewed at a college job fair, had some follow-up interviews, and likely stood out because I was computer literate.

Applied for a job. Imagine that

Currently, I’m a cabinet maker, and I was referred to my current employer by my state’s department of labor representatives. I’ve done damn near everything though: been a dishwasher, a chef (my longest held position at about 10 years), worked retail, was a pharmacy tech, delivery driver, the list goes on.

I interview well, always go in willing to admit what I don’t know but highlight what I do know, have a good attitude, and a decent sense of humor helps a lot (at least in my experience).

The thing that’s helped me find work the most has been my status as a veteran. Checking that box has opened more doors for me than anything else in my life because, to employers, it shows I’m more “mature” than those around my age, I’m dependable, learn quickly, don’t argue, and will get the work done if it needs to be done. It’s not surefire, by any means, but it has usually at least gotten me an interview with most places I’ve applied. Veteran employers like to see it because it’s something we can both relate to, and civilian employers like it because they know you learn a lot of soft skills through the military, and the maturity thing.

As an example, I was hired as a cook for a local brewery, but during the interview, the guy kept mentioning my time in the military and how he’d like me to start pushing their kitchen in a more professional direction than it currently was, despite the fact I had about 5-10 years less experience than their current supervisor and my military experience wasn’t related to cooking at all.

Not everyone has that on their resume, but it’s definitely helped me since I separated almost 10 years ago now.

I work in Cybersecurity, Incident Response specifically.
I started off in IT and spent a lot of years as a sysadmin (Windows, mostly). A couple jobs ago, I often worked closely with the security team and when they had an opening, they all but held a gun to my head to get me to apply to move over. Some years and a few internal promotions later, I got a message on LinkedIn which (in part) read:

I came across your LinkedIn and thought you might be a great fit for a Sr. Information Security Analyst role that my team currently has open. It’s a fully remote opportunity with one of our top clients. Would you be open to a brief call to discuss further?

I said yes and now I’m a making good money while reading other peoples’ email in my pajamas.

A friend got me my job.

Construction Management.

10+ years at the same company.

Graphic Designer

Friend left his job just as a contract was ending for me so I just took over for him.

Since this is probably a young person asking whose looking to start their career: I applied to a lot of jobs and lied on my resume until I got lucky with a small business that took a chance on me.

I’m a professional photographer. I’ve been a photographer for about 15 years but I started my own LLC in 2021. I studied the business side on YouTube/ googling stuff and listened to a TON of podcasts on the subject. Now wedding photography is my full time gig and I have a studio where I do boudoir, newborns, and rent studio space to other photographers. My future ambitions include hosting workshops where I teach other aspiring photographers. When I started in the industry it was male dominated and now that’s changed dramatically and it’s nice to see. I struggled a lot to be taken seriously in the early days. That’s why I was so inclined to start my own business/be my own boss.

I’m a production manager for events, so I design and run events and concerts.

I called up a bunch of production companies in the area, let them know I was coming to town, gave them a short list of some of the stuff I’ve done, and now I work full time as a freelancer for all the events that come through town.