TheUnGraduate

How many interviews do you need or should expect to get a job? ANY paid job? I have some undergrad research experience and a B.S. in Arts and Sciences, so I try to apply to research assistant jobs in anything related to biology (microbiology, pathology, general biology, neurology, etc.). I also try to apply to blue-collar jobs in the food service industry, and it's harder than I thought, as most completely ignore my application, and one said that they hired another worker when I called them as a follow-up on the interview. I try to apply to library jobs, but they are all rejected, probably because I have little experience in libraries. So, I try to apply to library volunteer jobs, but they are all full at my local library, and I'm not sure if it's worth it to drive additional miles to a different library on a regular basis for no compensation. It may provide good experience, though. Thus far, I have made significant administrative contributions to the local food pantry by doing data entry work on Excel; it's completely volunteer work, and the executive director is very pleased with my performance that I have gained a new reference. It seems to me that volunteer work is easier to get, because there are no recommendation letters or applications. Paid jobs seem to be harder to get, because they all require experience. In the interview for a paid position at a fast food restaurant, all the questions that the interviewer asked me implied that I already had work. Being naive, I answered truthfully that I was unemployed and never really had a paid job. So, she tailored her questions to what I did at school in extracurricular activites, which was laboratory work. What was your first PAID job? How did you get it? How did your paycheck arrive?