As you can probably tell, the job search isn't going too well. I've sent out a few resumé's, applied to quite a few jobs, got me some good references and the occasional inside recommendation, and all that has gotten me exactly 2 first interviews. Whee!
     Of course, I have a lot of suspicions and ideas as to why, but the causes are myriad and there's no way for me to fix most. A big problem is that I'm submitting online, as are thousands of other out-of-work web designers and programmers, meaning that all of us can apply to a lot more jobs. So, whereas a recruiter would normally get only a handful of resumé's in previous years, now they're recieving hundreds for even the simplest and smallest of positions. That's an awful lot to wade through.
     The second is that I never really specialized in one part of CS, so I don't have anything in specific to use to plug myself. It's kinda one of these things where it's more about recognition than anything else. Being able to claim that you're an expert in some field will surely get your resumé noticed, but saying that you studied all sorts of different languages and applications will surely get you passed over.
     I get annoyed reading the NY Times articles that have been popular recently about how the job market sucks, how the economy is improving but jobs still aren't being created, and especially how all sorts of IT professionals are collecting unemployment while looking for work because they've been laid off. I would feel sorry for them if I weren't competing with them for the same jobs. I can either feel bad that these former 6-figure income earners are now forced all the way down to entry-level, or feel angry because that means that they're taking entry-level jobs away from people like me who just graduated. I'm sure they're feeling a little hurt in the wallet, but I'm working graveyard shifts at a convenience store in the meantime and I really can't have much pity for them.
     At any rate, right now I have 2 Web Design applications out, one at Liberty Travel in Mahwah, and one at Leader to Leader Institute in New York City. I have pretty high hopes for both of these, though the Liberty Travel are much more poker-faced, so to speak, and that annoys me. By trying to insulate resume reviewers (for the sake of making them more impartial), they've pretty much killed the concept of a follow-up call. I hate the waiting game, but right now there's not much I can do about it.
     So, if any of you out there know of any good jobs that you can refer me to, e-mail me. Anything's better than night shift at the convenience store.