Never Was a Tale More Filled With Woe

The job hunting woes continue. I'm stuck! I haven't had any interview offers since December. My phone sits silently in my purse. My email account receives nothing but crapola job alerts from CareerBuilder and Monster. The wall of silence is maddening. I've reworked my resume and my cover letter, but no one is responding. It's very frustrating and disheartening. I check Monster, HotJobs, CareerBuilder and similar sites weekly, if not daily. I've saved the career opportunity pages of dozens of local companies in a favorites folder and check for new positions daily. I've gone to a career fair. I've put the word out about my job hunt to the few people I know but nothing has developed. Nothing! Nothing! Nothing! I don't know what else to do.

(where all of my resumes end up)

In my worst moments I'm jealous of everyone working in my desired field. I wonder why they're successful when I'm not. I wonder why the hell I even bothered to get a degree, much less two, when neither appears to be doing any good. I wonder why I spent so much time working for free at three internships when no employers take notice. Hell, I even applied for an entry-level job at one of the places I interned (twice!) and both times they refused to even interview me! I hate feeling jealous and bitter, but job hunting brings out the worst in me.

The only thing I haven't really done is network. I know how important it is to network and that the old saying 'it's not what you know, but who you know' is absolutely true. Unfortunately I don't know anyone in my desired field, and I'm not particularly good at mingling with strangers. I feel embarrassed asking friends and acquaintances to pass my resume along and the prideful side of me wants to get a job completely on my own. I've only have made a small effort to network. I asked a former coworker if she knew of any jobs and this inquiry lead to another former coworker's husband submitting my resume to his HR person. Unfortunately it was for a position in which I have no interest or applicable skills. A couple of other loose (very loose) acquaintances have offered to pass my resume along to people they know, but I have yet to get their contact information and follow up. Mainly because I don't know them very well and find the whole thing embarrassing. I need to get over that.

From this point on I'm going to make more of an effort to network, even though I hate it and had hoped to secure a job based solely on my own merits. I'm scheduled to begin volunteer work at an animal shelter next month, so maybe I'll meet a contact there. I'm also going to have to swallow my pride and follow up with the acquaintances who may or may not know someone. I'd like to join the local PRSA (Public Relations Society of America), but the membership fees for the national and local chapters add up to a few hundred dollars and must be paid up front. I simply can't afford that right now. Any other ideas?

Of course, all of this would be moot if the television station HR lady would just call to schedule an interview already so that I can wow her and be hired. She said they would begin the hiring process after a big event on the 18th. The Bitter Betty voice in my head is telling me that even if I do wow her in an interview, a board member's sister's cousin's daughter's friend is going to get the job regardless of his/her qualifications. Betty's friends, Conceited Cathy and Delusional Dorothy, suggested that I didn't get the PR agency job because the successful candidate (now pictured on the agency website) probably got the job because she somehow knew the woman or went to the same university. Damn networking!