Oh I feel ya. I just graduated from a university in Chicago and moved to San Francisco, minus a job. Still haven't found one, and financially it's getting really, really hard. All the jobs that are easier to get are what I did before school, and pay minimum wage - and SF is so expensive! Everyone keeps telling me how hard it is to break into the nonprofit world and says to volunteer - but you said it, who can afford to do volunteer work, or unpaid internships and still pay rent?? ::sighs:: Good luck...and check out Craigslist and Nonprofit Young Professionals (if you haven't already) - I haven't had any luck at all with Idealist.

thanks for the tip to check out young nonprofit professionals, I hadn't heard of them yet. I go back and forth with checking craiglist. I think one of the other frustrating things is that when I explain my problem people say, "Well have you checked out the websites of the organizations in DC?" Well yes, yes of course I have! It's tough. Good luck to you as well!

leleischner posted at July 12, 2008, at 10:56PM: "I just graduated from college in April and am desperately trying to find a job in Washington, D.C. with a Women's Studies focus."

Now I wonder, what if you focus on the skills you want to use on the job instead of the type of employer this time around? Is it feasible for you to find a paying entry-level job in a government agency, university, hospital, maybe even a for-profit company, etc. that doesn't violate your values? For example, assisting research in a Women's Studies department of a university if you want to assist research in a nonprofit, or accounting at a decent for-profit company if you want to do accounting at a nonprofit?

If you can, then maybe you could get some relevant work experience and a couple of years out you'd look better on paper to an organization you have a passion for...

Yeah, I've been checking organizations websites too...I don't think they actually update their websites...

I've been using Idealist, Indeed, and opportunitynocs.org too...just in case you haven't heard of those. :)

I am so with you on this one. I just graduated in May with a Master's degree in Public History and I'm trying to get a job in a museum or with a historic preservation group. It's tough. I've been applying for jobs since roughly September, while I was still working on my thesis, and I have only had three interviews in the past 10 months. I keep hoping it will get better now that I've actually graduated and have my degree but so far it hasn't. And this is with an MA and two rather lengthy internships. It's so frustrating that there are so few people who want to give you a chance to start a career, everyone wants 3-5 years experience, but no one wants to give you the experience. Hopefully you'll find something soon.

"trust the process."

My immediate reaction was, "Yes, look at all it's done for women, people of color, and the [other] disadvantaged." It took me a year to get a job in nursing despite the shortage, btw, and I am not alone in my class; and it's not for lack of competence or trying.

In hindsight, knowing I'd be unemployed for over a year, there's all sorts of things I'd do that I'd normally consider inconceivable from a financial standpoint, to get noticed to get a job in my desired field, e.g. volunteer in a hospital to get hired as a nurse there. WHAT! but I need to earn money, you say (so did I, till the very end). But while unemployed, zero income is zero income, whether I'm sitting on the sofa watching back to back Law & Order, or actively demonstrating to potential employers and contacts what I'm capable of. Meanwhile, former classmates who had their feelers out or otherwise made themselves noticed had jobs months before graduation (even thousands of miles away), even though technically, we are not supposed to job hunt without diplomas and licenses in hand.

I've been unemployed twice in my life after college, both for 14 months at a time, both during American recessions. I've faced the threat of bankruptcy, homelessness, or having my family leave me, as well (I'll find out in ten days if my family's four week vacation in Japan is just that). I really feel for recent graduates and job seekers, because I have been there numerous times.

I am a soon-to-be second year law student, interning in DC. The law school process is set up so that those of us interested in the non-profit, public interest, helping the PUBLIC side of law are forced to take unpaid internships that show our commitment to the cause. This is all while our less 'altruistic' classmates take paid positions with firms and make up to $30,000 in one summer. How this adds up after graduation with $150,000 in loans is so far a mystery to me, but I can say that the DC internship life is a vibrant one, and one not likely to go away.

Someone reasoned to me in the following way:

- Non-profits have small budgets.
- Therefor they can't afford to make mistakes hiring
- So they try to hire people who have a visible commitment to the issue or organization
- Offering internships allows organizations to let people in at the ground floor, without sacrificing too much cash
- Get the internship, and you'll get the job.

Mina's advice is excellent. Focus on the skills you want to acquire, not whether the organization is perfect for you. I'd add churches to her list of employers, and denomination offices. Not all of them are hotbeds of misogyny, and they tend to have moved from a 'missionary' focus to a developmental one. I say this as someone who worked for a national (Canadian) denomination.

I remember Jessica (I think) mentioning a website for non-profit jobs-may have been the Idealist already mentioned, but I can't remember.

And, my perennial advice for women job-seekers: studies have shown that men look at a job advert, and say "Hey, I've got 6 out of the 10 qualifications, I think I'll go for it" while women say "Oh, I've only got 8 of the 10 qualifications, I'll never get it." You know how that story ends. This is one of the instances where 'Don't be such a girl!' is actually good advice.