Want a Job?

...Me too. Currently, I am looking for employment in one of the worst job markets of the past 80 years. I have been looking for jobs all over campus and there really wasn't much available, so I met with academic adviser and she suggested that I attend the Big Ten Career Expo.

When I first heard this I thought, "Hey! This is great. I'll be there for the tournament AND get a job AND miss class! Sweet." I would go to the first game against Iowa and then stay for the fair the next day, or lose. Stu and Rob would both join me and we would hit the market for work. Things were looking up.

Wrong. Very Wrong. In fact, we were more wrong than the Ann Arbor News trying to bust Prof. John Hagen.

The Expo was, to put it nicely, was terrible. Here is an indication of how bad things actually were:

1. The NCAA, the biggest sponsor of the event, wasn't taking resumes or applications. Strike One.

2. U of M actually had their own booth set up for jobs within the University. However, when I talked to the woman standing at the table and told her what my major was, she cringed and pity-walked me to a table she thought might have something for me. They didn't. Strike Two.

3. The majority of companies were looking for student interns with the potential of hiring someone for free via school credit. Clever, but not what the grown men and women of this expo wanted to hear. Strike Three. We're done. This all happened from 10am to 10:30am. You think Canseco Fieldhouse serves breakfast? (In case you were wondering if they did.... that would also be a "No.")

This job fair must have had people of all ages there, alumini and students from all Big Ten schools and others. However, most came away with the same feeling. Stu printed off 10 resumes and only gave out 2. I gave out 2 of my 6 resumes printed. I can't imagine things were much different for other folks.

People are looking for answers to this crisis everywhere. Whether it be the Big Ten Career expo, or your university academic adviser, no one has the answers for what to do. A lot of landing a job these days is who you know and, in some instances, just dumb luck.

As we left the job fair, our will to work having been slightly broken, we saw some kids we know from WOLV-TV heade towards the career fair. They smiled, said, "hello" with their portfolios in hand. They asked us how the job fair was with smiles on their faces.

All we could do was utter a disappointed chuckle as we head toward the stadium to find breakfast.

So I've got a few hours until the Wolverine game tips off. What should I be doing? Where should myself, and others, be looking? Tips for applications and resumes? Leave them in the comments section.

Also, look for a live blog later about the Michigan/Illinois game. Until then....