Recent Graduate Coping with Unsuccessful Job Hunt

August is quickly approaching and talk of school is creeping into the usual weather blather. Every previous August, I would've anticipated the end of the summer job, the return to campus, friends, and more intellectual work. Not this August.

The summer has been difficult since graduating from college, and I know I'm not the only one. Still unable to find someone willing to hire a new graduate, I am working at my old high school job for minimum wage, living with the parents, and constantly answering well-meant questions. Yes, I graduated with a BA and honors. Yes, I want to do something else. Yes, I am constantly applying and interviewing.

It's too easy to slip into grouchy depression; I am guilty. However, in the battle against worthlessness and uselessness, I have a few tactics that are sometimes successful.

1. Keep busy. When I'm not perusing the paper or search engines for job listings (and applying), I do the laundry, dishes, and cleaning around the house. Read, exercise, and write to combat dying brain cells. Create a project: make your own cookbook, dabble with a website, crotchet, paint, etc.

2. High school job. Corrosive to the self-esteem, but it helps pay for the gas wasted on countless interviews.

3. Moderate vegetation. Not exactly productive, but a little TV and mindless zoning can be restful if your last couple of semesters were particularly heavy or stressful.#1 becomes a topic in interviews. Although I have not seen the fruits of it yet, potential employers appear impressed or pleased that I "earn my keep" at home during this interim. By being assertive and productive at home, hopefully it shows them I will perform similarly in the workplace.

If you're in a similar situation, try a couple of these things out. Of course, there's also #4: chocolate.