Dear Broke and Under-Skilled,

I am sorry to hear you are down on your luck, but you have come to the right place! First, let’s talk about the good news: You have graduated from college! Congratulations! This is no easy task!

Second, let’s address your lack of experience. While you were in college, I assume you had projects and assignments which could be compiled into an online portfolio? If you have not created your own website, you should! This is a great way to showcase what you do know and is an easy way to share it with potential employers.

Third, have you done any internships? If so, those can count toward your experience as well. If you haven’t, maybe you could consider taking on an unpaid internship or apprenticeship while you learn the “ropes” in the corporate world. Perhaps you could find another line of work while you internship, just to keep food on your table.

Lastly, what does your professional social media presence look like? Do you have a LinkedIn Account complete with links to your website and a professional headshot? Do you have your projects on Git Hub? If you do, make sure the code is clean, the libraries are organized and the project description is coherent.

You may also want to consider lowering your salary expectations, given you have not yet had the chance to gain experience outside of academia. It sounds like you are learning about the job searching from the school of hard knocks, but if you are willing to put the time and extra effort in, you will land on your feet. Good Luck!

Sincerely,
Jenny