Looking for Work and the Employment Gap

This was day one of my hit the ground running employment search. I'm graduating in about a month, and so it's time to start preparing for the next big phase of my life. Step one in that preparation is getting a job. Of course, I've been doing job research for years before this on the Publishing and Library science industries, but now I am looking for particular contacts and actually destinations for my resume.

The biggest problem so far has been that I am either over or underqualified for every job offering. Internship is big in the publishing industry, but in an effort to get free labor without being sued for exploitation, most companies will give internships to people who can be 'paid' in college credit. Therefore, if you are not a college junior or senior you can't get in on a lot of these programs.

The next most common job offers are for senior level positions. Managers, executives, etc... These usually come with the caveat 'Prior experience required.' Luckily for me, I do have some prior experience because I wormed my way into getting a position at the university press, but that is not the two to three years that most people are looking for, and at 10 hours a week it has given me experience, but not enough for me to be experienced.

All of this is making me feel as if I am being punished for graduating in four years. I worked hard to concentrate on my studies and my studies alone so that I would graduate with a minimum of debt, but I now fear that this has actually hurt my chances of employment at the moment. I'm in the ugly position of having not that many extracurricular accomplishments to illustrate my passion for books and learning, and at the same time leaving the place where I can develop my resume in that direction.

But all is not lost. The job search is frustrating for everyone right now, but if I keep at it and keep all of my options open I still have a chance at finding my in. If I can't find any traditional listings that I fit, I will simply start sending out direct e-mails to places that may be hiring, and once I graduate I can start doing that on foot. There are jobs if you look, that's what I'm hoping. Even in a recession some things just need to get done, and the world needs good people to do them.