"I Couldn't Even Get a Job at Starbucks"

One of the shocks of applying to the harsh post-recession job market has been learning that not even low-skilled, entry level jobs are easy to get.

With new employment numbers due Friday, March 4th, we at FrumForum decided that it was time to listen to the voices of the young as they face the challenges of this economic crisis. Over the next days, in an exclusive series, we will be featuring a number of their first-person stories in this space. If their experience is yours, we welcome you to join the conversation at Editor@FrumForum.com.

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One of the shocks of applying to the harsh post-recession job market has been learning that not even low-skilled, entry level jobs are easy to get. I am a University of Chicago graduate, with a background in Middle East and Arabic studies -- including a year spent abroad furthering my education in Syria. When I graduated in 2008, I wasn’t sure exactly how I was going to go about looking for jobs -- but I didn’t expect that I would not even be able to get a job at a Starbucks.

I returned from Syria in the fall of 2009, dreamily expecting that with such good experience, I would have my pick of jobs when I returned to my hometown in Washington state. Because of my background in Arabic, I started out by applying to government jobs at the FBI, the NSA, and so on. All the applications were online and I never spoke to anyone by phone. Time passed -- no replies. With no way of contacting the employer in some sort of human form, I was unable to speak to someone who could explain why I wasn’t getting replies. I did want to improve my application and learn what I should be doing differently.

I eventually started applying to local jobs. I filed an application with the local library and sought out the managers at multiple Starbucks locations.  After again not receiving any reply, I called the manager at one Starbucks outlet and asked why I hadn't got the job? It turned out they had transferred in workers from another Starbucks location. So despite advertising that it was hiring, the company was actually only shifting people about.

Finally, nearly a year later, a Catholic elementary school took me on as a part-time teaching assistant. This has been a great experience for me, and after the Christmas break I was brought in on a more regular basis to help with managing the classes.

But it’s still only part-time work. For me, a good week is being able to work 20 hours. I still want to get a full-time job with a fixed salary. So I am now thinking about grad school, or taking night classes to get teacher certification.

I am my own biggest critic, and with hindsight I can see things that perhaps I should have done differently. I know there are applications I wish I'd filled out sooner. Part of what might have held me back was the idea that ‘I’m a U of C grad, I shouldn’t have to be a waitress or work at Borders."  Maybe I should have swallowed my pride.

I know that the elementary school took a chance with me. I’m just grateful that I was able to find work that I believe I can turn into a career -- even if it's one I wasn't expecting.

You can contact Margaret Robinson at: mrobinson212@gmail.com.

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