single mom crisis: recent biochem grad can't find work and more

by Rachel
(Kansas City, Missouri)

I will try to keep this brief: I am a single mom of a 5.5 yr old girl. I am also a recent graduate (graduated May 2012) with biology/chemistry degrees. I live in Kansas City and cannot find work here so I have been submitting my CV everywhere.

I get interviews. I get call backs for second, third, meet the VP, meet the CEO, interviews. I get asked to fly to other states for first and second interviews. However, I can't seem to get the job. All the while, I am so incredibly broke (as in right now I am looking at our last $5 bill broke).

I am also struggling with her school's cooperation in that she has now missed too many days of school to complete kindergarten because when I have to travel out of state for interviews, she has to go with me. I do not have a support system here. My parents, her dad, his parents, etc. do not help out and I can't seem to find a parent co-op. (not that it would be fair at all to expect anyone else to care for her for such long periods of time.)

Since I know I needed to be as frugal as possible I bring her with me and pay a hotel sitter. It is MUCH cheaper than paying someone for several days of nannying.

I do have an inheritance that I have set aside for the expenses of a move out of state. I do anything I can to not touch it. Therefore, I have been doing private tutoring and cleaning houses for extra "quick" money. I haven't gotten a call for those services since after Christmas and finals, though.

Anyhow thid is the nitty gritty background to each of my questions:

1. Where is the best place in the US for a single mom to raise a child AND have a science career that has great schools, etc.?

2. Do you have any interview advise that I can perhaps gain some insight as to where I may be flubbing up in my final interviews?

3. What is the best way to look for jobs? I am using the online approach and doing keyword searches and also using MANY staffing agencies.

4. I am highly energized as long as I work out every morning. Are there any tricks I need to know of that perhaps saved your sanity, your beauty, or your life all together?

Comments for single mom crisis: recent biochem grad can't find work and more

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College Grad with No Work
by: Ask Sara

God bless you!! I had the same problem when I graduated. I wasn't flying places, but I was driving several hours to interviews. I got interviews, positive feedback, and no jobs. I ended up in a local position, not directly related to my degree, and built a 20+ year career out of it.

Here are a few things to consider from a job market standpoint. Ask for feedback. If you are working with recruiters they can ask for feedback after interviews and share it with you. You can also ask for feedback when you get that call says you have not been selected.

You've got movement, and that is a good thing. It's really just a matter of hitting the right spot. Go back to your school and work with their career placement people. They can help you with leads, interviewing, and places that post jobs in your area of study.

You can't take your daughter out of school to travel with you. I appreciate your predicament, but school comes first, now; and for the next 12 years. If you have to travel to an interview, consider a few things. Ask family and friends. I know you said they aren't helpful, but ask. Consider parents of classmates, and even college students. You may find someone who is willing to spend the night and get your child off to school for what you are paying the hotel nanny.

Another option is to sit tight, find something to pay the bills, and travel to interviews during summer break. Your college may have something you can do that will hold you over and give you some work experience.

Sanity...that's probably the toughest part. Keep exercising! It is a wonderful stress reliever. I am also a huge fan of expressing gratitude, and praying. It's simple Law of Attraction stuff. When you are worried and stressed you clench, and you put out worry, stress, fear, and frustration. And that...unfortunately...is what you get back. By focusing on gratitude you shift your focus to abundance, gratitude, and positivity. That's what you will get back.

For prayer...you didn't mention this, so I don't know your feelings on the topic, but I highly recommend it. How you pray is pivotal here. Whether you are praying to God, or asking the Universe for help, the rules are the same. Begin to say thank you for the incredible job that is coming. Say thank you for the joy you and your child will feel from the life this job will bring. Say thank you that the money will be what you will need to support your family. And finally, say, "I trust you." Trust that what you need to have happen, will happen. If you need to use your trust fund to live, trust that the money for moving will be there, should you need it.

You have done an incredible thing by getting your degree, and you are in the home stretch. Hang in there! I know you'll make it!

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