David graduated from a joint JD/MBA program in May 2010.  Having gone straight from college to graduate school, he was faced with the task of finding his first full-time position out of school and like many law and business students found himself battling an inhospitable market.  He started his job search while in his last year of school and right before graduation landed a great new position as a sales and trading associate with an institutional trading firm.

Here are the secrets to David’s success for landing his new job:

1) How long were you searching for a job?

Depending on how you want to define the period, perhaps up to a year, as I was a full time student the entire time, but the best answer would probably be a little more than 3 months (Jan 25 to May 4).

2)  What was your job search strategy during this period?

For the most part, my strategy was simply to apply to as many jobs as possible (at least 10 per week), and hope to be contacted by at least a small percentage of the firms I applied to.  The rest of my job search time was spent on interview prep.  I think this was a  narrower approach than I would recommend to someone else in my position.  I always felt that I could/should have done more in terms of networking, etc.

3)  How did you ultimately come to obtain your current job (i.e., through a friend, cold application, etc.)

I went into the firm in early Feb. to speak with someone I knew that worked there.  He was under the impression that I had scheduled an interview, and in all honesty was quite surprised that they had decided to interview me.  When I explained that I had merely applied and just wanted to discuss the position with him, he decided that while I was there I might as well meet some people.  It essentially turned into an impromptu interview, one that I did not feel very prepared.  Nonetheless, I obviously went through with it.  Along the way I spoke with a couple of people who were definitely looking to hire someone and we got along.  I stayed in touch over the next few months, and eventually they were the ones that offered me a job.

4) What do you think were the secrets to your success?

There are no secrets.  It’s all about working hard and sticking to it no matter how hopeless things look, remaining resilient in the face of what may seem to be overwhelming odds.

5) What advice do you have for job seekers out there?

Apply to at least 10 job openings a week.  Consider registering with a site like doostang that requires a monthly fee.  Though it’s not free, it narrows the applicant pool somewhat and will often have jobs that appear on monster or efinancial careers.  Constantly put pressure on yourself to do more interview prep (mock interviews, learning about the industry), drive to be ready to contribute on day one as though you’ve had several years of experience.  Network (something I never did well).  Contact alumni, they’re probably willing to help.  Never give up.