Beginning to stink and becoming stale

Today’s the first day of October and more than one third of a calendar year has gone by since my graduation from business school. I am beginning to feel a bit frustrated that I still don’t have a job. On Wednesday I was having dinner at Chipotle’s and saw a second year (Class of 2008) MBA student. I called out his name and he came over. We talked about his second year and when we got to the part of the conversation where I said I still did not have a job yet, his entire demeanor changed. While I don’t want to go so far as to say that he was judging me for not having a job, I certainly felt that at the very least it made him uncomfortable. When the conversation ended I said something that I often say to people whom I run into, “hey if there is anything I can ever do for you, let me know.” He responded with hesitancy - as though he couldn’t believe that an unemployed alum could possibly help him with anything.

 

The encounter underscored something that I suspect is true about my job search - that it comes with an undefined expiration date, after which I begin to “stink” and become stale. Just two days prior to my encounter at Chipotle’s, a friend brought this to my attention when he suggested that at some point I will no longer be considered a “recent MBA graduate” and will have to explain to a recruiter what I have been doing in the time since graduation. I don’t know when that imaginary deadline is. More interestingly, I don’t know how to answer if a recruiter were to ask about my activities since graduation. I can tell the truth and say that I have been looking for jobs but have not received any offers or I can lie and talk about fictional trips to foreign destinations. One of these choices is more in accordance to my moral beliefs while the other is more likely to result in a job offer.

 

Such are the games that we play as MBA job seekers and the choices they present to us.