I knew the economy was in rough shape, but dang...

[JDTexan]

Originally Posted by kgoings

Pming you send me your resume. Are you interested in moving to Arizona?

You hit the nail on the head. In this market you have to be prepared to move anywhere your profession requires. If you are willing to move you can find work. You can not stay in a "comfortable" location where jobs are not available and expect to find the job you want.

[markem]

The market may be stalled in your area, but it is rapidly growing in many areas of the country. The benefit for you is that many places are not hiring overqualified persons since they don't want someone who is likely to jump at a better opportunity quickly. They want someone who aligns with the companies needs and growth opportunities.

If you can afford to relocate yourself, I'd put on your resume something like "willing to self relocate" and start hitting the markets that are growing. Atlanta is growing as is Phoenix, San Jose, Chicago, Portland (somewhat, mostly security related), at least for my former students (undergrads and grads in CS with relatively freshly minted degrees). If you are friendly with any former profs, take them to coffee to brainstorm about opportunities - in my experience, profs keep in touch with their top former students and those students often pass along job opportunities. Milk whatever contacts you have since many jobs won't get to the advertising stage in this economy.

best of luck!

p.s. Be sure to hit the library locally or at your college to keep up on what is happening in the areas you want to work in. Plus, check your local unemployment office to see if you qualify for state paid certification programs like microsoft or cisco. New grads can qualify here if they can show that they are required even for NCGs (new college grads).