"Working While Millennial" is a series on the experiences of millennials as they enter the workplace, from minimum wage burger-flippin’ to entry-level positions and beyond. Topics that will be discussed include developing professional skills, finding and thriving in a job, and ultimately when it is time to leave a job.

I can’t mince words here—looking for a job sucks balls, dude. It just does. But it’s one of those things you have to do every once in a while so you can start making money, and so you can afford luxuries such as electricity, toilet paper, and soap. Maybe your parents are riding you to start becoming more independent (a nice way of saying you are bleeding them dry), lest you become the fabled 40-year-old still living with their parents.

You can buy some bomb ass clip art, apparently.

Or perhaps you are in-between jobs and you need to find something before you end up in your apartment, in the dark, hunting cockroaches for dinner. (They are a solid source of protein, though.) (I actually don’t know if that’s true, the protein bit. But it might be, who knows. Look it up, you have a smart phone.)

Either way, I like to think of looking for a job as ripping off a Band-Aid—it will hurt a hell of a lot less if you just go ahead and start doing it. So many people think that they need to wait until they find the “right” or “perfect” job. News flash: the perfect job does not exist, and even if it did, it is not going to the idiot who is sitting on his ass and playing video games as the “FINAL NOTICE” bills pile up in his mail box. The right job goes to those who hustle. And now, we will talk about the hustle.

But wait—I can already here the cries: “But Kayla, I don’t have any experience! Every employer says they want someone with experience! I’m stuck, waaaaaahhhhh!”

Excuse my English, but that is some bullshit. Yes, many job ads will say often something along the lines of “experience required,” but that can be leveraged. You may not have direct experience in, say, a shoe sales department, but maybe you worked to increase the advertising of your high school/college newspaper by 15 percent. That is sales experience. It’s not about how many jobs you’ve worked, but the skills you’ve gained and the initiative you’ve taken. Comb through your volunteering and/or club participation and look at the different ways you contributed to those organizations. I guarantee you’ll be surprised at what you find. Now, let’s get back to our regularly scheduled programming.

1. Use This, Not That!: Let's Talk About Job Sites

We all live in the 21st-century, so it is very likely that you have applied for a job via internet at least once in your life. However, not all job sites are created equal, and you ought to know which ones are worth investigating and which ones you should pass on.

Use This!: School-Affiliated Websites

I’m not crazy about most job-search websites, but if you are going to use any of them, I’d suggest using your university’s job board and/or database. For personal disclosure, I’ve received countless job offers (#NotSoHumbleBrag) from the use of Cal State Long Beach’s job board, CareerLink (aka the artist formerly known as BeachLink), and I’ve taken two jobs and an internship via this invaluable resource. While I’ve flirted with the use of other job sites during my stretches of hardcore job-hunting, I always go back to my beloved CareerLink. The jobs on CareerLink tend to be of a “higher caliber,” perhaps, than other websites, and it has job opportunities from burger-flippin’ to internships to entry-level positions. My university’s career section not only has a job board, but it has tips for writing resumes, preparing for job interviews, how to navigate the professional world, as well as opportunities for on-campus seminars with career counselors to help you get your shit together and become employable. Additionally, as if all that jazz was not appealing enough, students are allowed to access the job boards for up to a year post-graduation to help you through that “Oh my god, I’m an adult, what do I do with my life?!?!?!?!” crisis. While I am obviously speaking from my experience at my university, I am extremely confident that universities across the world provide similar resources to their students.

Not That!: Snagajob/Craigslist/etc.

The major problem I have with these sites is that pretty much anyone can apply, which means you’re potentially up against at least hundreds of other random applicants. Also, there is a higher chance of getting “catfished” so to speak with people who are promising you $500/week as long as you give them your bank account information (and then proceed to rob you).

Response back from companies is likely to be slow (if at all, especially at big, corporate places like Target or McDonald’s, etc.), which is not great if you have a more urgent need for employment. Though through my thorough research on job-hunting (re: skimming the Google search results for “applying for jobs online”), I’ve noticed that most of the support for Snagajob and its ilk come from reputable venues such as the always-entertaining-though-rarely-actually-helpful Yahoo Answers, while detractors include these obscure, unknown companies called LinkedIn and Forbes—ever heard of them? I’m just saying, if you really want a job, there are smarter ways to go about it than this.

2. Ye Olde-Fashioned Way: Applying In-Person

Yes, this means you will have to get off of the computer, change out of your PJs, and socialize with people in person, outside of your house. This is the way that the Amish do it, but it also can be quite savvy if you do it properly.

Even the Amish be writing they resumes, y'all.

(Side Note: If an employer explicitly tells you NOT to contact them in person, DO. NOT. DO. IT. These are like Kindergarten-level instructions to follow, and if you cannot even follow these instructions, why would they trust you to follow their instructions on-the-job? Again, this is one of those “common sense,” things, but the lack of common sense and the surplus of dumbassery will often surprise you.)

Although we are in the Information Age, there are a lot of businesses who still don’t post job ads online. These are likely to be smaller businesses who might not have the resources to post dozens of ads on job websites very frequently, if at all. So if they are in the market for some new team members, it will likely be through advertisement in store windows, or even through word-of-mouth (which I’ll get to in a minute). If you are reading this, you probably live in or near a “university town,” which means there are probably dozens to hundreds of restaurants and stores within a ten-mile radius of you designed to steal your money cater to the unique needs of the collegiate population. While you’ll likely encounter many a Taco Bell or Starbucks because capitalism, there are likely some charming hole-in-the-wall bistros or small boutiques as well. Since I live near the hipstery part of Long Beach (which itself is like a Mecca of hipsterdom), there are hella independent coffee shops within a mile of my apartment (but also like two Starbucks’, because, you know, capitalism), and they all advertise locally, usually through signs in the windows.

The biggest pluses for applying in-person for a small business is that there is dramatically less candidate competition, and typically if they’re advertising at all, they want to fill that position quickly. If you meet the manager in person, dress nicely (not necessarily Job Interview Nice, depending on the position, but at least “I look like I’ve showered in the last 48 hours” Nice), and they seem to like you, you probably have a decent shot at this job.

3. Who Do You Know Here?

There’s that oft-repeated quote about how “it’s not what you know, but who you know.” Additionally, you can find many a meme on the internet mocking the practice of exclusivity at fraternity parties; a frat guy will ask “who do you know here?” before letting the typically male, prospective partygoer into the frat house. You may be a perfectly charming young chap who can make any soiree instantly memorable with your witty repartee and clever turn of phrase, but if you have no one at the party to vouch for you, you’re not going to get in, bruh.

As with getting into a frat party, it is also much easier to get a job if you know someone on the inside to put in a good word for you. A lot of people are intimidated to ask others about openings for jobs; people don’t want to “burden” others by asking them. But most people will be more than glad to help you in your search. Maybe someone you sit next to in class tips you off that her current internship has already tentatively begun looking for Spring 2016 interns, and she can put your name in the ring with a recommendation. Maybe your best friend is leaving his current job and can recommend you as his replacement to his boss. Just last night I was in the business section of Barnes and Noble and randomly chatted and exchanged information with a woman involved with an entrepreneurial and leadership program for young entrepreneurs. Obviously, you can find these little tips and “ins” almost anywhere.

In consulting executive Lou Adler’s book "The Essential Guide for Hiring and Getting Hired," he advises prospects to spend 20 percent of their time applying for jobs, another 20% on crafting resumes and online profiles such as LinkedIn, and 60% of their time networking to find jobs in the “hidden market” (eg, jobs that aren’t openly advertised). I hate the term “networking” because it’s often used by pretentious people, and the word itself brings back to memories of awkward mixers that I now avoid like the plague.

But “networking” is as easy as talking to a friend/professor/etc. about the hidden, unadvertised job market. It’s just about talking to the people in your social circles and gauging whether or not they can hook you up. It’s likely that on a college campus full of people with diverse interests and experiences, you can find someone you click with who knows how to help you out. And when you find a job or internship that makes you happy, you too will be glad to help people out and return the favor one day.

My last mini-tip is that it may take you awhile to find something, but don’t be discouraged. For however many job ads you respond to, only a fraction of them may respond, and they may flat-out reject. But rejection happens to the best of us, and the less you let it get to you, the more confident and calm you will begin to feel, and I guarantee that employers can feel that calm confidence. I've been in this position more times than I can count, but sometimes it just takes a minute to happen. But you can do it. You just gotta keep on swimming.