I was feeling really good about my education, that my years of toil had actually produced something important that people recognized was valuable. Then my top three prospects all rejected me, one after the other. The reasons cited by each of them were quite similar. Better luck next time, we feel that you'll easily find a job elsewhere, come and see us again when you have some practical experience in the field, etc., etc. Knowing a lot about one specific area is not a good strategy for obtaining a job in a conservative engineering firm.
Theory is all well and good, but it fits academe far better than it fits the business world.
I realized that I had made a mistake. I decided to broaden my range of job applications and not worry so much about not having the experience. Emphasize my general skills and discipline, as I said above. Stretch myself and think about new subjects, new ideas, new areas. Realize that I'll always have the research skills, but I can set them aside and move to something different now.