Oh, man. Time and time again, I see these college students go to these craptacular job fairs, all vying for the same entry-level QA and testing gigs in their white-collar, paisley-pattern ties. They were all destined to a life of Office Space-like professional routine. Here are a few suggestions for things I've tried:

1. Believe it or not, really cool jobs are available all over the place these days (and are more likely than not in some other city). Consider relocating. Consider it very seriously. It's not reasonable for everyone, but the life experiences to be had are worth the effort now and it will be the easiest opportunity you'll ever have to do so. (I'll be 30 soon, with a wife and 2 kids and have been trying to move for almost 5 years without ever finding the perfect opportunity. (PS: There is no such thing as a perfect opportunity.))

2. Do things the are interesting and outside the norm. (This is not limited to just skillsets...I'm talking about your personality and mannerisms, too!) These things may not land you a job, but they will be intriguing to your potential employers and keep you stuck in their mind as they continue the interview process. Example: I wrote an email to a potential job that I wouldn't be totally bummed if I didn't nail it. (Read it below, if you dare.) While this seems a little too casual, I did a lot of research into the office culture (beer fridays, sombrero day, casual atmosphere) and didn't feel like it would be too over the line. Do things like this and you may find yourself pleasantly surprised with the results. (PS: They never responded.)

3. Find ways to improve yourself and network with influential people around your community. (Especially if you intend to stick around.) I live in South Florida and there's not a huge tech community here. So instead of attempting to get out and meet everyone possible (I'm not a networking, hustler-type guy) I decided to get everyone to come to ME. So I spend an aggregate day or so preparing an event called Hack and Tell (http://hackandtell.org) that gets great turnout, puts me in front of very interesting people and has done more for me than any other professional endeavor has to date! You are seen as a person who can get shit done without financial incentive (a huge signal to some people), know how to organize and pay attention to detail, and is professional experience no matter which way you slice it.

There are many more things you can do, but this is a great start. Remember that an extra-ordinary job is for extra-ordinary people. So be what you want! :)

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Subject: Mike Greenberg wants to join the crusade as your next Software Engineer!

Body:
Dear Pervayors of Product X (and gainful employment):

My name is Mike Greenberg. I happened across your request for a sexy, humorous and talented software engineer to join your ranks. (Link to job posting.) Unfortunately, I only satisfy two of these requirements, but hope you would consider this email as a gesture of good-will that I will be the best damn software engineer I know how to be regardless of my shortcomings!

A little about me... I'm a Pisces and somewhat fanatical of process, hacking (of all sorts) and attention to detail. I take pride in my work (especially when I enjoy what I'm working on) and know how to rise to the occasion when it hits the fan. I'm extremely creative and have privately studied a number of unrelated and interesting subject-matter like design, studio art, analog film development, piano, robotics, life-process/self improvement, martial arts, yoga, mountain biking, and racquetball. As a result of mentally wondering around over the past 29 years, I've since endeavored to become a modern renaissance man and want to carpe diem with the best of them.

On top of all of this, and likely most interesting to you, I can program computers to do fun things. And I'm hoping that you're the sort of company who would like the sort of fun things I program them to do. Of relevance to your job description, I started a hosting company fresh out of high school. I understand at a deep fundamental level how the internet works. From OSI to API, Al Gore to IPv6 (j/k about Al Gore). If you're still reading and my casual (yet persuasive) banter has not caused any furrowing of brows, please take a quick glance at my resume at http://careers.stackoverflow.com/mikegreenberg/. Therein, I mention a few other neat things I've worked on which I haven't mentioned above. I greatly appreciate your time and effort reading forward. Looking forward to hearing from you!

With great sincerity,
Mike Greenberg

http://careers.stackoverflow.com/mikegreenberg/

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