20 and never had a job.

[Vincentcamm]

I have applied to hundreds of places in my home town (omaha) its a medium sized city so i know there are jobs out there but evey day since i was 16 i have taken about a hour a day to go job hunting i have applied to evey kind of job imaginable The US army wont even take me because of asthma.

I cant even get hired at Mc Donald's or even a janitorial position. im going to school right now and donating plasma but 4 years of donating plasma two times a week is starting to take its toll on my body. I have never even gotten a call to come in for a interview not even once.

It just feels like no matter how hard i try im never going to get a job. i had my resume done by the job center at my school but with no work experience its not very good. I cant do any volunteer work because i dont have a car and i cant spend the time walking 10 miles evey day if im not going to get paid for it.

Im not sure whee to go from here, i dont think its a economy problem because like i said iv been trying for the past 4 years to get a job.

[ahos77]

If 4 years of the same job hunting method hasn't been working, now's a great time to mix things up.

1.) Have you been following up on jobs you've applied to? You should email a note thanking them for considering you and say you look forward to meeting with them in person.

2.) Have you been using the same resume for each job you apply to? Each resume should be targeted to the company and position you're applying to.

3.) Have you been sending a personalized cover letter with each application? If not, you should be. Find out who the hiring manager is and address it to them. Tell them why you'd be a great fit - not just for the job but for the company.

4.) Have you done any informational interviews? Informational interviews are a great way to get insider advice and make contacts within the industry you're applying. Click here for informational interview tips (http://www.cvtips.com/interview/informational-interviews.html).

5.) Have you looked for internships and volunteer work through your school? Usually schools can help set you up with companies that then give you invaluable experience and contacts.

6.) You say you can't do volunteer work and spend the time walking if you're not getting paid - but you can. You've chosen not too, but if you're serious about getting a job, this could be your ticket to getting one. Companies are hard pressed to hire someone without any experience, even if it's true we all have to start somewhere. Bite the bullet, volunteer for a cause you believe in or a company you admire and work as hard (if not harder) than everyone around you, and you'll come out with work experience, a professional reference, job contacts and maybe even a job offer.

[bsforrester80]

The economy is suffering and young people do bear the worst of t so try not to feel to bad. Have you tried looking into some training courses or maybe an apprenticeship? Anything to boost your resume will help.

[goodforall]

Social Networking is probably going to be your biggest friend here. If some of your friends have been working at a job for a while, have them put a good word in for you at their job. Sometimes you have to swallow your own dignity on things like that, but let me tell you, the higher up in the business world you get, the worst it becomes. People rarely get hired as unknowns for high paying jobs, it is all about who you know. This is true for ANY job.

Secondly, if you are going into web design or something you need a portfolio to get a job with, dedicate the rest of your free time into that. The more impressive your portfolio is going to look, the more opportunities you will open for yourself. And if you don't have the programs or money for them, as sad as it sounds, pirate them. You don't really hear about big software companies complaining about pirating. You know why? It's in their best interest for as many people as possible to use their programs. The more people using them, the better the talent pool will be.

And you can trust me on this, because I was in the exact same position before. Hard work, perseverance, and being social are key in life.