Searching for a job after graduation can be difficult. Looking for a job near your significant other can be nearly impossible. Engaged couple and ISU alumni Kristian Einsweiler and Molly Kapaun faced this issue as they started their job search after graduation.

Einsweiler, who is two years older than Kapaun, started looking for teaching jobs in January 2010. With a degree in political science and an endorsement in secondary education, he wasn’t limited to where he could go geographically.

“I applied to schools all over the state of Iowa, even some in Illinois,” Einsweiler said. “I wasn’t forced to stay in any specific area, so I thought I’d have a better chance that way.”

Most contracts for teachers are due in April, so schools will post openings as early as January or as late as the end of March. Einsweiler went through the interviewing process with a few different schools, but eventually landed a job as a high school social studies teacher at Columbus Catholic School in Waterloo.

“I thought it would be difficult to find a job, but it ended up only taking a week to get hired at Columbus after applying,” he said.

Einsweiler thinks a few different items on his resume might have helped him secure his job. Instead of taking a job unrelated to his field during summer vacation, he focused on positions that allowed him to be around students, even if the jobs were unpaid.

“I wanted employers to see that I enjoy being around students outside of the classroom,” Einsweiler said. “So I worked at a lot of sports camps during the summer so I could gain that experience.”

While Einsweiler did career-related work during his summers, Kapaun was content in just holding a job while balancing class work.

“It’s better to gain experience within your field, but I think as long as you’re doing something it’s important,” Kapaun said. “Employers want to see that you can multitask by taking on different activities.”

Kapaun‘s search for schools was a little different than Einsweiler‘s. Wanting to stay close to him, she restricted her search to a 30 mile radius when she started applying in February. She saw a position posted online for an English teacher at Columbus in late March, she applied right away and was hired a few weeks later.

Like Einsweiler, Kapaun also credits her resume as a big asset in securing a job. Though she didn’t do a lot of career-related work, she sought out professional advice and tips that would help get her resume into “the right pile.”

“I had a lot of different people look at my resume,” Kapaun said. “Professors, superintendents and even family friends that worked in human resources helped me edit it.”

Now that Einsweiler and Kapaun have both secured their first jobs out of college, they’re getting used to being around each other more often.

“We give each other the space we need,” Einsweiler said. “But, it’s nice to have someone there to talk to if we need it.”

Kapaun agrees that it’s nice having Einsweiler as a resource when she has questions about her new role as a teacher or needs some advice.

“It seems too good to be true,” Kapaun said.

Though it’s a bonus for an engaged couple to work right across the hall from one another, Einsweiler and Kapaun are just happy that they were able to find jobs so quickly after graduating.