Reddit reviews What Color is Your Parachute? 2017

According to this book, hunting for a job online yields about a 3% success rate.

Knowing someone who can help, ~80%.

Physically handing out resumes, ~65%.

https://www.amazon.com/What-Color-Your-Parachute-2017/dp/1511311541

Congratulations for both the job and the lesson learned

Just another reason I recommend What Color is Your Parachute by Richard Bolles. He clearly lays out that an online-only search strategy is the least-effective way to look for work.

EDIT: Linked the $15 in paperback from Amazon; tax-deductible for your job search!

>But generally, how do I enter the workforce or build a reputation for myself?

--
The most COMMON -- or at least the most commonly successful -- way...
--
...is to apply & get a "first job" (even part time and WHILE still in school if possible) somewhere that family and/or friends (including "friends of family") have contacts, and can at least get you an "interview" with someone doing the hiring, if not "leverage" to get you the job itself.

Then you work (pardon the wording) from that initial position -- or at least get the experience of having been in at least ONE or TWO interviews; and likely gotten some feedback from them -- use that as a base and build on it.

--
Also, study this image -- most people go about LOOKING for a job in a "bass-ackwards" fashion compared to the way the people HIRING look for people too hire.

--
Basically there are TWO ways people get jobs: the "passive" way (applying for some job opening that is being widely & openly advertised) -- and the "active" way (where they seek out being hired by a firm they REALLY WANT to work for).
--
Also, especially when it comes to your "artsy" and "literature/editorial" stuff... well believe it or not there ARE things you can do while still in high school that can create a sort of "novice/beginners portfolio" of your "work": I'm talking about things like the school newspaper and/or class yearbook. Could be pieces of artwork, photographs, writing, or even serving as an "editor" (the guy who pulls all that together) of one or or the other -- sure it's not "professional" level stuff, and you didn't get PAID to produce it, but it CAN reveal whether you have SOME initial level of "talent/skill" and to what degree you've developed it.

--
You CAN even go beyond that in building a "portfolio"... volunteer to write, take pictures, create artwork for, or edit/assemble some publication for your church, or some other local organization: do up some creative "posters" for some local pet shelter; or various logo designs (including stuff that got rejected) for some classmate's band (who cares if they ever actually got paid to play); the local volunteer firehouse & EMT squad; whatever you can find.

--
It's NOT even unheard of for people still in school to write some "column" for a local community newspaper -- they may or may not "pay" you if they print it, but you can plop the piece (modified & improved after getting feedback, even a "rejection") into your portfolio regardless of whether it gets printed or not -- oh and as to WHAT you should write about... Well play "cub reporter" and write about some community event, some community groups, maybe dig into some local history and write (or draw or whatever) something related to local "history" especially if/when some "anniversary" is near (any 5 year increment of any community, group, institution, etc) -- a HUGE part of building a portfolio is to demonstrate your "go getter" attitude, which includes a bit of creativity as well (in even coming UP with things to include, projects you've worked on {even just as a helper, assistant or observer}, things you've created on your own initiative).

--
Oh, and go visit a local library (or order the ebook or print version) of a book called "What Color Is Your Parachute?" -- note a new (tweaked) "edition" is published every year (most libraries will have at least ONE copy from a relatively recent year); but frankly it doesn't MATTER which edition or "year" version you get your hands on, the CORE advice & lessons in the book are essentially the same and pretty much have been since the thing was first published decades ago (circa 1970's) -- all that changes is some minor "tweaking" regarding expectations for content on resumes and things like "online" search services & research capabilities.

--
I personally followed the advice in that book right out of high school (early 1980's, yeah I'm an old fart), and it's advice continued to serve me VERY well across all the decades since (both in GETTING jobs AND in being the guy doing the hiring!)

--
Just about EVERY job (with ONE exception) I have gotten has been as a result of the methods in that book -- sure I also applied to a shitload of advertised "job openings" and frankly I only ever got ONE of those jobs (lots of interviews... of varying value, some interesting & helpful, most a waste of time) -- but I did successfully get the rest of my jobs (most of them never, or at least "not yet" advertised as being "open" positions -- I got interviewed AND hired BEFORE they placed any ads -- BTW that's what happens with like 80% of jobs, someone gets in the door well ahead of the "crowd"; and effectively closes the door behind them {Ha Ha suckers... beat you to it!})

---
EDIT: Oh, also... contrary to what just about everyone ELSE tells you don't "fret" about your frigging school grades; so long as you're getting relatively "good" grades (above average, i.e. mostly A's a few B's) -- well frankly, employers DON'T GIVE A SHIT -- vastly more important will be a "portfolio" of things you've done (especially in regards to any "creative" work mentioned above); and REFERENCES from people who you have worked with ON various projects (stuff that would count as "work experience" even if unpaid -- so that someone "respected" {and who knows what they do for THEIR day job} who you worked with on some "church/community/civic" project will be MORE than willing to be a reference for you and will likely {HONESTLY} say something like: "Oh, GizmoRazaar? Yes, he's a real go-getter, bright guy & hard worker... willing to step up and do a bit extra, doesn't seem to mind doing even tedious work, and always has a good attitude... everyone here loved working with him! Yes, I'd highly recommend you give him serious consideration... [etc]") All of that counts HELLUVA lot more than whether you got B+ or an A- in health or gym class.

Again, that DOESN'T mean you should blow off your studies -- it's just that they're not anywhere NEAR "as important" to your future job prospects as your school teachers would like you to believe. (In fact, if you demonstrate that you know how to write, have things that so evidence of other basic skills -- math, etc -- well employers probably won't even check whether you have high school diploma {and they truly couldn't care less what your Freshman "Social Studies" teacher wrote on your so called "permanent record" -- THAT stuff is complete bullshit, which NO ONE in business cares about, ever}.)