Simple. It is those new grads who are willing to think out of the box, be creative and execute an effective job search strategy.
There has been a huge contraction this year in the number of on-campus interview schedules where recruiters meet new grads for early career programs. No surprises there with unemployment rate of 7.6%. Christine Bolzan in an article for Boston.com says "most companies just aren't spending time and money to woo first-time job-seekers this year." Why should they have to with a flood of new grads competing for fewer and fewer jobs?
Bolzan states that the average job search time for a new grad is typically 6 months. However, the Class of 2009 can expect to add another 3 months to the search this year.
If you are in the Class of 2009, this information is not meant to scare you, but to help you execute a more effective job search strategy.
Here are two BIG to do that:
1. Look where the jobs are. Believe it or not, the following industries are expanding and there are and will be early career opportunities for new grads. Think Healthcare, Pharmaceuticals, Biotech and Telecommunication. Think "Green Collar Jobs" as the US explores energy independence.
2. Think beyond your college major. New grads make the big mistake of holding on to college majors. Learn more about making the transition from choosing a major to choosing a career. For example, Political Science majors don't just work in Politics and not all Psychology majors are Psychologists.
Visit your college career center to get help with your career choices and job search strategies this spring.
Photo from Boston.com
2 comments:
Great insights. So many students I speak with feel locked into their major, have no idea what their options are, aren't using their network to explore those options, and feel stuck. In a tough market, it is even more crucial to leverage transferable skills and build great relationships. Thanks for all that you do to help people with the college-to-career adventure!
You are so right about students just not knowing what their options are. Too many forget about campus resources like college career centers to help them get focused.
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