I Just Graduated College, Now What?

I’ll admit it. I’m one of the 15 million people unemployed. Ok, I have a part time gig off the books, but that doesn’t really count. Not for future employers, at least. Unless I plan to take care of children for the rest of my life.

I’m one class shy of graduation, and what do I have to look forward to? A fabulous paying job with great benefits? Nope.

Moving into a trendy new apartment with a roommate? Nope.

Living at home with dear old mom and dad? Yep. Oh the joys of unemployed adulthood! And the sad thing about all of this is: Most of us college students are in the same boat. The majority of college grads are unemployed, living at home, and busting their butts to find a job. Most of us are unsuccessful.

Just in 2009, 80 percent of graduates ended up living at home with their parents, where as in 2006, only 67 percent moved back in with mom and pop. This is something we are going to see a lot more often now, so you better prepare your parents for that ‘hey I’m back at home for a while’ speech. At least for me, my parents may shoot me if I’m not out of the house by the time I’m 30, so this job market better open up quickly.

But with the unemployment rate at an all time high, recent college grads have a lot to work for in order to hook themselves a decent job. The soon to be 2011 graduates will be competing with the 2009 and 2010 graduates to find jobs. What can we possibly do to bulk up our resumes so we stand out from the other Joe Schmoes?

A college diploma will not cut it anymore, I can tell you that. We need internships, experience in the field, volunteer work, anything that tells a future employer ‘I have done this! I am a whiz at this computer program, and I can probably teach you something!’

Just in 2008, the unemployment rate was at 4.4%, compared to the latest monthly report for October where it remains steady at 9.6%. Where is there hope for the 20-30 year olds? How the heck are we supposed to find jobs when there were 95,000 jobs emitted from the job market last September?

The thing that worries me most is how the heck are new graduates, fresh out of college, supposed to compete with seasoned workers? What separates us from the old fogies that have worked on Wall Street for years?

Well, we’re young. We have fresh ideas. We can kick some serious ass when it comes to networking and working with computer programs. It’s what our generation is all about. I don’t know a single college student who doesn’t have (or know how to work) a Facebook account, or a Twitter. We rely on these social networking sites to connect us with everyone. Not to mention all of the web-surfing we do daily to keep us connected to the world.

“It’s all about who you know,” my dad told me just the other day. And you know what, he is 100% correct.

I, personally had a chance of a potential job that a family friend connected me to. After submitting my resume and cover letter online, I surprisingly got a phone call from the company a week later. We stayed in touch for possible job openings that would fit in my journalism background, but maddeningly the positions that I could go into, I was under qualified for. Even after my internship at another company, and other random things I thought were good enough, I just couldn’t make the cut.

So how do we stand out from the crowd? How can we work ourselves in to this mess of a job market and succeed?

Careerbuilder.com gives a few resume “do’s.” Here are a few to get you started. Get a new layout on your resume. Make it stand out, so if it is in a pile of 100 other resumes, it will be the one to shout, “Choose me!” Keep everything up to date and relevant. Being a recent grad, keep the education a priority. Make sure to have applicable skills in the description. No accounting firm will care if you baked cakes at one point in life. Focus on your accomplishments. Don’t have redundant language, like starting each sentence with the same word. Save the fun fonts and colors for an art project. However, you should have a customized resume and cover letter to somehow match the job you are applying for. Generic is geriatric. Pump that baby up, and remember to have an awesome cover letter that will grab their attention and show what a great candidate you are.

So here’s how I see it. I never dreamed of a career being a retail sales person, or a Subway worker slamming together sandwiches. I, just like the rest of other grads-to-be, actually have a dream of working at a great job and having health benefits. We all have to get our tails in gear and show the class of 2012 how to get a job and stick with it.

Because, I sure as heck know, when I’m 30, I don’t ever want to utter the phrase, “Mom, I’m home.”


Published Nov. 2010 @ Mercy Impact Newspaper
www.theimpactnews.com