Could this Be a Good Year for New Graduates?

For nearly a year, Alex Easley, 22, researched, pursued, and interviewed with companies such as Google, American Express, and Johnson & Johnson, hoping to have a job lined up after his graduation from Morehouse College this past May. He didn’t.

Looking for entry-level positions in marketing and advertising, Easley realized by the end of the year that he’d need to broaden his search. Though the Athens, Georgia, native had some sales experience it wasn’t Easley’s first choice. But after completing five interviews with MetLife, he was offered a business-to-business sales position at the Irvine, California, office.

“Sales is a position I wouldn’t have considered a year ago,” he says. “But given the economy, it changed my perspective and allowed me to look at things I wouldn’t have before.”

Though Easley was fortunate to find a job less than a month after he graduated, others haven’t been so lucky. The 2009 Student Survey of the National Association of Colleges and Employers reveals that just 19.7% of 2009 graduates who applied for a job actually have one, compared with 26% of 2008 graduates and 51% of 2007 graduates.

Despite fewer job openings and predictions that graduates will have to bear the brunt of stagnant or low wages and lower-skilled positions, companies are still looking to hire recent graduates to fill entry-level positions–you just have to know where to look. Joe Watson, CEO of Without Excuses and Strategic Hire in Reston, Virginia, suggests looking for jobs in growth industries instead of looking for growth jobs. Make sure the industry you’re considering isn’t going into decline. The industries with the most jobs include healthcare, energy, law enforcement, information technology, and education.

The following tips will help you develop strategies for finding and securing employment with companies that are looking to hire right now.

Exhaust all resources. In this economy, it’s important to look at every means of gaining an opportunity. “From social networking online to attending professional and trade association meetings, whether they are members or not, graduates have to

build their professional network in ways that those who are advanced in their careers typically do,” says Betsy Richards, director of Career Resources at Kaplan University. She also notes that graduates have reverted to “old-fashioned” job-hunting techniques, such as organizing informational interviews and checking newspaper classifieds.

Expand your network. LaToya Everett, director of Client Services at Global Lead Management Consulting, who secured her own job after graduating in 2003 when the job market was also dismal, recommends attending professional development programs through organizations such as the National Urban League. These programs provide you with the opportunity to expand your network through increased exposure to  other professionals and local leaders as well as engage in your community through service projects.

Everett attended the Urban League’s African American Leadership Development Program in Cincinnati. To find out more information and/or to apply go to www.gcul.org.

Try an untraditional route. While full-time employment is the desired goal, you may need to adjust your plans by considering internships or freelance or volunteer opportunities.

This way you can still obtain relevant work experience and make professional contacts. Work experience you can leverage is a critical element. “Companies have limited positions, so they’re committed to hiring the best ‘ready’ worker,” says Watson, “meaning those who can jump in tomorrow and add value–not those they have to train.”

For applicants with immediate needs, it may be better to volunteer or intern in their chosen industry while securing part-time or nonprofessional skilled work. The industry contacts they make while volunteering could be instrumental in securing future positions.

Be flexible. Like Easley, you may need to consider an industry or position that’s not your first choice. “Look at the skill sets required of different companies and see how they match up with yours,” he suggests. You can also try mapping out an alternative path to your desired job. Vanessa Rozier, a recent graduate of Howard University, accepted a position on campus with the Ralph J. Bunche International Affairs Center working under the program manager, though it

wasn’t her original goal. “I want to be an international reporter, so I figured this position would help me get a good understanding of what’s going on in the international community.” Of course, accepting a position may require relocating, sometimes the best way to discover new opportunities.

Check out these jobs now. To help you in your search, we’ve done some of the work for you. Verizon Communications, Sodexo Inc., Procter & Gamble, Sempra Energy, and Toyota Motor North America Inc.–all companies on our 40 Best Companies for Diversity list–are looking to hire for entry-level positions. For more information, read “Where the Jobs Are” at blackenterprise.com; also visit CollegeGrad.com, a job search site for college students and recent graduates. For the top employers with entry-level positions, see www.collegegrad.com/topEmployers/2009_entry_level.php.

Recent master’s degree graduates should visit www.collegegrad.com/topEmployers/2009_master.php.
The National Association of Colleges and employers also provides a list of top jobs categorized by major. Go to www.naceweb.org/spotlight/2009/c062409.htm.

This article originally appeared in the September 2009 issue of Black Enterprise magazine.