Outlook better for college grads

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Mary Jo Wolfersberger, director of career services at Joliet Junior College, sits near a web display of job postings Thursday, May 19, 2011, at the school in Joliet. | Matt Marton~Sun-Times Media

Job search tips for
recent college grads

Start job search immediately: Don’t decide to enjoy one last summer of freedom. Such a decision could cause prospective employers to question your commitment and work ethic.

Include volunteer work on resume, in interviews: Don’t omit volunteer work because it is not associated with your chosen career path. Volunteer work tells prospective employers a lot about your personality, character, work ethic and commitment.

Be aggressive: Get out from behind the computer. Most successful job seekers use multiple tools, and focus most of their time and energy on networking and meeting face-to-face with people who can help advance your job search.

Use your existing network: Parents, friends’ parents and fellow graduates may be a source of information or connections to employers. Contact your school’s professors and alumni, too.

Show willingness to work anywhere, anytime: Go wherever the jobs are. And let employers know that you can work hours that other employees may be unwilling or unable to.

Keep options open: Your first job is not your job for life. Be open to exploring occupations and industries that may diverge significantly from what you may have prepared for in school. Every job provides foundational experience, even those that are unrelated to your desired career path.

Source: Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc.,
a Chicago-based outplacement firm.

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Updated: November 5, 2011 5:18PM

JOLIET — After years of cramming for finals and pulling all-nighters for projects and papers, the real work is just beginning for many college students.

Graduating during the Great Recession or in its wake has not been easy.

“It was scary last year, it really was,” said Kristi Kelly, assistant director of career services at the University of St. Francis. Folks weren’t hiring.

Just having a college degree wasn’t enough in some cases, she said. But the tide may be turning.

“This year’s outlook is much better,” she said.

Job numbers up

A 2011 job outlook survey showed employers planned to hire 19.3 percent more graduates this spring than they did a year ago, according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers.

Mary Jo Wolfersberger, director of career services at Joliet Junior College, said she can tell the job market is improving because the number of employers posting openings on the JJC online job board has increased this year.

“We’ve actually had a 28 percent increase in the number of employers registering with our system,” she said.

JJC’s online job postings for students are up 12 percent from last year, she added.

However, while full-time jobs have increased slightly, there are bigger increases in the number of part-time and temporary jobs and internships posted on the JJC student job site. That shows employers are hiring, but they’re cautious, Wolfersberger said.

Students are more willing to take unpaid opportunities because they realize times are tough, she said.

“We are seeing students more interested in doing internships than in the past. They’re seeing that is the way.

Bring your A game

Even with an uptick in jobs, competition is fierce, USF’s Kelly said.

“(Employers) are looking for top-quality candidates,” she said. Students have to bring their A game.

She urges students to: develop their writing skills, tailor their resumes to individual businesses, do as much volunteer work as they can and take unpaid internships to get experience.

“You may have to be flexible and open to taking a non-paid opportunity,” she said.

Networking is crucial to success in landing a job, she added.

Graduates must link with associations, industry councils, alumni and individual businesses to sniff out job opportunities.

“If a student is flexible, not desperate, and they cast a wide net, they’re more likely to gain employment.”

Success at last

Lynley Louzensky, 22, a 2010 USF graduate, is a perfect example of what students should be doing, Kelly said.

Louzensky took a job right out of college selling ads for a phone book. She thought the experience could help her get a job in pharmaceutical sales eventually. She soon realized she hated sales.

“When I knew sales wasn’t for me, I cried all day long,” Louzensky said.

But she used her job selling ads to network with businesses owners.

“I talked to business owners from 8 in the morning until 7 at night,” she said.

Eventually, she landed a job that better suited her bachelor’s degree in mass communications. She is the marketing coordinator with Midlothian-based Moran Industries, a company that franchises auto repair businesses.

She also attributes her success to an internship with the marketing department at Provena Saint Joseph Medical Center.

“One of the main reasons I got the job I have now was because of my internship,” she said.

She said she aggressively pursued work, spending 4-5 hours a day for months searching for jobs.

“The job market definitely is tough,” she said. “However, it depends on how hard a worker you really are. And you might have to go a little outside your major.”

Elevator speech

Kelly also urges all grads and any job seeker to have a quick “elevator speech” prepared to let potential employers know who you are and your goals in the time it would take an elevator to travel a few floors.

Overall, the recession has changed what college grads have to do to get a job, she added.

Before the recession, “Folks were hiring,” she said. “And just having a degree was enough.”

But those days are long gone, she added.

“It doesn’t fly anymore, and it’s sad to say.”