What's the Best Way to Find Jobs for College Graduates?

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What's the Best Way to Find Jobs for College Graduates?

  • networking/making connections

  • go to job fairs

  • go to job search websites

  • other

Results are only viewable after voting.
Cogman

Cogman

Lifer
Sep 19, 2000
10,284
138
106
The best way is through a friend. The second best and most available is through job fairs. Thus, I voted job fairs because that is something everyone can do.
 
mmntech

mmntech

Lifer
Sep 20, 2007
17,501
12
0
I really hate to do this but... You will not get a job in your field right away, or even a year after graduation. That's just how things are. It's a cold reality that universities don't like to talk about. Basically 30 is the new 25. It takes a lot longer than it did to get established in both life and career than it did in the boomers' era.

When the recession hit, entry level jobs vanished. They likely won't come back any time soon. Private sector organizations are now making due with less staff and only tend to hire back seasoned veterans. Entry level jobs were replaced by unpaid internships. It's free labour for them for a couple of months. The benefits of which are dubious IMO, but that's a whole other topic for another day.

University degrees don't carry the same weight they used to. Record numbers of people have them, so it's not special anymore. That's something hard for Generation Y to wrap their heads around. They've gone through life being told how special they were and how they could do anything. It gets discouraging. Hell, even if you weren't fed that crap it's still discouraging. Applying for jobs is a lot of work. It gets tedious quickly when you realize nobody's actually reading your resume.

So what to do? Well, experience and contacts count more than ever today. Companies don't want to train, they want people that can function without having their hand held.

If you can find volunteer positions related to your field of study, jump on them. Unlike internships and free work, they're flexible. They allow you to build a experience while maintaining paid employment elsewhere. You can put in as much or as little as you want.

Even then, that's not a guarantee, but it's a start. Getting a post-grad job will require an abundance of patience and iron stamina in this economy. You just have to keep working at it, but know when to quit if you're pursuing dead leads.
 
Cogman

Cogman

Lifer
Sep 19, 2000
10,284
138
106
mmntech said:
I really hate to do this but... You will not get a job in your field right away, or even a year after graduation. That's just how things are. It's a cold reality that universities don't like to talk about. Basically 30 is the new 25. It takes a lot longer than it did to get established in both life and career than it did in the boomers' era.
Click to expand...
This isn't universally true. Things couldn't be better in the tech industry for jobs right now. (I've gotten a job straight out of collage with a big name company).
 
A

artikk

Diamond Member
Dec 24, 2004
4,172
1
71
Cogman said:
This isn't universally true. Things couldn't be better in the tech industry for jobs right now. (I've gotten a job straight out of collage with a big name company).
Click to expand...
Because anecdotal evidence counts as evidence and can be extrapolated to others, right?
 
P

PrinceofWands

Lifer
May 16, 2000
13,522
0
0
Depends greatly on the field, with location being a close second. How a lawyer gets a job in NYC has nothing to do with how an auto repair mechanic gets a job in Goose Egg Wyoming.
 
Imp

Imp

Lifer
Feb 8, 2000
18,828
184
106
TalonStrike said:
People always say that, but what exactly does that mean? Where are these people that I need to know and how do I get to know them?
Click to expand...

Notice how if I asked for $2 you'd say no? But if your mom or sibling asked for you to beat someone to a pulp for "hurting" them, you wouldn't hesitate?

Think along those lines. You make friends, and they, or their friends, know something. They may feel an obligation to help out, or their word is actually worth something to them.

A totally unqualified sibling of someone at work got an interview out of courtesy. I got my casual job cause my dad knew someone in passing. My mom got me my first job. I got a friend two jobs because for the first one, I told him where to apply; for the second, I went to an interview, didn't get it, and let him know that the place was hiring.

Most people graduated in a class of probably, what, at least 50 people? Congratulations, you are now one of 50 with the exact same degree, all with the same retail/service job history, and at least a good half have internships. Now multiply that by the number of schools that offer the same degree, and the number of degrees with similar programs (e.g. entry-level engineering jobs usually "prefer" a certain type of engineering, but may give you a shot as long as you did something engineering).
 
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X

xSauronx

Lifer
Jul 14, 2000
19,582
4
81
Schadenfroh said:
Your university's job fair is the place to find employers.
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ugh, because of the oddball way my associates is transfered to my uni for a BS, i get wrangled into industrial tech stuff instead of information tech stuff.

found that out the hard way at the last job fair...all of 2 companies out of the 30ish there were looking for information tech interns/entry level. everyone else though "IT" meant industrial technology :-/

/will not make that mistake next year
 
M

Mr. Pedantic

Diamond Member
Feb 14, 2010
5,027
0
76
Because anecdotal evidence counts as evidence and can be extrapolated to others, right?
Click to expand...
But that's not the claim he was making. He said that it wasn't universally true. He never said it was universally untrue.
 
Cogman

Cogman

Lifer
Sep 19, 2000
10,284
138
106
Mr. Pedantic said:
But that's not the claim he was making. He said that it wasn't universally true. He never said it was universally untrue.
Click to expand...

Exactly, I recognize that in most industries that statement has a lot of truth to it. My point was that it doesn't apply everywhere.
 
J

Jumpem

Lifer
Sep 21, 2000
10,757
3
81
The college career office and campus job fairs. That's how I get my internships, and professional position.
 
T

Tiamat

Lifer
Nov 25, 2003
14,068
5
71
Need to know the right people. This will get you through the door (and past the "line" of resumes) so that you can sell your skillset.
 
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