Thousands of new graduates have been released into the world. What percentage of them have secured jobs? Figures as low as 25% (from Careerealism).
Sure the market is tough and there aren’t a lot of jobs. But what exactly did they learn in college? Were they taught about what jobs to compete for? Were they taught how to network and develop relationships? Were they taught how to look for a job or better yet compete for jobs in this economy? Maybe, if they visited the campus career center (where is that anyway?).
Excuse my tone, but parents, you should be outraged. How much money did you just shell out to have your child receive an education? What good is that education if it doesn’t translate into work? Isn’t that why they went to college?
Of course, many students are pro-active and attended on campus interviews and began searching, but most probably did not. Partially due to denial. Partially due to fear.
The results…they are home with mom and dad, living in their old bedrooms. Where’s the incentive to find a job?
My guess is, if you took a look at the resume and job search activities of your child, you would be disappointed in both. It really isn’t their fault, they don’t know how to do this. No one taught them and job search is not an innate skill.
Parents, if you haven’t looked for a job yourself in the last nine months or so, don’t even attempt to help your child. Your input is probably not as good as valid as it used to be, sorry.
Here are some resources that specifically address the issues of a new graduate looking for work in 2010. Share these with your family!
On Twitter, you can follow my list of New Grad Tweeters : @careersherpa/new-grad
This is a listing of some of the top bloggers for Gen Y/New Grads:
Gradspot
Student Branding Blog
There are tons more, but this should get them started. You might also want to check in with the college career center now, visit a One-Stop for free job search help or hire a professional coach…
Hannah Morgan speaks and writes about job search and career strategies. She founded CareerSherpa.net to educate professionals on how to maneuver through today’s job search process. Hannah was nominated as a LinkedIn Top Voice in Job Search and Careers and is a regular contributor to US News & World Report. She has been quoted by media outlets, including Forbes, USA Today, Money Magazine, Huffington Post, as well as many other publications. She is also author of The Infographic Resume and co-author of Social Networking for Business Success.
