College Graduates Struggle in Lagging Job Market

Soon-to-be college graduates are facing a tough job market. Many of those eager college grads will have to work even harder to find employment.

Monday, April 6th 2009, 6:30 pm

By: News 9


By Jennifer Pierce, NEWS 9

OKLAHOMA CITY - Soon-to-be college graduates are facing a tough job market. Many of those eager college grads will have to work even harder to find employment.

Local universities are helping prepare students for what's out there.

Colleges across the state will be turning out a new crop of grads next month; many of those students are getting help with their job hunting skills on campus.

Universities like the University of Central Oklahoma have seen a big increase in students visiting the career services office on campus. Students want to know what jobs are out there and how they can set themselves apart from everyone else.

"I found an internship at Deaconess Hospital though career services, actually," Mackensie Devane said.

She hopes to parlay that internship into a permanent job.

"Just having an internship and having a little bit of experience will definitely set myself apart from others," Devane said.

But it's the unprepared college grad that may have a hard time finding employment.

"Instead of three to six months being the average job search time period you need to be prepared to see an average of five and a half months in the job search," Director of Career Services Beth Waddelow said.

Career counselors are not only helping students with resumes, they're advising them to ignore the online job databases and use their networking skills. Also, consider jobs in a field other than their degree. Right now, the most jobs can be found in the medical field, government, education, and sales.

"It's that myopic student who only sees themselves in a specific position they went to school for this one occupation that is having the hardest time right now," Waddelow said.

Devane says entering a shaky job market is intimidating, but she's staying positive about her prospects.

"With the economy the way it is today, it's important to keep an open mind and to know that there may be doors open where you may not have looked before," Devane said.

Career counselors say they don't want students to be overly worried about finding a job, but a little stress can push them into action.

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