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May 23, 2009

College graduation — looking for a job?

Anonymous The Laurel Leader-Call Sat May 23, 2009, 11:31 PM CDT

Do you know the best time to catch an airplane? The correct answer is, before the airplane takes off. Now this is an old joke, but the thought it brings to mind has a direct bearing on a problem that many college graduates face today.

These graduates, or in most cases their parents, have paid up to $200,000 for a four-year college degree, but now, after graduation, they can’t find a job. The most obvious reason is the lack of research done before they entered college. A little extra time spent in research and planning as to jobs that will be available in the future would go a long way to insure a happy and rewarding career.

This last statement is general in nature, but for parents who have children in high school who plan to enter college, don’t wait until they have graduated from college to start thinking about a job. Before I offer a potential resource that may be helpful for college graduates who are looking for a job, let me say by all means, young or old, if you can, go to college and graduate. The College Board reports that a college graduate will, in all likelihood, earn over a million dollars more over their working lifetime than a person who has a high school diploma.

For what it’s worth, I want to share a press release from a firm in Haverford, Pa., that specializes in helping “New College Grads Start on the Right Career Path.” It’s well written and dated March 21, 2006, so you can put it into context, regardless of when you read this column.

This release begins, “You’ve spent more money on your child’s college education than you did for your first home. You even deferred your retirement savings so she could go to the best schools. You also kept your mouth shut when she switched from majoring in biology to dance. But now that she’s finally graduating, is she prepared to find a job?

“The National Association of Colleges and Employers note that more than 1.4 million students will be graduating from college this year. Employers expect to hire 14.5 percent more college graduates in 2005-2006 than they did in 2004-2005 — all very encouraging figures. However, when you take a look at a recent issue of the ‘Occupational Outlook Quarterly,’ which claims that over the past 10 years the number of college graduates exceeds college-level jobs, you get a little dismayed.

“To help meet this need, Ford Myers, M.Ed., president of Career Potential, a Haverford, Pa.-based career consulting firm and author of ‘The Ultimate Career Guide,’ has developed a five-part ‘Career Academy’ to help new college graduates and first-time job seekers start — and — stay on the road to success. In a recent interview, Mr. Myers stated that this new ‘Career Academy’ approach will give graduates real, tactical steps to finding a job and a true ‘leg up’ on their competition.

“Each step can be used independently or as part of the complete campaign. Here are the five steps and if you are searching for a job, I believe you will see that they really make sense. No. 1 — Looking For a Job? Look Inside First! No. 2 — You’ll Need More Than a Resume to Land That First Job. No. 3 — Networking: Other People Really Do Want To Help You. No. 4 — Interviewing For Success: Better Interviews Get Better Offers. No. 5 — Salary Negotiations: The Rules of the Game.”

After receiving this press release, I checked it out on their Web site and it looks legitimate and the cost is reasonable. If you or someone you know has spent more than $100,000 getting a college degree, but can’t find a job, this may be worth looking into. You can find this information on the Internet at www.careerpotential.net.

Jim Davidson is a motivational speaker and syndicated columnist. You may contact him at 2 Bentley Drive, Conway, Ark. 72034. To support literacy, buy his book, “Learning, Earning & Giving Back.”

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