The Class of 2003: How to Rise Above Uncertainty in a Tight Labor Market

By Karol A.D. Johansen, Counselor Supervisor, UCLA Career Center

The New York Times reports that graduating seniors in 2003 face the most challenging job market in over 2 decades. Employers facing budgetary cutbacks are definitely tightening their belts and the days of multiple offers, expense accounts, company cars, and hiring bonuses for new graduates are a distant memory.

On an optimistic note, many sectors are concentrating on recruiting new graduates and actually increasing hiring from last year including education, non-profit, and government.

Additionally, according to ABC News.com, strong employment sectors for May 2003 include sales (accounts for 23 percent of all current entry-level jobs), health care (10 percent) and Administrative and Support positions (8 percent), restaurants and food service, customer service, retail, accounting, education, and consulting. In the consulting field, there has actually been a 14 percent increase in entry-level hiring, which had cut hiring by 50 percent last year.

The sobering reality, however, is that many corporations are facing hiring freezes and those who are recruiting new hires are extending offers to fewer employees than this time last year. According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers, 42.4 percent of surveyed employers plan to hire fewer new grads than they did last year. Overall, the association is predicting a 3.6 percent decline in opportunities for the class of 2003.

New graduates need to strategically position themselves in this tough labor market as there is much stiffer competition in the applicant pool now than in years past.

To compete successfully in this current economic slump, new graduates must be polished, proactive, and above all, tenacious.

Create a Stellar Porfolio
In a tight economy, applicants need to be armed with an impressive set of job search documents. In tandem, a new graduate’s resume and cover letter will be their strongest introductory promotional tool. Document your skills and experiences so an employer can see, at a glance, how you can contribute to the employer's workplace and bottom line profitability.

To Survive the Resume Screening Process: Remember a good resume “distills” your most important achievements relevant to the position.
• Speak Concisely and Deliberately
• Consider the Needs of the Organization
• Draw them in by Captivating their Interest
• Showcase Your Relevant Skill Set
• Display Unique Qualifications
• Create a Flawless Finished Project and Proofread for any and all Errors

Diversify Your Job Search
Think globally and outside the box in terms of where you will investigate job openings. The Information Superhighway is not the “Be All End All”-Restricting yourself to conducting a job search exclusively in Cyberspace is narrowing your options and unwise. Visit your campus career center and take advantage of on-campus interview programs, online university sponsored employment listing services, and alumni contact programs. In addition, check out newsletters and industry trade publications which may advertise openings in niche fields. Specialized publications such as Aviso and Opportunity Knocks list employment opportunities in the museum and non-profit areas respectively. Lastly, do not neglect the tried and true traditional methods like the employment classified section on Sunday in local and national newspapers or the dial up method of calling Job Hotlines.

Network Network Network
You never know where your next employment lead will come. Spread the word that you are currently in a job search mode. Next time you are running an errand, tell the business owner that you have graduated and are looking for employment in your field. You never know who may be standing behind you in the line at the dry cleaners, it could be the Human Resources Director for a major corporation within ear shot.

Networking Success Story
My cousin had been job searching without any prospects for months back in the last economic slump in the early 90’s At a fast food restaurant, she ran into an old classmate who had graduated a year earlier and was employed in the aerospace industry. Over a hamburger, she gave him a copy of her resume in the parking lot of a MacDonald’s, the next day the former classmate passed it along to a hiring manager. My cousin had an interview in her desired industry and a job offer at a Fortune 500 company by the following week.

Networking Action Step: Make a list of all those people in your Inner Circle of Contacts and send them a general email letting them know you are conducting a job search and asking for potential employment leads. The Inner Circle includes relatives, friends, professors, club advisors, co-workers, former internship colleagues and supervisors, former managers, professional contacts (family physician, dentist etc..) Then extend your list beyond your Inner Circle to your External Circle of Contacts: relatives of friends, outer circle relatives (for example, your brother-in-law’s sister), friends of friends, parents of your friends, contacts you have made through student and philanthropic organizations, community and extracurricular activities. Ask each person you send your job search email to please feel free to forward the message to people who may be in a hiring position or have a potential employment lead.

Consider Selective Service Programs
Programs such as the Peace Corps, Americorps, and Teach for America allow graduates interested in making an immediate impact on the lives of others to gain insight and commitment to effect meaningful long-term change. College graduates who serve in these programs are positioning themselves for success in any field.

Achievement-oriented students who want to use their leadership skills to expand opportunity for children are encouraged to consider programs like Teach For America. Teach For America is the national corps of outstanding recent college graduates of all academic majors who commit two years to teach in urban and rural public schools and become lifelong leaders in the effort to expand opportunity for children.

Volunteerism: The Unpaid Resume Builder
Build your resume by volunteering at an organization within your preferred or a related industry. Unpaid experience can serve as an important resume builder and be documented right along entries on the resume where you drew a paycheck. Given the tough labor market, many major volunteer organizations have had a dramatic increase in applicants, making these opportunities more competitive. However, there is an abundance of organizations needing assistance. Consult resources like Volunteer America: A Comprehensive National Guide to Opportunities for Service, Training, and Work Experience, by Harriet Clyde Kipps of the Back Door Guide to Short Term Job Adventures, by Michael Landes.

Create Realistic Expectations
The old adage about starting at the bottom and working your way up the corporate ladder has relevance in a challenging economy. While it is important for new graduates to be focused and goal oriented, they need to be open minded about taking entry level roles where there may be opportunity for future advancement. Being too selective or elitist about job titles/roles can be detrimental. In addition, it is critical that new graduates have realistic salary expectations.

Congregate, Don't Isolate: Build a Support Network
It is easy to lose confidence in yourself when you are facing rejection in an unusually bleak job market. One of the greatest mistakes a job seeker makes is to isolate when they are braving a tough economic climate. Surround yourself with others who are in a job search mode to share tips and gain inspiration from those who have been successful. Start a “job search club” where members commiserate about handling repetitive “Have you found a job yet?” questions from well meaning friends and relatives, discuss challenges, share helpful resources, and motivate one another to forge ahead and ultimately celebrating graduation to the work force!

Published by the UCLA Career Center on 6.23.03.