Finding a Job in a Recession

Despite what some newscasters and headlines would have you believe, the world is not ending. All of the points of comparison to which experts are referring in assessing the economy have occurred in my lifetime, so I know what I’m talking about. The market downturns we are experiencing this month are comparable to what we experienced in the 1970’s and 1980’s, and NOT 1929. Will this impact your job search after graduation? Yes. Does it mean there are no jobs? No.

The National Association of Colleges and employers just took a quick pole of the companies that consistently hire college students and found that approximately one-third of them have reduced their hiring projections since August as a result of the economy. However, the number of hires they are seeking from the Class of 2009 is virtually identical with the number these companies hired in 2008.

So while the picture is not as rosy as anticipated, your outlook is about the same as last year’s graduates. Does this mean you can sit back and breathe easy? No. Last year we surveyed over 800 students and of those planning to work after they graduated, almost 60% were still seeking employment when they took the survey. (Hopefully they were gainfully employed shortly after they graduated, but we loose touch with students once they’ve walked.) On the other hand, 56% of students started their job search after graduating, or had not even begun their job search at the time of the survey, so it’s no wonder they weren’t employed.

Ok – so you know you want to work, but are wondering how long it will take to get a job. In a good economy, most students seeking employment have jobs within 3 months of graduation. In a poor economy, it can take between 3 and 6 months. Some students will still have a job in hand when they graduate because they started early. But if you wait to start your search until after you walk, you won’t be one of them.

How early should you start? Some seniors in last year’s survery reported they started seriously searching for jobs more than 6 months before they graduated. Of those that secured employment, 49% reported that were able to decide from 2 or more offers. I believe that beginning the process early will help you be one of the ones who have choices, even in a poor economy.

Where should you look? Start with on-campus interviews, on campus job fairs, online job listing services like GauchoLink. Check out Career Connections through Alumni Services. Talk to your parents and family friends to see if anyone they know is looking for hires. There are lots of ways to connect with potential employers, if you’re willing to take some initiative.

But don’t expect the mountain to come to you. One student came in to talk to a counselor last year and said “Where to I sign up to let employers know I’m ready to be hired?” While employers do reaching out to UCSB graduates through the resources I just mentioned, please don’t expect they’re lined up waiting for us to give them your name and number they can offer you a job. You have to meet them at least half way.

Are you doing all of the above (or even some of it) and still drawing a blank? Come in and talk to a career counselor. We are experts in helping students research the highways and byways of the job search and will do what we can to help you look under every stone for that first post-degree job.

Micael Kemp is the director of Career Services at UCSB.

One Response to “Finding a Job in a Recession”

1. Michael Takahara says:

   October 20, 2008 at 5:47 pm

   It’s good to know that there are jobs still out there after graduation despite our economy.

   You make it clear that it’s better to start looking for a job before graduation. Then you include ways to start that job search. They seem doable. Great column. I’ll recommend this to my seniors. Thanks! I also liked your column about job fair tips.