Newly Graduated and Unemployed? It's Not You, It's the Economy

Ahh, spring. The sun is shining, the birds are singing, and soon-to-be college graduates across the nation are panicking about their futures. 

Maybe I’m being a little dramatic. But based on the conversation I had with a fellow Twenty-Something over Buckeye Donuts on Sunday morning, I’m  probably not too far off.

 My friend graduated from Ohio State last quarter with a degree in international studies. He’s smart, he spent his last quarter interning in Washington, D.C. and he’s Mr. Personality. But he just can’t find a job. He’s currently looking for minimum wage-paying positions to tide him over until he does.

I feel his pain, because a few months ago, I was in his shoes.

I thought I had everything figured out. I toyed with the idea of grad school, but the prospect of getting into the job market in December when I wouldn’t have as much competition for jobs  was too enticing for me to ignore. I started applying for jobs in July 2010, thinking maybe I’d get a few bites and have one  lined up before I graduated. 

Months went by. And I got…nothing. Oh—did you think I was going to say ‘an interview?’ Didn’t get one of those. Most of the time, I didn’t even get a courtesy e-mail informing me I hadn’t gotten the position.

But I refused to believe it was because I just sucked at the whole journalism thing. So I posted my resume on my college’s job network. I followed up. I bothered people.

When I did finally get an interview, in November, it was every bit as terrifying as I thought it would be. I didn’t get that particular job, but the experience taught me some things about questions I’d get asked in future interviews. (Like this gem: “Give us three reasons why we shouldn’t hire you.” Yikes.)

 After two more interviews, the old saying “third time’s a charm” held true for me. And where did I learn about my current job? Posted in Facebook Marketplace, of all places. After re-connecting with a girl I knew from freshman year who worked for the company, I was asked to come in for an interview.

 Hopefully you’ve learned two things: (A) Connections matter, and (B) Go ahead and surf Facebook  to your heart’s content. You may just find a job.

Maybe you’ll be like my roommate, who is continuing her education in Cleveland after being accepted to a competitive dietetics internship a MetroHealth. Maybe you’ll be like a couple of my friends and make +$65,000 straight out of college (in which case, please take me on a nice vacation). Maybe you’ll be like one of my best friends from Avon Lake, who is taking a gap year to travel the world.

Or maybe you’ll be like my Twenty-Something friend (and me, for awhile):  College-educated and unemployed.

Just adopt this mantra, similar to the old “It’s not you, it’s me” dating adage:

 “It’s not me…it’s the economy.”