In recognition of this challenging situation, college freshmen are trying to secure internships during the school year and in the summer. We recommend that students begin working on career planning by second semester freshman year, specifically by initiating some networking to begin researching potential careers and identifying potential internships.

As he filled out his Comfort Zone grid, Andy discovered, much to his surprise, that he had a lot of people he could comfortably contact from all of the above categories.  When he prioritized the list and set a schedule for calling, he sheepishly confided that he didn’t know what to say.  We next developed a brief script, described Andy’s objective in calling (to learn about careers and possible internships), and a list of questions to ask.

These career questions included:

• You know me well, what careers do you think would be a good fit for me?
• What careers would you recommend given the economy?
• What do you like and dislike about your career?
• What internship experiences do you think would be good for me?
• Who else would you suggest I talk to about careers and internships?

As an aside, parents always ask if it’s appropriate for them to reach out to their networks on their child’s behalf.   The answer is absolutely.  A caveat is how you do it. Too many parents take over completely in response to their own anxiety, especially when their children drag their feet. We recommend that you reach out to your contacts to ask if it’s okay if your child contacts them.  Then hand the baton over to your child.  It’s an important growth and learning opportunity for them to learn how to talk to adults about careers.

So what does this mean for you?  Graduating seniors and recent grads have you blown it off because you’re not an engineer?  Bad move.  Sure, there’s going to be a ton of engineering jobs, but non-techies will benefit big time as well.  Non-technical entry-level positions will be found in sales, marketing, public relations, communications, customer care, sustainability consultants and educators, corporate social responsibility, architects, urban planners, environmental policy analysts, economic analysts, and ecotourism agents.  Get the picture?  

So how do you find the jobs and energize your resume?  Stay tuned.

So the handwriting is on the wall.  Make sure that you target small companies when putting together your job search plan.  Also, you’d be wise to focus on robust industries such as education, healthcare, alternative/renewable energy, and government.

• First, determine what your ideal job would be.  Forget the current environment.  Take some time to dream.  Is it a sports marketing job?  A job in advertising?  TV broadcasting?
• Next, write down the skills and experience you will need for that job.  If it’s a job in advertising, you will need stellar communications skills, interpersonal skills, the ability to think on your feet. 
• Then, figure out how you can develop those skills in this economy.  I assume you can demonstrate your communication skills based on your work in college.  But if you take a job waiting tables, you can certainly demonstrate your ability to think on your feet, work with different constituents (the customer, the chef…) as well as working within deadlines. 

Any job you do will enable you to develop skills you can use going forward.   The key is to have a plan so that you know what skills you need to develop/demonstrate. 

In this challenging job market, you have nothing to apologize for except not moving forward.

The Examiner has a great summary of the attributes employers are looking for http://www.examiner.com/x-828-Entry-Level-Careers-Examiner~y2009m1d29-Employers-cite-qualities-attributes-of-perfect-job-candidate?cid=examiner-email.  Definitely worth checking out.

I would add likeability and preparation to this list .  As a recruiter of entry level professionals, I used to look for

• preparation: resume, interview, company research
• likeability
• work ethic.

I can usually assess the first two in about 60 seconds.  the strong work ethic– the ability to do what it takes to get the job done– becomes apparent in the interview.

Fast foward three years and ask yourself: what gets me out of bed in the morning?  Is it to make the next sale? Is it because I see green?  Or is it challenging and rewarding work?  You really need to think about this because you will always get used to a big paycheck but you will never get used to a job you don’t like.

Most people don’t just show up and run the marathon without a lot of training and planning.  A career is much the same: you need to figure out your end goal (your dream job 2-3 years out) and then figure out how you will get there.  What skills will you need?  What experiences will be required?  What first steps can you take to develop those skills and acquire those experiences? 

One of our clients wants to get into sports marketing.  He has some experience with events planning and the education he will need.   He certainly has the desire and knowledge but the one thing he doesn’t have is a proven track record of professional work experience.  And in this environment, he is finding that to be more difficult that he thought.  He is now trying to get a job with a high end health club in marketing and hopes to help run their golf tournaments. 

Was that his first choice?  Of course not.  But, like the marathon, there are hills (the economy) and twists and turns but there is only one finish line.  And he will get there.

First, revise your focus by customizing your goals and expectations to the current economic environment.  Start by widening your net. Rather than having your heart set on the most prestigious firms or institutions that are not hiring, also target internal company positions in robust industries with positive hiring projections.

James, a recent college graduate with an interest in advertising, was pursuing the most sought after advertising agencies exclusively.  He has now revised his plan to include marketing and entry-level jobs in the health care and renewable energy fields.

Next, strategize how to creatively enter your desired field in such industries. Develop plans A, B, and C.  Plan A targets your desired job (e.g., pharmaceutical sales), Plan B targets a related job within your desired industry (e.g., customer service) or an entry-level position with an industry consumer, and Plan C targets a position that showcases your core skills and performance (e.g., insurance sales).

Jon is dying to get an entry-level marketing job at Under Armour, a hot performance apparel company (Plan A).  Realistically, he knows that he’ll be competing with people with solid work experience and perhaps an MBA.  So he expanded his goals to include entry-level jobs in other sports manufacturers (Plan B).  He is also pursuing sales and administrative jobs at local health clubs (Plan C).  He wants to establish a proven track record of industry-related work experience while also building his knowledge and skills.

 We also recommend that you target small companies since recruiting trends project an increase in hiring.  You’ll have to be creative to find such opportunities, small organizations don’t usually recruit on campus nor do they hire based on the academic calendar.  Online research, business publications (e.g., Fortune, Business Week, Forbes, Inc. Magazine, The Boston Globe, Boston Magazine, Wired) or industry or local business associations, are great resources to identify best places to work and hot companies, sorted by size and industry.  Your family’s accountant, financial advisor, lawyer or insurance agent may introduce you to smaller organizations with openings.

Next, once you’ve identified desirable companies and industries, prepare by creating a plan to build industry-specific knowledge, experience, and track record.  Research the industry thoroughly.  Arrange to volunteer, intern or gain part-time employment.  Such experience confirms your interest, builds your knowledge/skills, and demonstrates concrete accomplishment. Your experience and tangible results will stand out in your cover letters, resume, and interviews.  You’ll have an additional, distinct edge since hiring managers get excited when they know that candidates can contribute on day one.

Finally, target specific companies within your desired industry and devise strategies to approach those organizations.  The most successful job search plans focus on proactively connecting with specific companies through networking, getting a foot in the door, and then standing out. 

Typically, most seniors and graduates passively wait for jobs to appear online.  Yet, such job boards boast only a 4% success rate even in a strong market.  In the current environment, most openings are not posted.  In reality, over two-thirds of jobs are filled through networking and it’s usually the 3^rd or 4^th level contact that leads to success. 

We guarantee that you have a much more extensive network than you think.  You can begin networking with those who know you well:  Family, family’s contacts, friends and their families, professors, neighbors, bosses or coaches. Networking with your professors has become increasingly important.  Recent survey data show that 40% of employers contact faculty directly for referrals instead of recruiting on-campus.  Your alumni association is another great networking resource.

When you effectively develop and work your network, you’ll position yourself to learn about opportunities, bolster your credibility, and land the job.  Additionally, when you engage with your network on an ongoing basis, you’ll always be in charge of your career, versus scrambling in the midst of a crisis.

In addition to networking, it is also highly advisable to get a foot in the door by engaging with the company.  The good news is that the industry preparation steps we suggested above, achieves this goal.  When you get involved through job shadowing, interning, volunteering, or part-time work, you have the opportunity to get known, make contacts, learn about opportunities, demonstrate your capabilities, and energize your resume. 

If you widen your net to target strong industries, develop a broad range of job goals, reach out to and engage with desired companies, and make your resume sizzle, you’ll thrive in this challenging job market and land your desired job.

Despite the above-mentioned doom and gloom, there are some encouraging industry projections.  Oil and Gas Production and Utilities are projecting an 8% increase in entry-level hiring. Alternative and renewable energy companies provide new opportunities.  Non-profit organizations expect to remain level with their 2008 hiring figures.

Surprisingly, financial services and insurance sectors project a 5% increase in entry-level hires.  Although investment banking is reeling, many regional banks, credit unions and financial services providers are hiring.  A senior HR executive at a large financial services provider confirmed that most customer-facing positions are not impacted by the current business climate.

Additionally, organizations with less than 54 employees project a slight increase in hiring, whereas medium and large companies expect a decrease.