A few weeks ago, a young man by the name of Alex Kearns got a job after a stunt in Trafalgar Square.
When I read that, my first thought was "Why didn't I think of that?" See, much like Mr. Kearns, I'm a recent graduate. I'm about to hit my fourth month of post-law school unemployment and other than sending out more applications than I care to admit and a few interviews, I'm in the same position I was the day I got my degree. But this diary isn't about me.
Mr. Kearns' experiment got me thinking about how unusual this strange new world is for those just starting out in their careers. Some are lucky, but for many, this initial hiccup is going to ripple through their resume and lives for years. They are unable to collect unemployment and often have weak savings, if any. And so, amidst the diaries of health care reform and liars, I present one about a small group of people: unemployed graduates.
To give some background, this isn't the first time I've sought post-graduation employment: I found a job after my college graduation during better economic times. But this time around is different. See, I've done the things you're supposed to do when searching for that first post-education job. In the past ten months, I've talk to career counselors, met with people in my field of interest (fundraising and philanthropy specifically, non-profit work generally), met with people not in my field of interest, sent out resumes, checked my circle of friends and acquaintances for suggestions and recommendations, spent a few hours each day on the job search, tried to stay active with various types of volunteer work, you name it. One thing that's kept me sane is the memories of how random and arbitrary finding that first job was.
One thing that's surprised me in meeting other young unemployed graduates is that they get that the economy is bad and they're ready and willing to dig in and take what they can find. Few, if any, are sticking up their noses and refusing minimum-wage employment. For some, student loans (which continue to accrue interest) put them in a Catch-22 in that it's difficult to look for jobs below a certain salary level. For others, the mass number of applicants makes it difficult to get low-paying jobs (especially when employers think you'll bolt as soon as the economy picks up). Since employers can continue to be picky, jobs that were once entry-level positions often now require or ask for a few years of experience, making it that much more difficult to get jobs for which recent graduates are qualified. While some graduates are considering getting another degree, many are stepping back to figure out if that is really the best option or if it fails to address the real problem and merely delays the inevitable.
As anyone who has ever looked for meaningful employment knows, job searching is a skill in and of itself that takes time to figure out. Trying to learn it in the environment of the previous year is a bit like riding a unicycle while balancing a plate on the end of your nose.
Which brings me to the real point of this entry: I'd like to encourage those of you who know recent graduates to make yourself available to them, to help them as you can. It's a bewildering time to be thrown into the job market. There are many efforts on this site to help those in need - whether through campaign donations or rallies or disseminating information - and I'd like to add using you own experience in the working world to help out young graduates. Helping them doesn't mean getting them a job or connecting them with your college buddy, but rather making sure they know you are there to answer questions and offer support. Many have, at best, fledgling professional networks and are still learning what it means to network.
Mr. Kearns did get hired following his day in Trafalgar Square. With news that the recession may be near its end, hopefully other young graduates will follow in his success through less dramatic capers. But that doesn't end the need to help guide this newest generation of graduates into the workforce.