This year's college graduates have the misfortune to be stepping into a truly bleak job market. As the unemployment rate continues to climb, more and more members of this year's graduating class are heading straight to grad school, hoping that by the time they're out, their employment prospects will look a little brighter.
But if grad school isn't in your master plan, don't fret. A recent Monster.com survey found that 54 percent of companies surveyed still plan to hire 2009 grads, down only 5 percent from last year. A survey by CollegeGrad.com actually found that entry-level hiring, while down 1.5 percent from last year, is up 11.4 percent from 2007.
Knowing where to find these positions -- and how to stand out in the crowd once you do -- is key to your success.
Here are a few ways to make your job search a fruitful one:
-- Cast a wide net. Be sure to attend job fairs on your campus. In the past, these events may have been all it took. You shake a few hands, hand over your resume, go to a brief interview and just like that, you're hired. This year, things are working a bit differently, and you need to really think outside the box, says Lindsey Pollak, author of "Getting From College to Career." That means researching companies in your chosen field that you may not have heard of -- smaller companies that don't necessarily recruit on your campus. Say you have a few companies in mind that you'd like to work for, head to the Internet and do a little research on their competitors. You'll find a lot of prospects that wouldn't have crossed your radar otherwise.
-- Network, network, network. I cannot stress this enough. If you want a job, your chances may be better through good old-fashioned word of mouth. So talk to people, tell them what you're looking for, and see if they or their associates know of any opportunities. Call your friends, your family members, visit old professors, talk to fellow alumni. If you did an internship during college, get in touch with the people you worked with -- including your supervisor -- and let them know that you've graduated and you're looking for a permanent position. And make sure to have a professional profile on networking sites like LinkedIn and Facebook.