The hunt for a job is tough right now, particularly for the thousands of new college grads earning diplomas around the Capital Region. That's why experts say today's applicants have to find out what the hot jobs are, and how to make yourself stand out.
Career counselors say the 2011 job market demands polished, prepared candidates with excellent communication skills. Jessica Litwin works with the Hudson Valley Community College Career Center. She says working with a professional career counselor and researching the company that's hiring, can help.
Litwin said, "My advice to anybody looking for a job is really think hard about how you're presenting yourself, practice before attending an interview, practice some of the questions."
Dan Moran of Next-Act, a company designed to help connect Capital Region workers with jobs that match their skills says, right now, there are plenty of positions available in the area, but there are also a lot of people going after them.
Moran said, "So if someone is out there looking for a job, they shouldn't put their resume on the shelf for the summer and say, 'I'm not going to look for a job, I'm going to put my flip flops on,' rather, they should stay focused."Litwin agrees, saying competition for the growing number of job listings is quite stiff. "I hear stories of 125 resumes being sent out for one job opening," she said.
Some HVCC students are ahead of the game, saying they've been planning ahead for years. While wearing her cap and gown on Friday night, soon-to-be HVCC Grad Alexandra Elwell said, "I'm getting a major in history and a double major in early childhood education."
"I'm going to be working this summer at The Learning Tree in Bennington, Vermont. I'll be teaching pre-school and I'll also be transferring to the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts in the fall."
Josh Dukette is an HVCC student from Hoosick Falls. He said, "You know I took on criminal justice in the hopes that it's a pretty broad field, in the hopes that because it's so broad, it doesn't limit my ability to get a job."
HVCC student Mark Borowsky said, "I'll have my nursing degree in 2 years, and I will absolutely get a job. I know for a fact I will. It's one of the reasons I picked this career track, but also because I like it, I enjoy it and I like helping people."
And Moran says it's obvious that future nurse has been doing his homework where hot jobs are concerned. "I'll give you three words: health care, health care health care. Then beyond that, engineering, information technology, sales, and any job close to revenue (ie.) sales customer service or customer relationship management."
In fact Moran says students graduating from college right now actually have it pretty good. "The National Association of College Advisors is indicating there's about a 13 percent increase in planned recent college grad hiring. That's pretty good," Moran said. "In the last 2 years there were decreases, so that's actually a good number," he said. And Litwin has another suggestion. "Don't forget about your network," she said.
She recommends asking everyone you know including friends, relatives and former professors about any possible local openings. But above all, the HVCC Career Counselor says the best thing to do during the search process is to "stay positive."