I know a lot of recently graduated Millennials who are still looking for jobs. Of course everyone knows that 2009 was a rough, rough year for Millennials to find a job. The bad news? It’s not getting any better yet.
According to the LA Times, “For 20- to 24-year-olds, the jobless rate rose four-tenths of a percent to 16% in November, even as unemployment nationally slipped to 10% from 10.2%. And data from the Labor Department show that the unemployment figure for college graduates in that age group was 10.6% in the third quarter — the highest since early 1983 and more than double the rate for older college-educated workers.”
Ouch!
The news looks grim for Millennials right now, but all hope isn’t lost yet. There are a few things that Millennials can do to increase their chances of getting a job even now:
1. Network like hell- This is the hardest thing to do, because networking is exhausting. But I seriously think that it is much much easier to get a job if you know people. And the best way to get to know more people is to network. Go to networking events, use social networks and attend as many industry events as you can. If you want a job now you are going to have to work for it. So get out there and do it.
2. Don’t sit at home- This is so so hard not to do when you don’t have a job. Because lets face it, you can only apply for jobs and network for so many hours in a day. But do not sit at home the rest of those hours. You MUST take a class, learn a new skill, volunteer, DO ANYTHING that lets your future employer know that you weren’t sitting at home for the last six months. You have to stay competitive when you don’t have a job, because just think about the new batch of grads that will be looking for jobs in May. If you have been sitting around doing nothing, they will easily take your future job.
3. Don’t use the economy as an excuse- It’s so easy to make excuses, especially when the economy sucks. But don’t let the economy be your excuse. The economy is every person’s excuse, and no employer cares.
These are just three of the hundreds of things that Millennials can do to find a job in 2010. What other ways do you recommend?
(My favorite, write a blog post about why a company should hire you.)
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
Hi Blake, I really like reading your blog.
I think targeted searching is the best option, in addition to your list above.
I was unemployed – by choice – this past summer, as I relocated cities. I networked like crazy, started writing a blog, and volunteered – I put myself out there.
The job I did get was a result of targeting the companies that I most wanted to work for, and I either found a way to set a meeting with a decision maker (someone that has influence over the hiring process) or in a few cases, I submitted a blind application – I wrote them a letter telling them why I thought their work was really cool and why I would be a great addition to the team.
It worked, too. One of the companies that I sent a letter to called me up for a meeting – it wasn’t just because I sent a letter though, it was because when they googled me and asked around, they found out that I was someone worth looking into hiring. Now I have a job that I love in a city I chose to live in!
Millennial’s most often have a great go-getting attitude. That’s the best place to start!