Students look forward to graduating, unsure about current, unstable job market

Josh Skaggs Staff Writer

 With

the economy in the state it has been in for the past couple of

years, many college graduates look forward to graduation with a

glass half empty attitude. According to the U.S. Department of

Labor, 9.1 percent of college graduates were unemployed in 2009 and

the number is steadily rising.

 UNA

senior Mitch Handley worries that his college education is not

going to get him a job right after graduation. Handley looks

forward to his graduation, but has already begun his job search

while still in school.

 “Since I was a

little kid I have always been in school it is hard to imagine life

without school and being financially independent,” Handley said.

“With the economy being as bad as it is and jobs being hard to

find, I am worried I will not be able to find a job right

away.”

 Handley is like

many college athletes that devote long hours to sports. Handley is

a former UNA baseball player who has barely had time to seek

employment or any other extra-curricular activities outside of

school.

 “I have been

playing sports my four years of college so it has been hard to find

time to prepare my resume,” Handley said. “Now that my sports

career is over I have found a part-time job to give me some work

experience and I have also volunteered with a few

organizations.”

 UNA, like many

other colleges and universities, is trying to help their graduates,

according to UNA Director of Career Planning and Development,

Melissa Medlin. Medlin says that students should start now when it

comes to their post-graduation job searches.

 “Finding a job is

a job,” Medlin said. “Seniors should treat their job search like it

is a class.”

 Medlin stressed

that students pay close attention to their resumes when they are

preparing for their job hunt. Medlin urges students to not be

sloppy in resume preparation and to not lie on their

resumes.

 “Your resume

sells you, you have to have a good resume to at least get an

interview,” Medlin said.

 Medlin also said

that an often known key to a good job search is to network, but she

said it’s not all about networking. “Networking gets you to the

door, but not in the door,” Medlin stressed.

 Medlin suggested

that students get hands-on experience in the field or fields that

they wish to work in. She said hands-on experience, whether in the

form of an internship or part-time job, looks better than no

experience at all.

 “Sign up for

LionJobs,” Medlin suggested. She wants students to know that UNA’s

Career Planning and Development Office is in place to help students

find jobs. The Career Planning and Development Office has many

programs set up to help students for free.

 The Career

Planning and Development Office’s website has information on all

the programs offered by UNA to help students before and after

graduation, according to Medlin. The website is available at

<span style=

“text-decoration: underline;”>www.career.una.edu.

Additionally, for more information students can stop by and make an

appointment with Medlin and her staff.