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.