Recent Grads Report: Finding Hope in Troubling Times

Recent college graduates are putting their best feet forward this fall in the hopes of nailing that interview for the job of their dreams—or any job, for that matter.

For the approximately 2.4 million baccalaureate and associate students who received diplomas in 2010, the economic downturn has affected morale.

As professionals underline the importance of networking and persistence to their clients tackling the job market, they also search for hope.

The good news: at least there's a small improvement over last year. The National Association of Colleges and Employers said 24 percent of graduates had a job waiting for them when they left school, up from 20 percent at this time in 2009.

Janet Zeman, the executive director of career services at Mount Saint Mary College in Newburgh, stresses the importance of networking with already planted professionals to gain valuable contacts in the working world.

"[College graduates] need to tell everyone they know that they're looking for a job," she said. "A lot of times, somebody who knows somebody will have a connection to someone in the business. Many students have found this tactic to be successful in their search. We're definitely pushing it."

Shortly after Commencement, money begins to run scarce for many. Many young people are resorting to working at the summer jobs they have had for years and working apprenticeships to gain experience.

This is how Kim Sawicki, 22, a graduate of The State University of New York at Oneonta in May, has been spending her summer.

"I intern for an international film festival three days a week, and the rest of the days I spend working at a concession stand in LaGrangeville, NY," she said.

Splitting her time between working for free and earning spending money on the weekends has proved to be trying, but she believes the benefits will pay off soon.

"I was told it would be beneficial for me to gain professional experience in my field, so it's worth it for me to make contacts now and to network," Sawicki said.

She has also since received positive feedback about the film industry from the bosses at her internship.

"They told me that the best way to break in is to start with being someone's assistant, so if I play my cards right and prove myself at my internship, it should help in the long run when it comes time for recommendations," she said.

Michele Cestone, of White Plains, NY, stepped out of the Pratt Institute last year with training in computer and web design. As the excitement of being newly out of school wore off, she found herself working freelance for a local graphic art company that could not afford to hire her as a full-time employee.

"I applied to what felt like a hundred Craigslist postings a week," she said. Living in Binghamton at the time, she was hardly getting any bites from jobs there, the New York City area, or Westchester.

"I went on a bunch of interviews, but the ones I did get offers from either weren't the right fit for me, or weren't willing to pay me what I needed to commute there every day," she said.

After months of trying, Cestone at last came across an opportunity in January 2010.

"I found a job advertisement in the Penny Saver as a web developer," she said. "I interviewed and got the position. I've been working there ever since."

Zeman urges young folks to be persistent when applying for different positions.

"Keep going back to the places you've already looked at for work," she said. "Keeping checking on the status of the resumes you sent out two and months ago, and don't forget to update your resume."