Guest blogger: Hanna Kassis, College Finance 101

Today we are delighted to welcome Hanna Kassis from CollegeFinance101.com as our guest blogger. Earlier this month, he wrote an insightful column featuring 7 tips for college graduates in their job search.  As parents with children in and recently out of college, this topic is top of mind. We frequently asking ourselves and each other, how can we support our kids in their post-college job search — offering them encouragement, connections and ideas without hovering and nagging. Our Thrifty Thursday advice for this week is to share these ideas with you — so you in turn can share them with with your recent college graduate and your friends.

Graduating With A Degree In Go-Getting

by: Hanna Kassis from CollegeFinance101.com

In a recent Wall Street Journal article, Toddi Gutner explores the weak job outlook for new college graduates in the glooming economy. Jobs have never been harder to come by, but with the right strategy and an open mind, students can build their network and increase their chances to startingtheir career.

In the month of March alone, 663,000 jobs were lost. The U.S. Department of Labor (http://dol.gov) reports that job openings fell by 3,000,000, and according to the article, employers who consistently recruit on campus expect to hire 22% less.

So how do you combat those forces that are completely out of your hands?

1. Take advantage of your youth. New graduates are usually a lot cheaper than someone who has been in the industry for a few years. Employers essentially get more for less. To the advantage of the employer, the young new hires have something to prove, so they’re willing to do what it takes to impress their superiors and get ahead.
2. Take advantage of being single and mortgage-free: be flexible. New graduates without children or a mortgage payment to worry about are willing to take the not-so-hot jobs that may require long hours and lots of travel. These positions tend to be more desireable to newbies than experienced professionals. Look for job offerings that provide similar descriptions. Get down and dirty!
3. Finance is far from dead. On Wall Street, sure. You can say that it’s in the ICU of the hospital. But finance is a pivotal function of any organization. Gutner paraphrases Frank Tortorello, executive director of career services at Franklin & Marshall: …(new graduates) would be smart to look at finance jobs outside of banking, like at a hospital or transportation company.
4. Internships, internships, internships! Even though internships often pay next to nothing, and sometimes nothing, it’s still a great way to get your foot in the door. You’ll learn a lot, gain real world experience and meet many industry contacts. And if you impress them enough over the course of your internship, you’ll highly be considered for a salaried/paid position.
5. Focus on the bread and butter of your resume. The one thing your experienced peers have over you is… yup, you guessed it: experience. And that’s hard to top. Highlight a specific experience or position you’ve held, and don’t be afraid to brush it up with a little detail. For example, if you were the communications director of your campus organization, explain the resources you used to contact members and how well each initiative worked in regard to retention/recruitment of new members. Don’t be afraid to mention your roll on any team, either.
6. Have a mentor and contact. You always want to be in touch with the professionals in the industry you are leaning toward. It never hurts to be able to ask someone questions you might have about their career and different routes you can take. Plus, when the time comes for a job opening and your resume is polished, you kind of have an “in” with some folks that could help your chances of landing a job.
7. Build your network! Go out of your way to meet people. Campuses are jam-packed full of networking opportunities and career fairs. Ask people for their business card (they love reaching into their pocket to give you one, too) and ask questions. The moment you walk away, write down something about that person. For example, if an insurance representative says he has a side business, write it down on the back of their business card. If you ever come in contact with them in the future, you instantly have a conversation starter – and it looks really good that you remembered a detail about their life. Chalk up the brownie points. And don’t forget to e-mail them a copy of your resume for their files, even if they’re not hiring.

You can read the entire WSJ article by Toddi Gutner here.

Hanna Kassis graduated with an Accounting degree from Youngstown State University, and decided to target college students to help them manage their money for a successful financial future. He is currently attending YSU’s Financial Economics program. Hanna can be reached at hanna@collegefinance101.com. CollegeFinance101.com was started by two college seniors from Ohio after learning the hard way about money.  The site provides in-depth and relevant content on college selection, finance, economics and life.

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Tags: college graduate job search, tips for post college job search

This entry was posted on Thursday, April 30th, 2009 at 11:55 am and is filed under Guest Blogger, Thrifty Thursday. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.