Finding and securing the perfect job is never easy, but it’s more difficult for a recent college graduate competing with well-qualified, recently laid-off workers. You know your prospects are limited, but you don’t want to accept a low-ball offer at the bottom of the ladder. Can you possibly benefit from this situation? Absolutely!
Find out who you really want to be—beyond what you want to do. Forbes writer David Serchuk wrote an inspiring piece about his experience graduating in a recession. Though he’d hoped to write for the New Yorker or another reputable publication right out of school, he found himself on an adventure of self-discovery—couch surfing in Colorado, working in restaurants and offices, and building a freelance writing career one submission at a time. Serchuk writes, “Bartending …taught me how to relate to people unlike myself. Being a phone survey guy is actually great training for journalism because you have to listen and get people to trust you in five seconds….Having your plans shattered, I guess, can be liberating. You have an ‘excuse’ to do your own thing. Go to South America, join the Peace Corps, move to Hollywood.” How you respond to this struggle and what you take from your experiences will define you far more than a job ever will. (more…)
