University Star

Students expecting to graduate in the coming months must take advantage of the university’s resources to prepare for the competitive job market and work hard to stand out among other alumni.

Although unemployment rates have fluctuated between 3.2 and 7.1 percent over the past decade in the Austin metropolitan area, it is difficult for some recent graduates to find a job with reasonable pay. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Texas is the 16th best state to find a job in, with a seasonally adjusted Dec. 2012 unemployment rate of 6.1 percent. In 2010, the average unemployment rate for the San Marcos, Austin and Round Rock areas was 7.1 percent compared to an estimated 5.76 percent in 2012, according to the same statistics.

Texas State students are fortunate enough to have Jobs4Cats, which is a search engine on the university’s website that can provide the tools to help set them apart from other jobseekers. Some Texas State alumni have even been offered careers through Jobs4Cats upon graduation. Many employers are looking for something that makes students stand out from the thousands who apply for employment every day, and Jobs4Cats can give a student that added push.

After graduation, a lot of students may be nervous or unsure about securing a professional career. With the goal of aiding these students, Career Services at Texas State has a list of jobs available to students based on their degrees to help guide them in the right direction. Career Services offers students resume advice 24 hours a day and tips for obtaining a job after graduation. Not all universities provide their students with the opportunity to allow a professional to review their resumes before applying for job positions. Furthermore, students need to take advantage of these resources before they head out into the professional world.

It seems as though a student will be more likely to find a job if he or she looks good on paper through a resume. Students stand out by learning how to target a resume to a particular job position. In addition, it is easier for a student to find employment if they can tailor particular gifts and abilities to a job application more efficiently.

It is easy for some students to give up after searching for jobs and receiving no callbacks or interviews, but it is important to be persistent. According to statistics from College Prowler, 65 percent of students who graduate from Texas State will be employed within six months.
On a June 15, 2012 post on the Texas State official blog, alumni were interviewed and gave advice about life after college.

“Be obnoxiously persistent. Applying for 10 jobs a day isn’t as good as applying for 20, and 20 isn’t as good as applying for 30,” said alumna Kathryn Gisi from the Texas State 2011 graduating class on the blog post.

On the same post, Joe Koenig, alumnus from the graduating class of 2010, said students should not panic if they do not have a job secured right after graduation.

“An unfathomable amount of students graduate in May,” Koenig said. “You, your friends, your respective college, 10 universities in your area, et cetera are all interviewing for similar jobs. Be patient and differentiate yourself.”

Thousands of students graduate every semester. Because of Texas State’s proximity to other universities, not every student will be able to find their ideal job right away. Students should not be afraid to broaden their horizons upon graduation. Graduation is the perfect opportunity to go new places and end up somewhere unexpected. Use the tools that the university provides, but more importantly, do not give up on finding the ideal job, even though it may be difficult.