The job market is rough.
Last year, over 53 percent of college students under 25 with bachelor degrees were unemployed or underemployed, according to a report by the Associated Press. How can college graduates compete in this economy? Three University alumni from the class of 2011, who have beaten the odds, have some advice.@@http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2012/04/half_of_recent_college_grads_u.html@@
Drew Terhune was hired as an Assistant Complex Director in University Housing. Rochelle Dobson works in Portland as a Brand Ambassador for KIND Healthy Snacks. And Heath Mitchell will be going to Mongolia for the Peace Corps in late May. Through a combination of perseverance, networking and hard work, these college grads have beaten the national trend.
Drew Terhune@@http://uoregon.edu/findpeople/person/terhune/36769@@
How were you different or stuck out from the crowd?
I have some significant experience working on multicultural, socially just environments. In college, I was the student coordinator for opportunity and outreach in Undergraduate Studies. In that position we reached out to area youth who were Latino or Chicano. That was actually a super cool job and I would love to do it again.
How can other students learn from your example?
I think that the people who have helped me so far have cared about me and wanted success for me. Networks aren’t just for getting you the job offer, they’re for getting you in the door, getting the application, getting tips for when there are openings. Stay in contact with your network. It’s just mutually beneficial to help people who want to help you. If I hadn’t had positive relationships with my mentors who got me this position I’d probably be unemployed or underemployed right now.
Do you think students should start to develop networks in school?
Yes, I think that a university is uniquely suited to be that place. Everyone here at some level cares about students. They want you to be successful. Also, I got lots of different experiences. I worked on underrepresented student recruitment, taught a FIG and wrote for the Daily Emerald for a term; none of those things are related to any particular career track but they all add things to my portfolio and gave me skills to bring to an employer.
You’ve talked about networking pre-job and networking in the position. Could you explain the difference between them?
Personally, I don’t network well when I’m unemployed. I feel too desperate and think I’m not making a good impression. For me, networking happens when I’m in a job. So when I have a job, I just try to show them my professional self in a way that’s more social than employment-oriented. Also it’s important, I think, to do the same for others, particularly for people at my experience level. I’m technically their competition, but the market is so brutal that we’re helping each other.
What kind of methods or tools do you use in networking?
I just talk. Also I use Twitter and LinkedIn, but not as much as I just talk to people. The medium sort of changes depending on the person, but when I’m networking, I’m trying to be someone that someone else wants as a coworker or an employee. Nice and personable, but also talented and capable.
Rochelle Dobson@@http://www.linkedin.com/in/rochelledobson@@
How did you get where you are today?
Well, when I was in college, I knew I needed to be involved in things and get the upper hand against graduate students, so I made sure I was involved with everything I could be. I had leadership roles in my sorority, held four internships and worked two jobs during my time at school. I think in the long run that really helped give me an advantage, but I thought when I graduated people would be knocking down my door because of all I had done. That was not the case.
How were you proactive about getting hired?
I decided to sit down and make a list of all the companies I would like to work for. I listed a bunch of them down and then got all the contacts of people I knew who knew people who knew people who worked at these companies. I set up informational interviews with them. I always made sure I would say something along the lines of “I have this, this and this to offer the employer; what can you offer me?”  It gave me an advantage.
How would you say networking led to your current employment?
You have to look at your resources and realize people are mostly kind and helpful and they will try to help you if they can. You have to reach out and ask. Everyone can help each other in one way or another, and you just have to figure that out. I had an interview with the marketing team at Whole Foods. I had a great interview, but she told me there were no positions available. However, she had been very impressed with my interview and asked my permission to send all my contact info to some people she knew. And that led to where I am today.
What kinds of methods or tools do you use when you network?
When I was job searching I always tried to talk about the three qualities that make me who I am. I have high integrity, I’m innovative, and I’m optimistic. Those are the three things I want people to know about me when I’m in an interview.
Heath Mitchell@@https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=521267909&ref=ts@@
What did you do to get into this position?
While I was flipping burgers at a university near my house, my mother was traveling around the East Coast for some sightseeing and visiting with distant relatives. As it turns out, my grandmother’s cousin’s son just so happens to work in international affairs. Knowing that I was interested in this field, my mother asked him about internships or other opportunities he knew of. Three months later, I was working for him.
How can other students learn from your example?
Take a piece of paper, and list out categories such as: family, friends of the family, friends, UO, religious community, hometown, past internships/jobs, etc. Then list as many people under these headings as you can. These people are your network, you will be asking them about opportunities, asking for letters of recommendation, and generally putting the bug in their ear that you are on the market.
Do you think students should start to develop networks in school?
Yes, undoubtedly. Try to make meaningful connections with advisers and professors in the fields you are interested in. Peers can help too, but seeing as most of your peers will be busy looking for jobs themselves, while in school it’s best to focus on connections with people who are already established in your field(s) of interest.
Could you explain the difference between networking pre-job and networking in the position?
Pre-job networking is what you do to get yourself planted in a position; it’s the metaphorical act of digging a hole and settling yourself in it. Once you are settled, you have to put down roots, and that is the second kind of networking. Once you are planted, it’s time to start growing; you have nowhere to go but up.
What kind of methods or tools do you use in networking?
I would call friends and family about possible opportunities. I would email people who I thought might know of opportunities in the future every few months with an update as to what I was doing with my life while looking for jobs. People will forget about you if you don’t remind them that you are there. Phones, emails and postcards, if you go somewhere exciting, are my personal weapons of choice.