With May almost here, once again thousands of young adults who have worked hard for 4 years to get their degree are graduating, and facing the harsh reality of our economy.  It is not easy getting a job right now.  And it’s even harder to get job in the exact field you studied in college.  But it is not impossible.

I worked very hard, and was lucky to land my job with Ericho Communications.  Within 3 weeks of graduating college with a Public Relations degree, I moved to the only city I wanted to live in and was hired by Eric.   I’ve had a lot of friends ask me to give them advice on how to land a job right out of college.  Thought I’d share that advice with you!

First, set a goal.  If you do not really know what you want to achieve, it is hard to achieve it.   A lot of people I know apply to any and everything, hoping to get a job anywhere.  Most of those jobs have nothing to do with their resume or experience.   If you get just any job, just for an income, chances are you wont be as happy as you would be if you got a job you really want.  Its important to love what you do and seek a job you think you’ll love.  Set a goal and go after it.  Things are more tangible that way.

Second, don’t be intimidated by the millions of news articles that seem to run every day describing the state of the economy.  A lot of people I know have decided to not even apply to jobs until the economy gets better.  Yes, the economy is tough, but there are people hiring now.  You just have to do your research and find them.

Third, intern as much as possible, and keep in contact with everyone you worked with.  The old saying, it’s not what you know, it’s who you know, actually applies.  With thousands of college students all graduating at once you need to have an edge on the competition.  If you have already interned with several companies, you have already made relationships with people in the field you want to work in.  If they are hiring, chances are they will consider someone who has already had experience in their office and has already been trained with them as opposed to picking a random resume submission from Monster.   Even if your internship is not hiring, they know the industry and the people in it.  If do you well and ask them, they might be willing to pass your name along to companies they know that have entry level positions available.

Everyone knows that it’s not easy landing a job in your field right out of college in this economy.  But with a solid game plan and hard work, it is certainly possible.