Post-grad struggle will soon improve

Like many recent college graduates in Florida and the rest of the country, Jessica Hewkin continues to struggle months after graduation to find a job in a bad economy.

"I'm, of course, applying for job after job after job with little to no response, nevermind an interview," said Hewkin, who graduated in May.

The English literature and political science major says the few responses she does receive to her internet searches are either, "we'll look over your application now, thanks for your interest" or "we've had a lot of qualified responses, and we aren't able to offer you an interview at this time." In the interim, she is using the time as an opportunity to gain more experience, serving as an intern for Ruth's List Florida and Florida Rep. Scott Randolph.

But Hewkin faces an additional challenge. Born in England, she moved to the United States with her family at the age of 10. Now, she faces the likelihood of leaving the country if she cannot find a job that supports her work visa before her status as a student expires.

The economy affects current students, as well. Junior political science major Ali Kurnaz found himself looking for his first job after a combination of cuts to the Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program, an increase in tuition and his parents' own struggles with money. Kurnaz went to Waterford Lakes Town Center to apply for a job and went "from Target to Best Buy and everywhere in between" with no luck. After searching since the end of April, he recently secured a job with the Walt Disney World Resort starting in August, but worries that the seasonal job won't last. He's also concerned the pay may do little more than cover his gas money for the 40-minute ride to Disney, the largest employer in Central Florida.

The job market for many UCF students and recent graduates like Kurnaz and Hewkin remains gloomy. While Florida's jobless figures seemed to offer a glimmer of hope in May, with unemployment at its lowest levels since August 2009, the national numbers for June painted a different picture.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the national unemployment rate remained virtually unchanged at 9.2 percent, representing 14.1 million people looking for work. Job growth remained stagnant, with only 18,000 jobs being created.

"The national numbers, I think, were a disappointment, and that may be an understatement," said Dr. Sean Snaith, director of UCF's Institute for Economic Competitiveness. "Only 18,000 jobs in total were added to payrolls last month. Given the millions of people who are unemployed, the rate of job creation is wholly insufficient to bring this economic recovery to the labor market, which has been waiting for a turnaround for many years now."

At 10.6 percent, Florida's jobless rate remains higher than the national average, but has continued to improve after peaking in December at 12 percent.

Snaith, a nationally recognized economist, believes the numbers are tied to weakness in the U.S. economy, surging oil prices and the disasters in Japan that disrupted supply chains.

"I expect the second half of the year to be markedly better," Snaith said.

Despite the prolonged economic recovery, students and recent grads do have a place to turn. UCF's Career Services offers an array of options to help students prepare for and conduct their job searches.

Some of these programs include career planning and exploration, career fairs, workshops, résumé assistance, skill building, practice interviews and KnightLink, a job board featuring employers looking specifically for UCF students and recent graduates.

"The economy has been bad; jobs have been down. That's not news," Career Services Executive Director Lynn Hansen said. "But students can prepare themselves in a number of ways to overcome it."

Hansen advised students to start the process of preparing for their careers early. In addition to earning good grades, she said students "need to have other things to make them competitive and marketable."

"They need to have a related job experience," Hansen said. "That means, if you are working as a waiter in one of the hotels, that is an excellent experience if you're hospitality major. But it is not necessarily the strongest experience if you are a computer scientist. You need to have work that is related to your major."

According to Hansen, leadership experience is also very attractive to employers. She suggests students become involved early in student organizations, student government, fraternities and sororities or athletics – anywhere they can take on structured leadership roles. Additionally, job seekers should be equipped with polished résumé and be prepared. "They need to make a good impression when they meet with employers, so they better have some communication skills," she said.