Job Search Tips for Recent College Grads

Every time Marlene Ramirez gets behind the wheel of her small, used car, the reminder stares her in the face: “Check Engine.”

There’s something wrong beneath the hood, and she probably can’t afford to fix whatever it is.

“That’s the hardest part,” she said, her eyes clouding with tears. “When they ask you, like, “Why don’t you have a job? You graduated from UCLA”

Ramirez graduatied in December with a bachelor’s degree in International Development Studies. She’s smart, pretty and poised. But she can’t find a job.

Not the one she wants, anyway.

Ramirez wants to work in entertainment sales or promotions. She acknowledges that a different degree may have better prepared her for such a position, but there was a time (before the recession) when just having a bachelor’s degree would open doors, even in a highly competitive profession like TV.

Not anymore. Ramirez says after graduation, she hit the ground running, applying for ten jobs a month, then twenty. Recruiters called her in for four interviews at various companies. None called her back.

Ramirez’s disappointment is amplified every time she hears of fellow students landing jobs or getting promotions.

NBC-4 consulted with three employment coaches to figure out whether Ramirez could improve her job search.

They were shown unedited video of her interview, and presented copies of her resume.

It’s true, they told us, that jobs are scarce, even for college grads. But there are ways that someone like Marlene can increase their odds.

“Her resume has a lot of distraction,” said Alycia McCullough, a career counselor at Loyola Marymount University. First, there are confusing entries, spacing errors.

Also, the document itself contains colored graphics, which McCullough said are unnecessary.

“She’s making the employer learn how to read a resume," McCullough said. "The employer doesn’t have time for that.”

Lawrence Broughton of California’s Employment Development Deptarment said the resume is a bit too long.

“For students who are just coming out of college, she actually wants to trim this down to one page, page and a half,” he says.

That’s because recruiters are sometimes suspicious of extensive “work experience” from someone who has really just begun to seriously enter the workforce.

NBC-4 News’ panel of coaches all agreed that Ramirez has a lot going for her, especially in a field where her engaging personality, bright smile and positive attitude are valued.

She’s even tri-lingual – English, Spanish and Portuguese – but that’s not even prominently featured on her resume.

John P. Carvana,  a career counseling specialist at Loyola Marymount, said Ramirez needs to use her Facebook profile to reach out and make career contacts.

He noted that her Linked-In account is inactive, and that she’s never Tweeted any information regarding her status either.

“She has not fully learned how to market herself,” he said.

Back to Work: This story is one in a weeklong series focusing on jobs and employment in Southern California.