Published: June 26, 2009 10:01 pm      

Graduates struggle to start careers

(Editor’s note: This is the third story in an occasional series about ways to survive the country’s weak economic conditions.)

Finding a new job can be a struggle, but finding a job as a recent college graduate or a current college student is even more difficult.

For Tamara Walker of Richmond, “working for the man” until her 30s had gotten old. She was tired of “working her fingers to the bone” only to watch her superiors become more successful and make more money, she said.

At 27, Walker decided to get her bachelor’s degree from Berea College. Her husband, Joe Songer, agreed to work while she went to school and in May 2008, she graduated with a degree in biology with a minor in agriculture and natural resources.

Walker applied for 150 to 200 jobs at the least that she met any of the qualifications for.

In college, Walker worked helping people with their resumes and other career-related materials and said she knew getting a job was no walk in the park.

“I knew the job hunt was not going to be easy, but I didn’t think I’d have this hard of a time,” she said.

She never had trouble getting a job before with her many other marketable skills not related to biology, she said.

Some weeks alone, Walker applied for 30 to 40 jobs, she said.

Most times, Walker did not even get an interview, when she knew she was “more than qualified” for the position.

She was only called back for one interview for a job even remotely related to her degree. It was a job as a lab assistant at the University of Kentucky. Most others in the area required a master’s degree, a Ph.D. or many years of experience, she said.

For the interviews she did get, she tried to take advantage of them. Walker would contact the employers to try to figure out where she went wrong and what it was she needed to work on, but never got a response.

Since summer started, James Holliday has been facing a similar problem. The senior geology major at Eastern Kentucky University has applied for more than 16 jobs. He has been turned down once and been told the employer is only taking applications, but not hiring. For the past three weeks, he has been waiting to hear back about one of his many job applications.

Holliday has been told the manager is there every day from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. He said he has called every hour, but each time, he gets the same response that the manager is not in and the employee does not know when the manager will be back.

“They have a sign saying they’re hiring,” Holliday said. “I don’t know, I guess it’s just the management’s availability.”

Recently, after applying to a local restaurant, he finally landed an interview only to be told afterwards the business was not hiring.

“I think it’s kind of wrong, giving a false hope,” Holliday said.

Another prospective employer clearly stated they did not want any phone calls about the position they had available.

Holliday turned in a completed application, but now does not know what to do. He said he would like to call and see if the position has been filled, or at least verify they received his application, but he fears losing his chance at the job if he calls.

He would really just like to hear a firm answer from businesses and get in touch with them, he said.

If the job market stays like it is when Holliday graduates, “it’s going to be interesting,” he said.

It is tough out there in the job market, said Laura Melius, director of career services at EKU.

“Yeah, there’s a 10 percent unemployment rate, that means 90 percent have jobs,” she said.

Students and graduates need to look at all their options and be flexible, she said.

“You might not be able to get the job you want, but see it as a stepping stone to build your resume and skill set to get that dream job,” Melius said.

There are jobs available, said Mary Lamb, coordinator of career services at Berea College.

“It’s just the willingness to relocate and sometimes, it’s the ability to have the funds to relocate,” she said.

Graduates need to look at where jobs are available and look at the skills required and “how they match up,” Lamb said.

You also have to be able to communicate what you can bring to an employer, she said.

“It’s like going to the doctor. If you can’t tell your symptoms, how will they treat you?” She asked.

Employers are looking for passion, Melius said.

“They want that excitement and to know that you want the job,” she said. “It’s very easy to be a piece of paper and a number in a system.”

In March, Walker — a 31-year-old mother-to-be — finally landed a job.

At the Kentucky Blood Center, she works as a donor scheduler, calling past blood donors and trying to get them to come back and donate again.

“By no stretch of the imagination” did Walker’s degree help her get her job, she said, aside from the fact that she knows what the blood is used for and can tell you its components.

Walker now makes less money than she did prior to getting her degree, “doing the same sort of work,” she said.

It is now up to Walker to support her family, like her husband did before. He is laid off and working on a degree in computer science at EKU. She also has student loans and care for her baby, due at the end of July, to consider.

The last time they looked, her husband’s student loans were already up to $80,000 and “he’s not even done yet,” Walker said.

“Luckily, we’ve remained poor enough to get grants,” she said.

Walker has not been at her new job long enough to receive any benefits after taking off to have the baby.

“I’m not guaranteed a job when I get back from maternity leave, but I don’t feel like I’ll lose my job,” she said.

As she looks to the near future, Walker said she will probably be living off of credit cards and waiting for her next move.

She will continue to try for jobs or either go back to school in hopes of waiting out the economy, she said.

“My education was supposed to be my independence. Now, I’m right back at it,” she said.

Walker does not regret getting her degree, but does regret how the economy turned, “basically looking down on education.”

“Right now I’m just trying to find a place where I can muddle through until I can find a place of comfort,” she said. “I don’t know that there’s a way to handle it, you just do it.”

For more information on career development, contact Berea College Career Development at 985-3316 or EKU Career Services at 622-1568.

Brittany Davenport can be reached at 624-6624 or news@richmondregister.com.