OVERHEARD IN THE RECRUITING LOUNGE is a weekly feature on things going on in the recruiting side of CCD.

I overheard a lot of frustration and concerns about the economic crisis and its resulting impact on the college job market.  And here’s what I have to say to that:

Watch this: New Kids On The Block

If you’re reading this and you’re enrolled in college, you may have no idea who/what the New Kids on the Block were/are.  To sum up lightly, they were one of the greatest teen sensations to come out of Boston in the late 80s/early 90s.  As some would say, they were the original “Boy Band.”  And their stuff was hot… like rock a big old 10 inch diameter button on your denim jean jacket and matching fanny pack, hot.  But that’s not my point here.

Check out some of the lyrics to this song:

Step by step/ Gonna get to you girl…
Step by step/Ooh girl/ I really think its just a matter of time…
Step one/ We can have lots of fun
Step two/ There’s so much we can do
Step three/ Its just you and me
Step four /I can give you more
Step five/ Don’t you know the time has arrived…

Now surely, taken out of context, this song can be used to justify all kinds of stalker-like behavior, which is definietly “uncool.”  But taken in a different light, I think what the  New Kids are trying to say is that there is something to perseverance.

If you replay the song, and instead of “girl” you sing the words, “my job” I think you can get a good theme song going for your current job search.  And as our director says, often says, I’m not going to try to Pollyana* this situation.  This job market is tight, but it’s definitely been worse.   So here are some things that you can do STEP BY STEP.

Step 1. Evaluate your skills.  What do you like to do?  What do you want to do?  Identify 2-3 job functions that would be a good match for your skillset. (i.e. If you like sales and talking to people, maybe you’d like recruiting, or financial advising, or sales role. )

Step 2. Identify industries. Where would you like to do this function?  For each of the job functions you identified, find 2-3 industries that you might like.  (i.e. Take the recruiting job function.  Maybe you’d like to be a recruiter for an Educational Institution, a Biotech firm, or a Retail organization)

Step 3. Identify employers.  Now list three employers within each industry that meet your geographic or other criteria.  (i.e. following the same example, now you could list Educational Institutions like Babson College, Boston Public School System, and Dana Hall.)

Step 4. Lather. Rinse. Repeat.  If you repeat this process for each job function you identified,  you’ll have 27 employers (this is where my math gets shotty, but I think that’s the right number) to consider.  And this is where it gets fun…

Step 5. Work it out.  Research employers.  Network. Contact alumni, friends, and family that work with these employers.  Ask them for informational interviews.  Talk up your interests and skill sets and start applying for jobs.

Like the New Kids on the Block said, “We can have lots of fun.. There’s so much we can do… Don’t you know the time has arrived!”

*Reference to the 1913 novel of the same name where a young orphan overly optimistically sees the good in everything.  I never read it, but I’m sure it’s great story.