Black Collegian Career Center

"My college degree guarantees me a job."  Albeit simple, this statement is patently not factual, and continues to stand as perhaps the one biggest misconception about what completing a prescribed course of study, and being awarded a piece of paper that says so, truly means.

The experience of Sandra Harris, a recent graduate from a respected HBCU in Louisiana, is but one glaring example of this brand of thinking.  Upon returning home to Illinois recently, diploma in-hand, she believed that corporate hiring managers would be clamoring for her with offers solely because she had prepared herself academically, and had earned high marks as an undergrad.  After six-plus months of futile searching, applying, interviewing and receiving regrets letters, she found herself frustrated and disillusioned—often in tears.

Like Sandra, far too many black college graduates are still emerging from colleges and universities nationwide upset, confused and not fully understanding that finding a good, promising full-time job in itself is a full-time job.  As seems especially evident with this generation, there is a predisposition toward wanting it now; to getting out, getting put on with a good company, getting the car, the clothes, the prestige and the "bling" without necessarily starting small, working one's way up the company ladder or, as the old-heads say, "paying any dues."

Granted, a college diploma is one of the best marketing tools that one can have in his or her arsenal, but it has to be viewed as just that—ammunition—and not all that one should have to offer.  A host of variables always come into play when it comes to mounting the all-important first job search and finding success, from knowledge of the potential employer, to interviewing skills, appearance, poise, posture, communication and more.  It's imperative for the good job prospect to study, to be ready to answer questions intelligently and have a few questions of his or her own in order to deftly navigate today's sometimes complex recruitment puzzle.

There is rarely a shortage of readily available, degreed job candidates who match your appeal and worth in any key market.  One quite frankly has to find a way to stand out, and learn from job search missteps.  "A lot of the time, when you apply for a position, you need to understand that there are many other people vying for that same job.  And, the fact that you don't get a certain position doesn't mean that you're not talented or that you don't have potential, it just proves that there are a lot of people out there looking just the same as you are," says expert and longtime corporate recruiter Beverly Franklin, CEO of BEVE-DA Consulting in Apple Valley, Minnesota.

"You've got to be able to build upon your successes with interviews.  It could be a handshake, a nod, a ‘thank you' card or whatever that separates one candidate from another.  There may be two or three candidates who are just alike, but sometimes it's just chemistry, a phrase, the way they presented certain information.  It doesn't mean that you're not a good candidate or that you don't have potential."  Students and recent grads have to have a thick skin, and should remember to ask for a critique, and then be prepared to apply the best outcomes and feedback from each interviewing experience.  Take note of the things that you did well, and use that momentum to propel you as you continue on to the next appointment, and the next.

Franklin further stresses that the interview is not the place to bare one's personal life, to use slang or to be casual because an interviewer is a person of color.  Often it's the patience, cultural grounding and resilience that are the hallmarks of an HBCU education, Franklin opines that enable black college graduates to distinguish themselves from their peers from other institutions.  Internships also are invaluable, as is camping out regularly at your university career planning and placement office.  "When you get out of school," she states, "basically all you have is your degree.  And, having it gives you, hopefully, interpersonal skills, some reasoning skills and problem solving skills.  But rarely does it give you business knowledge and direction.  "One of my biggest issues is with students coming out of undergraduate and graduate school, and who through their tuition are paying for the placement center and its services, but never go there."

The typical campus career and placement office houses a wealth of information about occupational outlooks, the current jobs that are in demand, what their qualifications are and where a two-to-five-year career track might lead you.  Most staffs also include advisors and counselors to help provide direction, to help you with contacts and/or to provide information about interview opportunities and recruitment visits.  A critical component of any job search strategy, the placement office is one resource that simply cannot be overlooked.  More importantly, once one gets a foot in the door, the rest that happens is up to you and your ability to set good priorities, to prove yourself a team player and to make yourself an integral part of the organization you're employed by.

Adds Franklin: "Choosing the best candidate for any organization involves recognizing a quality individual.  Oftentimes, you go to work for people that you like, or who are welcoming to you.  You are excited about joining their team, and they seem to truly take the time to cultivate your interests, to develop your capabilities and to encourage growth and your leadership style.  This doesn't always mean that you're on the fast-track to a higher salary, or that a promotion is around the corner.  Today's black collegian and recent grad needs to grasp, and accept that money doesn't ultimately make you happy, and it doesn't compensate for being in an environment that isn't nurturing.

"One other thing that's so critical, is that a lot of times new graduates enter into an organization in what I consider ‘entry level' professionals jobs, or even clerical jobs. Most kids these days have computer skills, and that's why it's possible for them to come in as clerical.  Understand that when you graduate and you come into an organization through a job that may not be your ideal, there is an internal job-posting process.    If they remember to acculturate—meaning to get along with people, to identify mentors, etc.—they'd be able within six months to a year to try for jobs that are posted for internal transfer and promotion.

"That process is there in most organizations.  It's up to the individual to take advantage of it, and to not get discouraged when you discover that you're not the only one applying for a posted job.  You simply can't give up," she emphatically concludes.  "You've got to hang in there.  It may take a half-dozen tries, the aid of supportive mentors, key organizational affiliations and more.  Although it's anything but, getting that first job out of school very often hinges upon how well one plays the game, by the rules that the specific organization sets."