Turning Your Education into a Career

Despite a national unemployment rate hovering above 8 percent, many companies say they have a tough time finding qualified employees. 

Recent college graduates have a slight advantage in landing a job because they're willing to start at a lower salary than older, experienced employees, according to Jerry King, owner of King Career Consultants in Charlotte, N.C.

King, a consultant for more than 20 years, says graduates entering the competitive race for jobs armed with a shiny, new degree need to be focused in their attack but also think of their career as a marathon rather than a sprint. He counsels them not to get too hung up on matching their education with a chosen career in the beginning. 

"You'll never get perfection right away," he says. 

People change companies an average of 10 times in a lifetime so the main goal should be to get into the workforce, learn all you can and then concentrate on moving up and into your ideal position.

But when a college degree is a given for most entry-level business positions, it can be difficult to stand out in a crowd of young, eager applicants. One way, King says, is to avoid a common rookie mistake by thinking about the hiring process from the company's point of view rather than your own. 

"The work environment is a whole lot more competitive than it ever was," he says, adding that companies can spend up to $200,000 to train someone. So the people doing the hiring are looking for employees who believe their job is to help the company increase profits, grow and succeed. 

At the interview, "don't tell them you want to be vice president," he says. "They've heard that from every other applicant. They want to know how you will help them."

In a piece of advice that recent graduates may find surprising, King says relying on the Internet to find a job is a time-waster. 

"Less than 1 percent of jobs are found on the Internet," he says. 

Most are found through old-fashioned networking. 

"You have to get out and sell people," he adds. "Be dressed well, smile and tell someone, 'I'm a problem-solver.' It's almost like being an actor. Ronald Reagan was probably the greatest actor because he sold himself as president of the U.S."