"I never thought I'd be dishing out potato salad to rich people," says Justin Rossi, 25, as he talks about his job hunting experiences.
Rossi graduated magna cum laude from Mercer County Community College in 2006, with an Advertising Design degree, and also earned a Fine Arts degree in Graphic Design 2008 from Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University, with honors.
After being unemployed for two years, he got a part time job at McCaffrey's, an upscale Princeton supermarket that paid nine dollars an hour. After a few months of deli work, Rossi finally landed another part time job through Craigslist, this time in his field. He worked for a yearbook company as a graphic designer at 12 dollars an hour.
After a year, Rossi got a tip from a friend who was changing jobs. He interviewed for his friend's old job and got it - a three month contract full time job as a web designer at an up and coming web design firm. His salary jumped to 25 dollarsan hour, but he still had no benefits and no promise that the job would last. Rossi is still living in his parent's basement, and his plans to marry his fiancé, Danielle, are on hold.
Danielle Duran, Rossi's girlfriend has suffered similar job woes. Now 27 years old, Duran graduated in 2008 from Rutgers University with a double major in Art History and Fine Arts. Even though she had gained years of experience in gallery, office and retail work from laboring part time to put herself through college, the only job Duran got after graduation was in credit repair. Then she was let go because of the economy. She is now working to find work and struggling to pay her bills with unemployment benefits.
Rossi and Duran have all applied for many positions and have gone on countless interviews, but say they have been disappointed with the results. Usually, they don't even hear back from prospective employers.
"I can't believe it's taken me so long to get a real full time job, although it‘s just contract work," says Rossi. His frustration is felt by thousands of other recent college graduates who assumed that all their hard work would pay off with the reward of a good job after graduation and now finding that despite all their researching and cramming, good jobs after college aren't guaranteed .
What can grads do to increase their chances of finding gainful employment following college? Dr. Susan Onaitis, Counseling Specialist in the Office of Special Services at Mercer County Community College, recommends volunteering as a way of gaining experience that can enhance a resume and better a graduate's chance at getting a job. Through the Dream Program, Mercer offers students the opportunity to tutor and mentor developmentally challenged students. Onaitis says that this experience allows students to gain on the job knowledge and people skills.
Dr. David Berry, a Professor of History at Essex County College and New York University and Executive Director of the Community College Humanities program, recommends that students get experience through internships and travel. "Foreign travel can change one's life," he says.
Prof. Berry believes that experiences outside the classroom like travel and internships broaden a student's perspectives and adds to their skill set. He also suggests that students network with former classmates and keep in touch with former teachers.
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