It’s not easy being a college graduate in this recession. According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), only 19.7% of the Class of 2009 secured a job last year, compared to 51% of the Class of 2007. And as the unemployment rate for college graduates (ages 20 to 24) hovers around 10.6%, the highest since 1983, Hamilton graduates are tapping the Hill’s career services now more than ever as they face an uphill battle in the job market.
The Maurice Horowitch Career Center does not keep regular track of the numbers, but in the past year and a half, Director Kino Ruth and his staff have definitely noticed an increase in the number of calls and email requests for employment assistance from young graduates up to five years out, mid-career professionals, and alums about 10 years out who want to get back into the workforce.
“We’re getting some of the ‘08s and ‘09s calling,” Ruth says. “They got out of Hamilton, they got their first job, but they got laid off and they call for help. We’ve also seen a slight increase [in calls] from older alums . . . but they’re nowhere near as numerous as the calls from the younger group. All in all, it’s actually not as much as I had anticipated it might be, but certainly it’s up. ”
While the Career Center mainly helps current students land their first job, Ruth says he and his counselors work around their jam-packed schedules during the school year to advise recent alums on their next career move or graduate school application––free of charge. Other small colleges like Bucknell and Lehigh have hired special counselors to work specifically with alums. At Hamilton, all of the career counselors work with graduates because many of them share close relationships with students who are now alumni.
“Quite frequently, a student will remember having worked with one of us, and that makes a difference,” Ruth adds. “The college pays an awful lot of attention to the alumni, and we do our best to provide services for them.”
On campus, for instance, the Career Center and the Alumni Association are putting together the second annual GOLD summit for Graduates Of the Last Decade and current students, which will take place April 16-18. In addition to information sessions about various career fields––such as Law, Education, and Finance––there will be professional development seminars discussing how to negotiate a pay raise, how to change careers, and how to plan an effective job search.
“Even when economic times are good, you’re always looking to move up or move on,” Co-chair of the Committee on GOLD Group Engagement Lynne Salkin ‘00 points out.
Most importantly, the event is supposed to bring alums and current students together.
“The GOLD Summit stems from the difficulties we’re facing in the economy and the general need to make the Hamilton network come a little more alive,” Director of Young Alumni Giving and event organizer Dave Steadman ‘03 said.
Off-campus, the Career Center and the Alumni Association have tried to bring counseling services to graduates in the major Metropolitan cities with the most active alumni chapters. Last year, Ruth hit the road, hosting panels with Hamilton alums in Boston and Washington D.C. to discuss how to find employment in the recession and share tips about industries that might be hiring. Hamilton and peer schools Colgate, Middlebury, Tufts, and Wesleyan also plan annual recruiting consortia events for current seniors in Boston, New York City, and Washington D.C. In fact, at this year’s Capital Consortium Interview Day in D.C. on February 5th, Hamilton and Colgate are organizing a special networking lunch and inviting their alumni in the D.C. area to meet with students and talk about their professions.
“Not only are the students down there interviewing, but they also now have a chance to maybe meet five or six alums who are already down there,” Ruth explains, “and maybe one of those alums works in the area they are interested in, and now they have another friend they can reach out to if they come back down there and do get that job.”
Taking a step outside the box, Paul A. Ryan ’02, Assistant Director of Alumni Relations and Regional Events, began organizing NESCAC Alumni Networking Events, so-called “speed-networking” events, last year to connect Hamilton alums with NESCAC alums. During this two-hour affair, participants try to land job contacts––not dates––through brief six-minute meetings with a dozen other NESCAC alums, based on their employment situation and career fields of interest. With the help of Philadelphia attorney and Colgate alum Craig Turet, whose company has organized numerous speed-networking functions since 2007, Ryan organized three such events last year––in Boston on October 7th, Washington D.C. on October 13th, and Philadelphia on November 11th. According to Ryan, the Boston and D.C. events reached full capacity; 100 NESCAC alums attended the one in D.C. and 150 NESCAC alums attended the one in Boston.
Mariana Vinacur ’09, a Harvard graduate student, enjoyed the whirlwind experience and meeting other NESCAC alums who live in the Boston area.
“Though overwhelming at first, I met an incredibly wide variety of people
ranging in age and field who shared a common past (a small liberal arts education),” Vinacur says. “Financial advisors, teachers, researchers, students, advertising and publishing interns are some of the people I met and am currently in touch with. I would
definitely recommend it to other Hamilton students.”
Due to popular demand, Ryan and Steadman plan to take speed-networking nationwide by using a computer conferencing software to connect Hamiltonians with fellow alumni across the country. Participants will view the profile, résumé, and picture of the person they are talking to on their computer screen. A clock will count down from six minutes, and when time is up, the next profile will appear. Speed-networking online is cheaper for cash-strapped alums as well, costing only $12 as opposed to $37. Ryan even hopes to tailor each conference to a different career field, so that alums can meet Hamiltonians who are not in their region, but share career interests––all from the comfort of their homes.
“It’s not as easy to get back to the Hill and utilize the Career Center, so we are trying to bring a little bit of the career stuff to alums,” Ryan explains.
So what advice does the college have for the members of the Class of 2010 as they brave the ever-shrinking job market? Be confident, be flexible, and be active.
“The seniors I’m working with are coming in, but they’re coming in with their head down,” Ruth notes. “The good news is, there are jobs out there, there are always jobs out there, and as a graduate of Hamilton College, you’re a recognized, valuable commodity. So keep your head up, and get off your you-know-what!”
