The truth is, graduating college does not mean one will automatically obtain a job simply by applying for one. It has been getting more and more difficult in the past few years and in 2009 only 19.7 percent of college graduates who applied for a job actually have one (1).

I bet you lunch that the majority of that 19.7% are middle-class or higher. Let me explain why.

College grads are more likely to get a job:

1. If they already have some job experience.

   However, poor kids are less likely to have parents who own businesses or who have good jobs to begin with. For example, a middle-class parent may already own a business or be employed in a business where he is in a position to help his son or daughter land an entry-level job. Having a job, even if it's at your father's business, is important for a resume.

   Poor kids may not have the money to be able to afford to work at non-paid internships that give them some experience and could turn into a permanent job.



2. If they have a wide network to reach out to.

   The higher you are in the economic scale the higher the number of contacts you have in the business world. Yes, it's who you know. If all your friends are poor, who are you going to ask if they know someone who's hiring?



3. If they have a post-graduate degree.

   Poor college grads are less able to go to graduate school.



4. If they have money.

   Kids who are not poor dress better, have better speech habits, are more likely to have better smiles, and more likely to act successful at job interviews.

   As to the dressing better, I don't mean buying expensive clothes, I mean dressing appropriately. Among employers, 61% said that not dressing appropriately is one of the biggest mistakes recent college graduates make during the application and interview process (2).

But that's just my experience in interviewing and hiring people for the past forty years.

ENDNOTES

(1):

ABC News, Got Work?

According to a survey from National Association of Colleges and Employers, the class of 2009 is leaving campus with fewer jobs in hand than their 2008 counterparts. The group's 2009 Student Survey found that just 19.7 percent of 2009 graduates who applied for a job actually have one.

...

Economist say the members of this year's graduating class are also facing unique challenges not only because they are dueling against the growing ranks of unemployed for work, but because they are also facing a backlog created from last year's graduates who have yet to find fulltime employment.

(2):

Recruiting, Fierce Competition Expected Among New Grads

• Acting bored or cocky – 63 percent
• Not dressing appropriately – 61 percent
• Coming to the interview with no knowledge of the company – 58 percent
• Not turning off cell phones or electronic devices – 50 percent
• Not asking good questions during the interview – 49 percent
• Asking what the pay is before the company considered them for the job – 38 percent
• Spamming employers with the same resume and/or cover letter – 21 percent
• Failure to remove unprofessional photos/content on social networking pages, Web pages, blogs, etc. – 19 percent
• Not sending a thank you note after the interview – 12 percent