Some of you will now find yourself with a degree and an economy which you would think can’t support you.

If you accept that statement then I would seriously consider going straight back into university until you think otherwise.

There are jobs out there you just have to look harder. Business owners are very busy and they don’t have time to look for new employees. They could be desperately requiring some more workers but just can’t find the time to commit to the ordeal of hiring someone.

Advertising a job is a difficult thing. Especially for small businesses (I would recommend getting a job at a small/startup business, you will learn so much more). The cost to advertise is huge, it sucks time and effort from other activities which are required to keep the business going. It has a huge change of failure, either nobody good enough applies for the job or the best person for the job is useless. Nobody wants to hire a C, we all want A’s!

How do you become an A?
This is not a reflection of your grades. Grades are cool and gave you the motivation to learn but that won’t get your very far in life. A study found that emotional intelligence was a bigger indicator to success than SAT’s (American Study). Emotional intelligence is not reflected in your exam or assignments. It’s who you are as a person and how you deal with the world.

High emotional intelligence is self motivation, it is self-focus. It is perseverance and endurance. It is communication and the ability to read people.

If you choose a profession that lines up with your passion then you are pretty much set. Get passionate about what you do. With or without a job, get out there are start using your skills. Find a business in your industry and volunteer your work. WORK FOR FREE. The country needs it and it will beat any interview you can get.

If you are in the IT world then start making something! Build a web app. Don’t do web apps? Then BUILD A WEB APP. Unfortunately (as I found out) the world wants more web apps. Software is going to the cloud and at the moment that means HTML, CSS, Javascript. Get an idea, signup to github and start cutting code. No ideas then come talk to me over coffee. I have a few I can share, I also have a couple of half cut projects that need some attention.

What do you get out of it? When you create or help create an application you tell the market your capable of doing so. Your not just a student anymore, you are a practitioner. You know your stuff and you use it.

If you are passionate about what you do and you show people you are passionate (by working in front of them for free) you will get a job. Simple as that.