That Old Catch-22: College Graduates Face the E-word

Yep, it's the old Catch-22. The one where the soon-to-be/fresh college graduate slugs through resumes, cover letters, and interviews to discover he or she has "many good qualities" but will not be hired because of the e-word.

Yes, the e-word. Experience.

"How will I get experience if you don't hire me?!" I want to scream it. It's been over two months of aggressive job-hunting, and I've been given that e-word each time. Even entry-level positions come with a hidden e-clause.

What is a college graduate to do? Yes, I understand why employers want experienced employees: less training = less hassle. It's cheaper (unless you consider salary). I know this. But I also embarked on this quest believing what my high school and college advisors preached: internships are the key to this Catch-22.

Wrong. My two relevant internships and steady work history count for squat. Somewhere in those four years of earning a BA, I was supposed to magically acquire 3-5 years of experience in the professional world.

Fine. Time to suck it up and call the staffing services. Data-entry, call center, office assistant . . . Nope. For staffing services to place me in entry-level data-entry, I must already possess six continuous months experience in data-entry. I assumed entry-level implied entry, an opening, start, a beginning. Bring in the donkey, I forgot about the prologue!

Currency Conversion: What is my education worth?

The business office is a Visa commercial. Each year is 25k, but the experience is "priceless." That e-word again.

This experience included, among the usual academic rigors, a test-run of the real world. The administration kindly showed students what it's like to be ignored, robbed, and lied-to, and how to tolerate it. I half-believed one of their selling points: a degree, Dean's list GPA, internships, good resume and interview would balance the e-deficit.

Now I realize I should've become a tradesman. The classifieds are full of openings. I had an easier time getting hired before I had a degree. Wish I had known this before those student loans.

Job-hunting is a full-time job . . .

Leading up to graduation and since then, I get up every morning and trawl through Monster, JobLink, CareerBuilder, Workforce Development, on-line and physical newspapers. I narrow, then expand the search. Resumes are targeted, cover letters individually written, emails and voicemails professional . . . but:

"You have many good qualities, but we don't feel you have enough experience."

I am gaining plenty of experience. The last of my work-study paycheck is dissolving through postage, resume paper, and gas to interviews. My first student loan payment is due June 11. Job-searching has become my job. It just hasn't paid yet.

At my next interview (whenever that will be), I may just argue how continuous job-searching gives me the on-the-job experience all these employers have been denying me. Cold-call, follow-up calls, networking, professional writing, rejection, decorum, investigation, tact, etc. Of course, I already have this experience.

To the employers out there, I say this: Take a chance. If you don't invest in new graduates, you'll find the workforce in an enormous experience gap.