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Attention Unemployed and Underemployed College Graduates

The most important thing that hiring managers look for is not where you went to school or what you majored in or what your extra-curricular activities were in college. The most important thing is specialized industry and/or functional experience. Please take a moment to digest the words that are bolded and italicized. You probably realize that lack of experience is what is holding you back, but what I want to draw your attention to is that fact that this experience must be build within one industry and functional silo. Want proof of this? Look at any mid-level to senior job description in any job search site on the internet e.g. monster, indeed, simplyhired, etc. What you will see is the vast majority of job requirements are along the lines of at least X years experience marketing left-handed widgets to people with green hair required. In this case, 'marketing' would be the function, 'left- handed widgets' would be the industry, and 'people with green hair' would be the target market. And I can guarantee that the candidate with the most specific match to this requirement is the one that will wind up getting the job.

At this point you are probably thinking, I can't any job, so how am will I be able to obtain specialized industry and/or functional experience.  Here's the game plan in 3 steps

1. Become the expert in a 'boring' industry 
2. Reach out to hiring managers in the 'boring' industry you just become an expert 
3. Offer to work for free or as a temp

Step 1) Become the expert in a 'boring' industry

First, some definitions. What is a 'boring' industry? A 'boring' industry is one that is not glamorous. If there is no TV show about the industry, than there is a good chance it is in a boring industry. I cleave the working world in two below. 

Glamorous: Film, TV, Radio, Sports, Fashion, Advertising, Public Relations, Anything Media Related, Anything “Green”, Anything Wall Street such as Investment Banking, Private Equity, Venture Capital, Hedge Funds, Consulting, Well respected technology companies like Google or Apple, Well-known consumer products companies like Nike or Sony, and to a lesser extent teaching and non-profits

Boring: Virtually every other industry under the sun that generates most of the GDP of the country, from animal feed to industrial gases to insurance. 

Some of you would probably consider careers in boring industries, but the problem is you don't have any idea what these industries are and which might be a good fit for you. That's where I can help you out greatly, and plan a future posting on exactly this topic.  If you are like most clueless college graduates, you are probably focused on one of the glamorous industries.  I have news for you, so is every other college graduate who can't a job.  Think differently.  Be a contrarian.  If you don't know what that means, you should.  Google it.  

Step 2) Reach out to hiring managers (Not Human Resources!) in the industry you became an expert in

Here's a news flash to most new college graduates, but common knowledge to most hiring professionals. Human resources can't hire people, only line managers hire people. Human resources can block your candidacy, so you should be nice to them, but don't focus your job search efforts emailing resumes to human resources.

There are a variety of online resources out there where you can get the emails and phone numbers of hiring managers, so I'm not to dwell on that here, but may opine in a future post.   They key thing is that your first  first email or call demonstrates some of the knowledge you have gained about the industry and how you would like to learn more about that industry from a seasoned veteran.  Trust me, the average insurance executive is not getting many emails like this.  

Step 3) Offer to work for free or as a temp

 Always be closing. ABC. When you get the chance to meet face to face, and based on this approach you will get, you need to go into the meeting with a clear and realistic goal in mind. And that goal should be to land a temporary position or internship. This is realistic goal from a face to face meeting, but it makes sense from the buyer i.e. the hiring managers perspective.  Advice for life:  Always put yourself in the other guys shoes, and think the risk and reward of the decision  he has to make from his perspective.  If you do this, you will make better decisions that 90% of the population.

Putting Yourself in the Buyer's Shoes

Let's put yourself in the shoes of the hiring manager in a boring industry. I'm 53 year old executive in the animal feed industry. I have worked in this industry for 30 years. The average age of people in the animal feed industry is 50+ and we have a significant talent crunch. We have a job postings, all looking for 5+ years experience, and HR can't find anyone with the proper experience. While the animal feed industry is stable, it is definitely not sexy.  People run away from me at dinner parties after I tell them what I do.  

Meanwhile, I have this kid in front of me. He or she is asking me insightful questions about my business, reads the industry publications, and is willing to work for a free or on a temporary basis. Hiring anyone is a risk, but the risk to reward ratio is too good to pass up on. If the kid doesn't work out, I am not out much/ or any money. If he does work out, I have a full-time employee who is hungrier and more motivated than the overpaid and cynical employees I currently have.  I would be stupid not to say yes.  

Wait, You Said I Would Make Six Figures

Yes, but not right away.  What you will gain in the specific industry and functional experience that you distinguish you from every other college graduate out there.  It will take anywhere from 3 months to 12 months on average before you land a full-time paying job.  It may take less, if you prove yourself.  Either the place you are interning/temping at will hire you, or you will have the right type of experience on your resume to land a job at a competitor.  

Why Does This Approach Work?

The reason that the above approach works is supply and demand. There are 1 million plus college graduates a year, and from reading the headlines and blogs, it looks like a good chunk are underemployed. But how many are doing the steps above? How many are actually targeting non-sexy industries and become experts in that one non-sexy industry ? How many are actually reaching out directly to hiring managers and following up emails with a phone call?  BTW, you will need to call people you don't know, so conquering your shyness might be a part of the equation as well.  It can be done.  

Don't head backs to Starbucks and naively think your emailed resumes to Google or Goldman Sachs are going to get answered.  This approach requires hard work and a think skin. You will need to be able to take rejection and think like a contrarian. But it will work in any economy.  The reasons it works is because it is hard.  

If you have questions, stay tuned for my future posts or email me at unemployedtosixfigures@gmail.com