Dear Readers,

This column is dedicated to all the newly minted college graduates who do not yet have a job offer in hand. What is a highly educated, unemployed person to do?

Try to stay energized and motivated, for one thing. If you take the too-common approach of combining a defeatist with an escapist attitude – “I’m not going to win at this. What’s going on Friday night?” – says Wayne Wallace, director of the University of Florida’s Career Resource Center, “you can get by for awhile, but it’s going to come back and haunt you.”

You are not alone, obviously. The ranks of the unemployed keep swelling and the number of college students who are as yet uncommitted – without a job offer or acceptance to graduate school – is larger than it’s been in years. Take Derek Jose and his sixteen fellow students, who will graduate from the University of Wisconsin’s Center for Applied Security Analysis this spring. For the past two years, every graduate was employed within a week of receiving his or her degree, but that is not expected to happen this year.

On the brighter side of the unemployment line, many corporations are still hiring. Even firms that have laid off employees recently may be beefing up departments where they have an unmet need. Wallace reports that the employers who attended Florida’s spring career fair were down a third from a year earlier. But several of the university’s largest recruiters, big names like Lockheed-Martin, Microsoft, Target and General Electric, have snapped up dozens of graduates from Florida and from other schools, just as in years past.

“The game’s not over,” says Wallace. Recent graduates who have the best chance of landing a job going forward are those who “take ownership of the whole process,” he says. Rather than throw your résumé at a bunch of online job sites in hopes that something will stick, target your search. Take the time to answer some basic questions: What is it I have to offer? What do I really want to do?

Networking with alumni, former employers and friends is another important step. For one thing, it may be the quickest route to an opening. “We work hard to connect students with our alumni because it’s wonderfully useful,” says Kathy Heinzen, director of Lawrence University’s Career Center in Appleton, Wis.

Secondly, if you have a fear of interviews, meetings with alumni can give you some practice. “Students have become so comfortable with electronic tools, we are seeing a need to help them with face-to-face meetings,” says Heinzen. “Just because you know how to speak doesn’t mean you know how to interview,” Wallace concurs, noting that interviews can be quite challenging, especially structured behavioral interviews and interviews designed to test problem-solving skills.

That doesn’t mean that a higher grade point average gives you the edge. Having an internship on your résumé seems to be the biggest predictor as to who gets hired, says Wallace. The reasons are obvious: you have direct, related experience and have already proven yourself with a respected employer. “It’s as close to a silver bullet as there is,” says Wallace.

Some students are considering post-graduate internships, which seem to be taking the place of being hired fulltime for a probationary period. “It can be a door-opener,” says Wallace.

Being flexible is another way to expand your options. If you can relocate, the world is your market. Have several possibilities in mind regarding the type of organization, field and even the jobs you will consider. Consider cobbling together a couple of part-time positions or sign on with a staffing agency.

Just remember: you may have graduated from school, but at this wonderful stage of life everything is still a learning experience. The rest of us envy you for that.