Advice for Recent Graduates

Congratulations Recent Graduates!

You made it through college and have your degree.  You are also drowning in job search advice telling you how to get the highest paying job.

• Are you getting so many interviews you can’t keep them all straight?
• Are you swimming in job offers trying to decide which position is right for you?
• Are all of your friends getting offers of $100,000/year or more for their first job?

Is this not happening to you?  What’s wrong with you?

NOTHING IS WRONG WITH YOU

Take a deep breath and look at this process realistically.

First, not everyone is flooded with interviews and job offers.  Forget what you see on social media and the statistics you read.  Some of this information truly is “fake news.”

Unemployment may be at an all-time low, but not in every field or discipline.  Some people are still struggling to find work.

The calculations for the average starting salary are based on the people who are actually reporting what they are being offered.  Some of them are getting outstanding offers from large corporations and are very proud of that, so they are sharing that information.   Some people are trying to keep up with their friends on social media and perhaps fudging the numbers a bit.

Others are being offered less money to work for smaller companies, many of them with different types of benefits that perhaps are not measured as dollars.  These people are not running out to report to the school and announce on social media these lower salaries.

Advice you May Not Hear

When you get an offer that isn’t a number you want to report or post, maybe it’s still the right job for you.  Maybe it’s a great place to work, or a great place to start and you will be happy working there.

It’s not always about the highest salary.  Sometimes that leads down the road to golden handcuffs (being employed at such a high salary that it’s impossible to leave even though the job makes you physically sick).

At some point you need to follow your heart and accept an offer just to get your foot in the door and begin your career.  You may be surprised to find a happy and fulfilling career in spite of the salary range.