An interview gone awry.

I’ve got news for you. It’s always a bad time to graduate college.

Earlier today, I commented on a blog post at Brazen Careerist. For the unfamiliar, Brazen Careerist is a career advice site for folks in their 20s (I just made the cut) who are relatively new to the career scene, but who are illustrious, educated, motivated, and (often) entrepreneurial. The particular post reflected on how now may be the worst time in decades to graduate from college and enter the workforce.

First, let me state that I don’t mean to knock either the site, the posting, or its author. Second, let me tell you that its theme is complete horseshit.

Here’s why: I graduated from college in December 2001. Two months after the attacks and subsequent economic fallout of September 11. I was living in Boston at the time and hoped to stay there—in spite of any major company caring that I was bright-eyed, bushy-tailed and available for hire for roughly the same cost as a used hatchback.

Since then, Boston has come down in cost of living significantly. But eight years ago, finding a livable, decently priced rental was impossible. And finding a job to pay for said apartment was less than impossible.

Between November 2001 and August 2002, I sent out 25 to 50 résumés per week. So did everyone else in town. It forced me to get creative—in the wording of my résumé, in my actual packaging and shipping of it, even in my approach to calling hiring managers. This creative vigilance resulted in several interviews, which is really the most you can ask a résumé to do for you. Unfortunately, the bulk of the jobs I interviewed for were low-paying marketing and communications jobs, often for non-profits. While my résumé creativity may have been greater than those I was interviewing against, my experience level was not.

For instance, I interviewed for one position with a non-profit that was offering about $28K per year. I was happily interrogated by the hiring manager, her boss, the board of directors, and several of the organization’s volunteers. It was exhausting and literally took weeks to complete. Each interrogator proclaimed to love me. Imagine my surprise when I didn’t get the job. Instead, they hired a person who had been laid off from her previous job, had several years of experience and a master’s degree, and who was more than willing to accept the measly salary.

Can you blame the organization? Of course not. Just like a smart, frugal consumer, the non-profit wanted to get more for its money.

Do current graduates have it worse than I did? It’s hard to say. The economy is shit, I’m not arguing that. But there will always be a recession, or one just a few years out. And every May for the last several years, hundreds of thousands of new graduates hit the pavement ready to commence a career that is unlikely to be ready for them. (According to this article, there will be 1.6 million new college grads for 2009.)
So, I hate to break it to you, but here’s the truth: It will always suck to graduate college. Regardless of the year. Regardless of the economic climate.  Sure, it’s worse some years than others. But as a recent graduate, these are variables outside of your control. Focus on what you can control in your search. Be patient. Be creative. Be vigilant. And most importantly, be realistic.