Staying on top in a tough job market

Nationally, the unemployment rate remains below 10 percent — thank goodness. But among 16- to 24-year-olds, unemployment hit an astonishing 18.5 percent in July, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

This was the highest unemployment rate among young people in the 61 years that the bureau has been tracking the statistic.

This is one awful job market. For the young, however, it’s downright miserable. Many young people have had to downsize their expectations. Where once a young attorney might have hoped to land a job at a big firm, he or she might have to consider opening a small, local office with a considerably smaller paycheck. Where once a young teacher might have hoped to get his or her first assignment in a top-level district, he or she might have to substitute-teach for several years. For millions of others, there simply are no jobs.

To our young people, we say, Don’t give up hope. The job market is bleak, but America is a resilient nation. Your job prospects will eventually improve.

No doubt, a degree from a top-tier university helps, even in a woeful job market such as this. But it isn’t everything. Young people should be honing not only their computer skills, but their people skills. Networking is truly key to landing that first job in a tight market. We’d suggest that you begin to learn the ins and outs of networking by reading a Depression-era classic, Dale Carnegie’s “How to Win Friends and Influence People.” It has taught whole generations how to get ahead by treating people right, while also getting your name known.

Get out there. Volunteer if you must. Do whatever you can to improve your resume and make potential job connections. Applications to AmeriCorps have tripled this year. That’s encouraging to see.

And when that first job offer finally comes along, consider taking it. It may not be the job you expected or wanted, but it’s a paycheck. There’s never any shame in doing an honest day’s work. And you never know where that first job will lead you — probably further than you ever imagined.