Mission: employment

There's been a lot of trepidation facing the class of 2009.

The joy of graduation has been somewhat overshadowed by the bleak economic situation, with daily headlines trumpeting unemployment rates, home foreclosures and bankruptcies.

But those like Julie Swaner, who have made lives of helping others find employment, are charged with a mix of reality and encouragement.

Swaner doesn't even work with new graduates, as she runs the Alumni Career Services at the University of Utah and helps those who have been out of school for two years or more. She said that while traffic through her doors has increased and the job market has changed, there are still reasons to be optimistic.

"It's highly competitive," she said. "There are lots of jobs out there, but there are also many more job hunters, so the search becomes one that is hyper-competitive. It requires a greater clarity."

Swaner said it's no longer enough to walk into a company and list your qualifying characteristics. You need concrete evidence and experience to demonstrate your accomplishments. She also said that job seekers have to overcome their fear of networking, which accounts for about 80 percent of jobs won.

"Most people don't understand networking and don't know how to use tools like LinkedIn," she said. "They just don't know how to do it, they are uncomfortable, they think you have to be an extrovert. You don't have to be an extrovert, but you do need to put yourself in social situations. Sitting at home hitting apply, apply, apply won't get it done."

According to Swaner, networking is the most important part of the job search, but researching and doing background research is just as important.

"Find out what industry you want to be in, what role you want to play and target 15-20 companies," Swaner said.

"Know the company and the benefits and figure out what it is you want to be and then drill deep. Most people aren't willing to drill deep, they want to throw wide."

She said that while research may seem cumbersome and difficult, it's absolutely essential, especially at the interview level. She said that this part of the process — despite being vital — is often overlooked.

"It's not easy, and you don't want to think about it until you have to, but a lot of times you find you don't have the skills because you're spending more time buying a suit for the interview than researching," she said.