CONWAY-Last week Coastal Carolina University graduated more than 300 of its students but, like thousands of new graduates, landing a first job can be extremely difficult since South Carolina’s job market is still bleak.
Most of CCU’s students are gone for the holidays but recent graduate Radhika Chabba was hanging around the campus career center Monday evening.
"Being from a different place and just being here for four years in South Carolina it's really hard to find a job when you don't know anyone besides the people at Coastal,” sais Chabba.
Chabba majored in biology, a subject she said she’s passionate about but that enthusiasm is slowly dwindling.
The 22-year-old said she’s actively looking for a job in her field to pay the bills otherwise she'll have to rely on her family.
"I have worked on campus like for four years and I did like all this real technical work in labs but I don't have a place to use it or apply it and it's sad,” she said, “It’s so frustrating and it makes me angry that I can’t find a job.”
Chaubba’s situation is something placement coordinator, Melissa Braunstein said isn't uncommon these days.
Braunstein said nationally the hiring trends and college recruiting went up by 40 percent but it’s not as high for the state.
“For recent graduates this has put them in a difficult position because for many of those students who want to stay in the Myrtle Beach area it means diversifying their job search and maybe start in a position that's not ideal but work with an organization that they are really interested in working with.”
She said there are several ways young grads like Chabba can apply themselves in order to get their foot in the door.
"Get an internship in the field that you are interested in working in, whether you are still in school or obtaining a post graduate internship,” she said, ”Today over 60 percent of jobs are filled through networking rather than the apply for a job opening and hope that something turns out.”
Until then Chabba said she's continuing her job search while keeping in mind that she's not alone in the competition
"I know that where my application is there's another application with a Doctorate so there's no way I'm gona get that position,” she said.
Braunstein said 20 percent of internships are paid and CCU has a website that's dedicated to that information.
She also advices young job seekers to be careful about what they put on the web such as on Twitter and Facebook, as potential employers might look up a candidate on Google.
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