July is turning to August and your recent college graduate child or friend is still searching for their first bona fide career opportunity. Some is circumstance but I’m convinced based on recent experiences that a good portion of the extended search is due to self-inflicted wounds.

Here are a couple of ideas. 1) Spend less time in front of your computer and more time in front of people. I know you don’t want parents or parent’s friends to “get you the job” but networking fills more positions than Indeed! 2) Go to every meeting physically and mentally prepared like it will lead to the only opportunity you ever wanted.

I know it was a long shot that he would be a fit for my client but to the young man I met for coffee I’d say “dressing down so you could go straight to the gym made it difficult for me to even consider networking you to other professional contacts.”