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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I graduated from a non-Ivy-but-a-peer-of-Ivies university and was in a similar boat. I graduated without a job during the GFC while many of my peers did, and it felt really, [b]really[/b] crappy. I feel for your son. It isn't easy to be bumming around the house when it seems like everyone else is succeeding and working jobs that you feel you should've gotten as well. I also feel for you - dealing with that can't be easy, either.

After applying to 3-4 jobs/day for a few months, I eventually found an opportunity. It was humbling, and it was not at all what I thought I "deserved" (god, I was such a naïve sh!thead). I'm doing well now, so it's not a career-killer to graduate with a blank resume and without a job, unless your kiddo has his heart set on investment banking or something. But he may have to eat a bowl of sh!t and take that humbling first job in order to get his foot in the door somewhere else.

Don't ride him too hard about networking with friends. His peers - almost certainly 22-year-old sh!theads as well - have no pull at their places of employment, and unless he's [i]really[/i] close to a friend who has a very high up parent, probably nothing is going to come from networking with parents. I know it's cold comfort, but it's not 1992 and the world doesn't work like that anymore (or I dunno, maybe having Harvard on the resume really [i]is[/i] different).

Reaching out to the career center is probably a good idea. Your son is not the first graduate of their institution that didn't hit the ground running. At the very least, they should have some ideas on how to work around having a thin resume, and give some advice on writing a good cover letter to make up for it. They might even run mock interviews for young alums. Other than that, just keep applying. The job market is pretty tight right now.[/quote]

Nephew also graduated from Duke and had similar difficulty finding a job despite a decent GPA in Public Policy & honored acouple of semesters as an athlete/scholar by the ACC. (Makes a good first impression due to polite, clean-cut, athletic appearance.) Then got a business related masters degree at Duke open to those with minimal post college degree work experience. Still no job prospects. After a year, landed a modest-paying position doing due diligence type work. After another two years, was able to land a modest paying position with a major employer in a non-lucrative industry.

Almost all of his college friends & teammates are wealthy & connected, but offered no help to nephew even though they continue to vacation together frequently.

Some big name prestigious schools still attract employers while others--including some Ivies & Duke--do not.

Another relative went to a top ten university (non-Ivy League). Mailed out a few resumes during a recession and received tremendous responses. Solid GPA, but not in sought after majors.

Relatives & friends who graduated from University of Georgia (not in Honors College) had an easy time finding employment in the Atlanta area. But they all were ready to accept employment regardless of whether the position was prestigious or not. Very level headed & determined individuals.

OP: Not sure what you should garner from my post. Just relaying experiences over the past decade. An Ivy League degree with an "abysmal GPA" and a barren resume, suggests that your son needs to get a job with any employer. Home Depot, Lowe's, Starbucks, service industry in a resort area, etc. There are plenty of jobs available--and employers know that--so do not let the resume remain barren much longer as being unemployed for a lengthy period often is viewed as a red flag by employers.[/quote]

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