You’ve sacrificed and spent a small fortune to see your child walk across a stage, shake hands with a university official and receive their prized degree. Now it’s time to sit back and enjoy watching them take on the world as an adult. Maybe you have plans of your own now, like redecorating a room or going on a trip you’ve put off.

Before you start picking out paint colors or packing, you should know 50% of students will move back home after graduation and stay for at least a year.

Why? 83% of college graduates leave school without having a job lined up.

Many can’t find a job or if they find one, it’s not in their degree field. Today, 40% of college grads take positions out of school that don’t require a degree. You might be thinking “well at least they are working.” There’s some truth in that but take a closer look and the bigger picture isn’t pretty. Of grads who take a job not requiring a degree, 10 years later, they still aren’t working in a degree-required field and their average salary is $10,000 less per year than their counterparts who started out in a job requiring a degree.

Many of these same graduates are strapped with massive amounts of student loan debt.  If they are underemployed or can’t find a job in their chosen field, making a dent in these loans is almost impossible while trying to manage rent or a mortgage.

So, what can you do to help?

First, you need to realize today’s job market isn’t like it used to be. We live in a digital society and much of the job search takes place in that arena. Over 70% of hiring managers screen a potential employee’s social media before offering them a position. Those pictures from the fraternity parties showing everyone boozing it up aren’t just embarrassing, now they might keep you from landing a job.

Today’s college grad needs to have a strong digital brand and utilize social media in a way that showcases them as the stand out candidate to an employer. Their LinkedIn needs to be polished and professional so recruiters and potential employers can see their qualifications and feel confident in their choice to offer an interview.

More applications are submitted online than through any other source today. But that leads us to the second problem – a human being may never see your child’s resume. Up to 75% of the applications submitted online never make it through the initial screening thanks to ATS. What’s that? Its software designed to help weed out all but the strongest candidates.

It’s critical your graduate has a well-crafted resume and cover letter designed to beat the bots and make it through the screening. It’s not about the number of applications they fill out, it’s about the quality.

I know no parent wants to see their child struggle or fail. I’ve been working with college students for over 14 years and have developed a program that will set them up for success in the job search. I’ve seen how devastating it can be for graduates when they can’t seem to find a job. It erodes their confidence.  Thankfully, there’s hope. You can put them on the right path with Successfully Ever After.

Dallas C. – I learned the value of using connections. I found my first job out of college because of a sorority sister. I learned about networking groups on FB.  It’s helped me and many of my friends find a job since we know how to successfully ask members to refer us now.

Alice O. – I learned to treat the job search like an actual job itself. I looked during normal business hours every day of the business week. Even if I keep seeing the same jobs coming up. I keep plugging away. I learned how to use the job boards. Sometimes I apply on two different boards for the same job because sometimes word filters block the application on one and not the other. I have key word alerts set for jobs as well. It’s hard. I’ve been there, but persistence and determination does pay off.

You’ve invested between $45,000 and $120,000 on your child’s education. Isn’t it worth $397 to help put that education to work?

With Sucessfully Ever After, I will help your

graduate (or soon to be grad):

1. Create an ATS friendly resume and cover letter.
2. Craft an attention getting cover letter that’s not a replay of their resume.
3. Fully optimize their LinkedIn Profile so recruiters take notice.
4. Clean up any damaging posts or content on their social media accounts.
5. Build an effective marketing package designed to get them noticed and land them in the interview seat.
6. Recognize the right opportunities and help focus their search through 3 one-on-one coaching calls in addition to the information in the workbooks and templates they receive.

By building a personal career brand and implementing smart tactics, your graduate can open the door to a career in their desired field and you can feel confident you’ve set them up on the road to success.