Roads less traveled

He's also encouraging students to explore less-glamorous options such as retail or internships – jobs that are easily obtainable, but may provide solid experience down the road. "This [year's job market] is a real stunner to the current generation," he says. "They just don't know what it's all about."

This year's college grads face a much starker reality than did those in classes two or three years before them. The days of hefty signing bonuses and avid corporate wooing have, for the most part, ended.

Now, say experts, securing a job requires creativity, initiative, preparation, and some energetic networking on the part of students.

Taking advantage of every personal and professional contact available is most important, says John Challenger, CEO of the international outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas. "So many young people come out and want to forge their own identity as separate from their parents, and yet to not use those personal contacts is giving up something extraordinarily valuable," he says. "All it does is get you in the door – and it's hard to get in the door."

He, like others, insists that everyone has connections, whether they be family, fellow alumni, professors, friends, or members of one's church. What college grads need to do, he says, is list those connections, and then brainstorm their potential for job-seeking help.

Other suggestions, from a variety of sources:

• Don't rely on the Internet. "E-mailing out thousands of résumés is passive, not proactive," says Mr. Challenger. "The world doesn't come to you, you have to go to it."

• Be positive. "People love to naysay," says Rosalind Hoffa, associate dean and director of Amherst College's career center. "But you can't do a job search of any kind when you're feeling that way.... Don't get hung up on 'this job is my life,' " she adds. "This is the time to get wild and crazy" in terms of openness to new routes.

• Think broadly. Your dream job may not be available, but an internship or job in a related field might still provide good experience. Looking at options like night or weekend jobs can also open up more avenues, says Challenger.

• Attend career fairs. Tory Johnson, the CEO of Women for Hire, which sponsors several women-only career fairs for college seniors and young professionals, says the fairs are useful for networking and information as well as for their direct job possibilities. "It's important to approach [a job fair] with both possibilities in mind," she says.

• Be prepared. Showing up at an interview unsure of what the company does won't cut it anymore, says Indiana University career center director Alan McNabb. "Employers are very impatient with people who aren't properly prepared. You'd better know what the company is, what the jobs are, and where you see your strengths playing to that."

• Give it time. People don't always realize that looking for a job can, in itself, be a full-time job, says Ms. Johnson. Dr. McNabb agrees: "Instead of going on spring break this year, [seniors] had better be going up to Chicago and pounding the pavement. If they want a job, they can't be hanging out at the beach."

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