You did everything you were supposed to do to prepare yourself for a successful career. You received good grades in high school and made it into a good college. You took advantage of the many opportunities of college and graduated with the highest of honors. Yet, now you are left unemployed. Everywhere you turn is not hiring or wants someone with more work experience than you have. This is a common roadblock for many. Do you give up and take a temporary job or do you continue on your path of starting your career? Fortunately, there are many alternative options you might have not yet considered.

Stop by your school?s career center
College career centers are often underused. They are full of HR consultants and professionals that are well versed in gaining employment. They offer a variety of useful services including mock interviews, job skill searches, and even networking. When a large business has an opening they need to fill, they will often share this information with local colleges. There are many advantages to hiring a new graduate. Connecting with your school?s career center can open up more employment opportunities for you.

Reach out to classmates and previous coworkers
One of the best parts of college is that you build a network of people in similar industries. Not only can you create lasting friendships, but you can also utilize these relationships to advance your professional career. Reach out to previous classmates and coworkers. Find out what they are currently doing with their degree and whether or not they enjoy their role.

Some might even be willing to put in a good word for you. According to a 2016 Gallup poll, Millennials are the job hopping generation, with 6 in 10 open to a new job at any given time, more than any other generation. The fact that your classmates are connecting to numerous companies can be a positive factor for you. It simply means that they have an increased number of networking connections.

Don?t be afraid to reach out to companies not hiring
Just because a company is not hiring does not mean that they won?t keep your information on file. Many employers do not want to go through the long and expensive process of hiring a new employee. For this reason, they often promote within. If your information is already on file and you have made a memorable connection with the hiring professional, you essentially already have a foot in the door.

A recent survey by Robert Half showed that one third (36%) of 1,400 executives felt the top factor leading to a failed hire, aside from performance issues, are a poor skills match. The second most common reason (30%) was unclear performance objectives. When you reach out to companies that match your current skill level, you are providing them with a benefit that could help their hiring practices.

Sign up with an executive placement agency
An executive placement agency is much different than a career agency. While a career placement agency serves as a type of temp service, an executive placement agency specifically focuses on executive searches. They are paired with companies that need executive level employees. Signing up with these executive search firms is a great way to increase your chances of a higher level career position.

College graduation does not guarantee a good paying job. It does, however, provide you with the skills and knowledge that you need to do well in an executive level position. There are many ways to connect with these business including through your school career center, by personally reaching out to hiring professionals, and signing up with an executive placement agency.