Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Recent college graduate hits the streets for job search
Alex Ballin, a July graduate from Radford University, has advertised his search using a sign board in downtown Roanoke.
Photos by Sam Dean | The Roanoke Times
Alex Ballin, a recent graduate of Radford University, stands on a street corner in Roanoke advertising himself. "I feel like I'm not accomplishing anything by filling out online applications," he said. Potential employers "need to know I'm here."
Radford University graduate Alex Ballin is frustrated that he has been unable to find employment, so he decided to hit the street.
The latest from The Ticker blog
Clad in a blue collared shirt, a black suit coat and pants, and dark sunglasses, Alex Ballin leaned against a traffic light pole at the corner of Jefferson Street and Franklin Road in downtown Roanoke.
A white signboard -- "Talented B.A. needs career" -- rested against his waist.
At 7:30 a.m., vehicles whizzed by him carrying drivers on their daily routes to corporate offices inside Roanoke's downtown structures.
Ballin wants to get their attention.
After several months of posting his resume on job Web sites and searching out leads, Ballin, 24, a July graduate of Radford University, decided to take his career search to the streets.
"I feel like I'm not accomplishing anything by filling out online applications," said Ballin, a social science major who can't remember how many resumes he has submitted.
"If nothing else, I feel like I did something today."
Ballin's one of the many college graduates nationwide seeking jobs after graduation -- a difficult feat this year.
The unemployment rate among 20-to-24-year-olds was 9.8 percent in the second quarter of this year, compared with 7.8 percent in the second quarter of 2007, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.
And the number of people in the same age bracket, the traditional age of college graduates, who were unemployed rose 21.4 percent in July 2008, compared with July 2007, based on labor department data.
For those in search mode, career services professionals recommend networking, contacting a region's largest employers and using online job posting databases.
At Radford, 97 percent of graduates find jobs or enter graduate school within six months of graduation, said Kathy Jordan, who directs experiential learning and career services at the university.
She did not know how many students find jobs who major in social science.
But advertising your abilities on a street corner likely won't get you very far, and if it does it "has to do with the element of luck or fate," she said. About 10 percent of jobs are found by happenstance.
"It's a very low return," Jordan added.
Ballin said he's willing to take the risk.
He transferred to Radford last year, after three years studying at the College of Charleston in South Carolina. His degree in social science allows him to do "pretty much anything," but he's interested in people-oriented careers, such as human resources, sales or advertising.
"I could really do any job, which is frustrating and hard to convey that on a resume," said Ballin, a Roanoke native who lives with his mother.
In the past year, he has had part-time jobs at the Grandin Theatre and Wildflour Cafe & Catering in Roanoke.
Ballin's not new to the public arena.
Last year, he ran for a House of Delegates seat, and earlier this year ran for a spot on the Democratic Party ballot for the Roanoke City Council. Both efforts were unsuccessful.
He's hoping his political experience will spark interest from potential employers -- if he can get an interview.
Though the slowing economy likely is one reason that Ballin is struggling to find a job, he said he also does not know where to look for available openings. Submitting online applications eliminates face time for job leads.
"They need to know I'm here," Ballin said.
His street campaign has produced at least one result.
On Monday, the first day of Ballin's efforts, Bill Jones, branch administrator for Hometown Bank, stopped his vehicle, rolled down the window and tossed Ballin a business card.
"If you're interested in a banking career, give me a call," Jones said to him.
Jones already had 35 to 40 resumes on his desk for a financial specialist position at the bank's downtown Roanoke branch.
When he saw Ballin, he thought, "Here's someone showing a little drive, a little ambition," Jones said.
Ballin interviewed for the position on Monday, though it'll likely be next week before the bank decides whom to hire for the job, Jones said.
Still, Ballin's not halting his career pursuits.
Next week, he plans to be back in downtown with his sign, this time standing about a block away at the corner of Franklin and Williamson roads.
