With unemployment reported at 8.6 percent in November of this year, freshly minted college graduates and seniors anticipating graduation are finding themselves victims of the stale economy. With graduation approaching, the stress of the job hunt sometimes overshadows the celebration of a new diploma.

Most college grads are searching for an entry-level position within their field of study but some do not succeed.  According to an article published in The New York Times in May 2011, over 22 percent of college grads under the age of 25 were not working and 22 percent were working in jobs that do not require a college degree.  Only 56 percent were working in jobs that did require a college degree.  

The news only gets worse for humanities majors such as art, music and language.  According to the article, over 29 percent of humanities grads were working in jobs that required no degree and 25 percent were not employed at all.

So why are so many seemingly qualified college graduates not finding employment in their field of choice?

“I think since so much of job hunting is sending resumes online and having the employers screen through them without even knowing the person makes it hard to obtain a job unless you know someone in the field or company you’re applying for,” said Caroline Coats, a graduating senior in human resources. “If you don’t know anyone in the business or get referred from someone else, then it’s almost impossible.”

According to The Bureau of Labor Statistics 2010-2011 Occupational Outlook Handbook searching for a job should include many different methods including classified ads, Internet sources, school placement services and personal contacts.

“I believe it’s difficult because the employers are looking for highly experienced applicants and most students, such as myself, have been in school as a full time student and haven’t had the time to get the needed experience,” said Raemel Richardson a graduating senior majoring in business administration.

However, as bleak as the outlook seems for college graduates the news is not all bad.  According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics as recently as October 2011, those with a bachelor’s degree and higher only face a 4.4 percent unemployment rate. Compare that to the 13.8 faced by those with less than a high school diploma or the 9.6 percent faced by high school graduates with no college education and college graduates might not be so bad off after all.