By Chris Eder | @KyKernel

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Graduation is quickly approaching, and UK seniors are learning what to do — and what not to do — while finding a job.

The national unemployment rate for the U.S. as of March was 7.6 percent, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. For those with a college degree, the unemployment rate is 3.8 percent.

Despite the unemployment rate for college graduates being significantly lower than the national level, graduating seniors still struggle to find jobs.

“The student I would suspect to be worried about finding a job did not use the services available on campus,” said Lenroy Jones, associate director for employer/corporate relations at the James W. Stuckert Career Center.

Throughout the year the Career Center hosts several events, including a career fair each semester. The career fair has more than 450 companies represented.

Jones explained that the No. 1 employer complaint was lack of preparation.

“When everything is said and done we have to utilize our resources just as we do in the classroom,” Jones said.

“Use the resources available; I didn’t utilize them as an undergraduate,” said Josh Stamper, a medical science master’s student.

Stamper said he would not have been able to find a quality job after graduation because he had no idea how to sell himself to employers.

Stamper now works at the Career Center as a graduate student and feels much more comfortable about his job outlook after graduation.

For many, graduate school is a plan of action post graduation. Don Morgan, a business management senior, is one of those students.

Morgan has always known that he was going to law school, but even before then he put in hours of work to reach his goal.

“I felt like I put in so much work to get into law school, I should have gotten college credit for it,” Morgan said.

Students who have no interest in graduate school, however, have to focus on finding employment after their graduation.

“It’s definitely a tough job market; one that is extremely competitive,” Morgan said.

The top hiring industry of recent graduates is educational services, followed by professional scientific and technical services and then health care, according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers’ Salary Survey.

If you are not an education, engineering or medicine major, then you may have to work harder to find a job.

For some students, participating in an internship or co-op serves as a stepping stone to finding a career.

Jones offered a few tips for students seeking employment: be organized, research the companies, follow through after applying, be consistent and, most important, be flexible.

Nearly 70 percent of students who responded to a Career Center survey stayed in state for employment purposes.

Being flexible in location of employment can land students a higher-paying job.

Experts agree that for students who take time to prepare and who are willing to relocate, jobs are available.

“Everything is based on your approach,” Jones said.