Millennials who graduated in the Great Recession share advice from their job-hunting trauma

Gen Zers are starting their careers in a tough job market. Millennials and Gen Xers can relate.

Business Insider interviewed eight Americans who completed an undergraduate or graduate degree between 2007 and 2010, during the heart of the Great Recession. They found themselves launching their careers in a job market that was even more daunting than the one recent grads are facing today.

As of March, the most recent data available, 5.8% of recent college graduates ages 22 to 27 were unemployed, compared with 4% of the overall workforce ages 16 to 65. That gap is the widest it’s been in 35 years of jobs data, according to an analysis by the New York Fed. The recent grad unemployment rate hasn’t been this high since October 2013, and in 2010, it peaked at more than 7%.

While early job search challenges disrupted the careers of many of the millennials BI heard from, most said they’ve managed to not only find work but also build successful careers. One Gen Xer with two master’s degrees had to start off in an unrelated field, but now has the career she desired. They all shared how the Great Recession affected their job searches, how they found their first jobs after graduation, and their top advice for today’s recent college graduates.

Here are their stories, in their own words. Their quotes have been edited for length and clarity.

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Take every interview you can

Allyson Noonan, 39, is a PR consultant and adjunct professor based in New York.

I graduated from Marymount Manhattan College in December 2007 with a degree in communication arts. I hoped to land a public relations role.

While I had excellent internships, no one was hiring when the recession started. While I was job searching, I worked part-time at Anthropologie and babysat.

After submitting more than 100 applications, I still couldn’t find work. But then, someone who interviewed me for a job I didn’t get contacted me, saying she had a friend in the industry looking for an entry-level position that she thought I’d be a fit for. This position turned out to be my first full-time job at a PR agency, which I started in June 2008.

This experience taught me that it’s wise to take every interview you can — even if you’re not sure it’s a good fit.

My first position was definitely not my dream job. The company focused on an industry I wasn’t especially interested in, and I had to accept a salary that was much lower than my peers who graduated just a couple of years before me. However, I learned the foundational PR skills that have served me well ever since.

Your first job doesn’t have to be your dream job — or even related to your career

Alicia Strata, 38, is a marketing director at a luxury travel agency based in Alabama.

I graduated from Columbia College Chicago in May 2010 with a marketing communications degree. I hoped to land an internship that would help me get a job at an advertising agency, but the job market was tough.

During the second semester of my senior year, I decided to apply to Teach For America and was accepted. Teaching was completely out of my area of study, but I was looking for something that felt both purposeful and possible in a shrinking job market. TFA offered that: a paycheck, a mission, and structure during chaos. The summer after graduation, I moved to South Dakota to begin my placement as a 4th-grade teacher.

Although TFA didn’t directly further my marketing career, it did give me valuable leadership skills and life experience that a traditional path wouldn’t have afforded me.

My biggest advice for new college grads is that you don’t have to start in your dream job, but you do have to start. Take whatever you can to get going, but keep your eyes open and continue to pursue what you really want. That’s what eventually led me back to marketing.

Looking for a job is a job in itself

Kourtney Jason, 39, is the cofounder of Pacific & Court, a digital marketing company. She is based in New York.

I officially graduated from California State University with a journalism degree in May 2008. However, I’d wrapped up my coursework and was available to work in December 2007.

While I applied for journalism jobs all through my last semester of college, I was told I didn’t have enough experience despite having multiple internships on my résumé.

I accepted an unpaid internship at Seventeen magazine from January to May 2008. During these five months, I continued to network and apply for jobs until I finally landed a full-time role at TWIST magazine. This was, in many ways, my dream job, but in July 2010, I was laid off.

Despite my early career challenges, I think I’ve absolutely been able to recover. From that first job, I made so many connections personally and professionally that still impact and influence my work today.

My biggest advice for college grads is to remember that looking for a job is a job in itself. You need to invest time and effort into your search and network.

Stop chasing name-brand companies

Patrice Williams-Lindo, 52, is the CEO of a career coaching platform based in Georgia.

I finished my MBA in 2006 and earned a second master’s in instructional technology in April 2008 — both from American InterContinental University. I was seeking consulting roles, but the Great Recession made my search feel impossible, especially since I was coming from a lesser-known university.

I knew I had to change my job search strategy. A career coach told me not to chase name-brand companies but to target smaller, boutique consulting firms that would be more likely to value my skills. I took that advice.

In September 2008, I got my first consulting role at a small firm — a job that finally put my degrees to use. That opportunity became the foundation for a consulting career that eventually led me to start my own business.

While I searched for a job, I worked full-time teaching Spanish and business at a private high school. Although education wasn’t my desired field, it allowed me to stay employed while I kept looking.

My biggest advice for recent graduates is that your job title doesn’t determine your value. If you’re overlooked, use the skills you have — even in unconventional ways — while you aim for the career you want.

You’ll have to get creative if your industry is hit especially hard

Tye Davis, 40, is the CEO of an interior design firm based in Florida.

I graduated from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh in December 2007 with a degree in interior design. Given that some interior design jobs were commission-based, landing one wasn’t too difficult. The main challenge early in my career was that I was offering an inessential service in a declining housing market tied to the recession.

In searching for a position, I sought out high-end stores, thinking that high-income individuals were at less risk of losing their homes. In January 2008, I started a full-time position as an interior designer at a local furniture store.

Looking back, I don’t think the Great Recession had a lasting impact on my career. If anything, it made me more prepared for a cooled market or downturn. My biggest advice for new college grads is to attend in-person networking events within the field you are searching in.

An unpaid internship was worth it for the experience

Libby Dugan, 38, is an independent PR consultant based in Indiana.

I graduated from Indiana University in May 2009 with a degree in political science. I was looking for jobs in state government and public affairs. However, the recession made it extremely difficult to secure a career in the months after graduation.

I continued to search for a full-time paid role while I did an unpaid internship at the Department of Agriculture, followed by a paid internship at a law firm. Working, even unpaid, kept me busy and added experience to my résumé. In August 2010, I found my first full-time position as a special assistant to Indiana’s lieutenant governor.

My biggest advice for today’s recent grads is to be open to a job that may not fit your college degree. I work in PR now, and I don’t have a degree in marketing or communications. I learned far more from real-world experiences.

In-person networking could help you get noticed

Mandi St. Germaine, 38, is an elementary curriculum coach based in Louisiana.

I graduated in December 2009 from Nicholls State University with a degree in General Studies. I hoped to find a job as an educator in a private school setting while I pursued my alternative teaching certification, but the challenging job market disrupted my plans.

I secured my first full-time teaching job in the summer of 2010 after relocating to North Carolina, where my husband was deployed as an active-duty soldier. Being persistent and flexible helped me in my search. I met with school personnel, attended hiring fairs, and was open to accepting temporary work until a permanent job was offered.

My biggest advice for recent college graduates is not to be discouraged if your career path doesn’t play out like you hoped it would. Take this time to strategically network and be willing to take on positions that may not be your dream job. The setback may just be the reason a door opens in the right places.

I prioritized stability and found it

Judnefera Rasayon, 41, is an independent communication coach based in Maryland.

I graduated from Princeton University in 2006 with a degree in public and international affairs. In June 2008, I received a graduate degree in public policy from Harvard University. In July 2008, I started my first full-time job as a foreign service officer with the US Department of State.

While I was in school, I applied for a fellowship at the Department of State that essentially guaranteed I’d have a job for a few years after graduation. I hoped that would help me weather the storm of the Great Recession, and it did. I worked there for the first six years of my career.

My job search strategy consisted of looking for a job and career in a stable industry and then relentlessly pursuing that. My biggest advice for recent college graduates is to be flexible about what you are willing to do for work, even if it’s not what you studied or thought you’d be doing. The traditional 9-to-5 isn’t the only option for stability and success, and being open to different career paths can be helpful.

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