
CAMBRIDGE, MA—Acknowledging that employment prospects for young Americans remain bleak, a report released Thursday by the National Bureau of Economic Research warns recent college graduates they may have to tough it out for up to six weeks before landing their dream job. “It is important for college graduates to realize that, in this tough economic climate, you may endure a month, possibly a month and a half, of sending out résumés before you secure the perfect job in the field of your choosing that exceeds even your wildest expectations,” said Dr. Kyle Ferguson, author of the report, adding that students should prepare themselves now for the possibility they may spend up to half the summer grinding it out in search of a deeply fulfilling position that satisfies every single one of their criteria. “It’ll definitely take multiple rounds of applications, and you may even have to settle and work at your second- or third-most ideal option during the month of June. However, if you keep your head up and stick with it, the data suggest that you will receive an employment offer for the position you have always longed for well before Labor Day weekend.” Ferguson added that, given currently stagnant wage growth, recent graduates should be willing to accept a salary at 90 to 95 percent of what they feel they deserve.