New and Recent Grads Will Be Hardest Hit by Looming Recession

According to Beyond.com, Tightening Hiring and Training Budgets
Will Require Entry-Level Candidates to Raise the Bar to Increase
Chances of Job Search Success
PHILADELPHIA--(Business Wire)--
According to Beyond.com, Inc., the world's largest network of
online niche career communities, recent college graduates, made up
mostly of the Millennial generation, are likely to be hardest hit by
the worsening economic decline. Not only will these job seekers feel
the largest impact due to the economy, but it will also be the first
time many Millennials have experienced an economic downturn.

With looming recession worries, many companies will begin
tightening hiring and training budgets, making them leery of hiring
recent graduates who often require additional investments of time and
training to get fully up-to-speed. Rather, employers will tend to seek
out one exceptional candidate with standout credentials as opposed to
several individuals with average qualifications.

"As college graduation nears, many new graduates will soon be
launching their professional careers in the midst of what may be a
significant economic downturn. However, many individuals from the
Millennial generation have little or no first-hand experience of how
to deal with periods of economic recession, which could potentially
affect their chances of finding their first job" said Rich Milgram,
CEO of Beyond.com, Inc. "To be successful, these job seekers will need
to take every avenue of opportunity to sell themselves as a valuable,
dedicated employee."

Tips on how job seekers can stand out from the crowd:

-- Gain more experience -- Job seekers should increase their
hands-on experience and broaden their skill set by doing
additional internships, co-ops or apprenticeships.

-- Consider further education -- Considering a Masters program
can help make a job seeker more attractive in the workforce
and this value will only increase as the economy begins to
turn around

-- Leverage certifications --Job seekers can stand out by taking
certification courses within their field to master their
current skill set.

-- Go niche-- With competition for entry level jobs increasing,
job seekers should seek alternatives ways to search for jobs.
Niche career communities are a valuable, yet sometimes
overlooked, resource to connect with employers through highly
relevant searches and networking tools.

-- Prove long-term value -- With HR budgets potentially
tightening, employers are looking for candidates who plan to
stay with the company long term, so it is important for job
seekers to convey their future plans during interviews.

-- Review all correspondence -- Job seekers should check and
double spell check their resume, emails and thank you notes.
Typos and grammatical errors can break a candidate's chances
for a competitive position. Get a second opinion before you
send out correspondence!

Although these tips will be helpful in receiving their first job
offer, it is important for new graduates to keep the momentum going
once they start their new career. The possibility of an economic
recession is leading employers to set high expectations for new hires.
As a result, it has become more important than ever for job seekers to
leverage their experience, enthusiasm and long-term value to employers
to have the best chances of surviving potential layoffs due to budget
cuts and downsizing.

For additional career tips and resources, please visit the
Beyond.com Career Resource Center.

About Beyond.com, Inc.

Beyond.com, Inc. is the world's largest network of online niche
career communities, powering more than 15,000 geographic and
industry-specific sites. We are dedicated to helping business
professionals, corporations and vertical communities connect with each
other by providing relevant career search services, networking tools
and portal software solutions. The Beyond.com Network attracts a niche
audience of job seekers, professionals and corporations and delivers
quality, targeted results through a multitude of online media and
advertising models, including: recruitment advertising, email
marketing, banner advertising and other lead generation vehicles.

Beyond.com is named to Inc. Magazine's prestigious 'Inc. 500' list
of the fastest growing private companies in 2007 and is a Safeguard
Scientifics (NYSE:SFE) partner company. www.Beyond.com

Beyond.com, Inc.
Tara Gerard
Marketing & Communications Associate
610-878-2800
TaraG@Beyond.com
or
PAN Communications
Jeffrey Dillow
Account Manager
978-474-1900
Beyond@Pancomm.com

Copyright Business Wire 2008