You've walked down the aisle to gather your degree, your parents and family are beaming, and you feel well-educated and ready to take on the world — not to mention that very large student loan that needs to be repaid.
Where should you look for that first job? "Every job now is moving toward globalization." said John Challenger, owner of Challenger, Gray and Christmas,www.challengergray.com, an outplacement firm based in Chicago.
"We have been seeing more national companies interested in people with international work experience backgrounds," said Meg Heenehan, director of career services for Columbia University (www.columbia.edu) in New York.
Not only will you have more jobs open to you, but they'll typically pay more.
"There is a much higher rate of pay that follows people who not only have an education in foreign affairs, but can also deal with the international business culture." Heenehan said.
For international exposure, consider getting a job or internship in London.
Heenehan also likes London because it is an international finance center. "When graduates work in London, they are immediately submerged into an environment where there is a lot of diversity with many cultures and languages. This is something that can't be taught in classroom," she added.
In the U.S., Heenehan said all areas of finance offer solid prospects for students straight out of graduate school, especially accounting.
"Most accountants can step right into an accounting position right out of school. Having a background in accounting can eventually lead to a position in financial analysis, which pays a starting salary of around $90,000 per year," she explained.
If you can't get a job in your chosen line of work, but you're a great people person, career counselors and job placement experts recommend interviewing for an entry-level job in human resources.
Petrik said a human resources department can be a great launching pad for graduates who are interested in moving into executive positions.
"Human resources people consistently move up in business. Often these positions are so ingrained in the culture of the business that having a human resources background can work as a fast track into management," he added.
Challenger said other hot industries for jobs include healthcare, hospitality, energy, engineering and technology.
"Technology will continue to grow rapidly in the next 5-10 years and the most lucrative jobs are in the hard-knowledge areas that can be immediately utilized in a company," said Challenger.
Interest in computer engineering remains strong. According to Petrik, computer engineering for games and simulation programming for biomedical companies offer tremendous opportunities. The micro-chip industry is still flourishing and the hottest job right now in field engineering is energy exploration with computer analysis and monitoring equipment.
"Oil excavation companies are actively looking for people in the technical support side. This is an industry that is really in demand right now, especially since companies are trying to find new resources for oil," said Petrik.