47, 47 and most important 47!

Whatever the actual outcome of the U.S. presidential election, we hear the magic numbers over and over again. The polls are abundant with close figures and even closer interpretations. It is one of the understandings of the unique country called the United States of America that words and actions can be called free speech and this value is foremost in American heritage. Therefore, polls right up to and including when people vote are not only legal but considered fair play. In some very civilized societies, it is interestingly, just the opposite! France does not permit polls days before a major election. France and the U.S. are so close on their definition of liberties, yet this issue of the power of polls and pollsters remains a major difference.

So, the American polls seem to be saying 47 percent and 47 percent. What a number. So close to nearly half, yet a bit so far too. On election eve, some polls showed 49 and 49…what a teaser.

Yet, there emerged another number this week from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. This 47 percent number is much more staggering for all of us, Americans, Koreans, global economy citizens. It is this: Forty-seven percent of recent college and university graduates are either unemployed or under-employed in terms of their college and university preparation and family investment. This means in California, working for McDonald’s with a bachelor’s degree in business administration from California State University. In New York, it may mean no job, especially after Sandy hit the East Coast cities of America.

As a visiting college professor here in Seoul at Hankook University of Foreign Studies (HUFS) this year, I can tell you, I talk to my students and find a mixture of bravery and fear. The numbers here are better than the U.S. for graduates finding employment in or near their major, but just slightly. Those who will still be looking for a job one year after graduation are a skipped-generation of jobholders, still living at home with parents who are eager to promote their sons and daughters toward career success and independence. Parents are willing and able supporters and can help often with connections but they are also in the struggle.

It is an overwhelming percentage. Think of the discouragement that it brings when a successful daughter or son cannot find a real job. From my research with actual students over the years in Europe, the U.S. and in greater Asia, the career pattern has this feature. The feature is that the first year after the degree is critical. Some students launch more or less with natural skills ― they are likeable individuals with skills. Others need to spend the year back at home figuring out their life. Some take middle measure jobs such as internships that do not lead to permanent positions. France is famous for these “internships” that have the image or mirage of a job, but end sadly after the student works very hard for months with no pay. Then, there is the case of the high status, low paying job. Business concierge, or business center specialist at a major five-star hotel in Seoul. It is a low- to medium-pay job, with lots of education and language skills required and scheduling stress. Most revealingly, there is no career post in sight.

Importantly, students are prepared for the global economy but global movements in jobs are at a standstill. Students are being told to “go global.” This usually means semesters abroad or if lucky, dual degree programs with another country. The U.S. and Europe are realizing this dream for a handful of students in the global economy, but the rewards of a dual degree, if the student can perform it and if the family can afford it, are real. For the majority of students, who can neither qualify nor pay for it, visa requirements and work permits between countries in Asia, North America and even Europe are tough and stringent and require mountains of paperwork and cost. Many students, the vast majority give up. They are resigned to become “nationals” not like a few of their lucky friends, who are “internationals.” It is a label, yet it is a very deep and real thing.

The real crisis is that 47 percent of current graduates do not have a home job to put their energy into and get their investment in life moving forward. There is this typhoon of ambiguity that can last several years.

Solutions? Few and far between. Masters graduates have a better time and ratio of employability, yet Ph.D.’s do not. Thus this is one answer – go to the higher degree, always. It can never hurt, it only helps in the end.

The global tightness in hiring is everywhere. What can break it down? Personal connections, from professors to fathers and mothers. It is often who you know that makes the quintessential difference.

Having a true and honest resume, with no plagiarism and no exaggeration will help. The interview is all important. If it is an English resume, then the English must be perfect.

Attitude here in Korea is everything. Respect shown, ambition shown, courtesy and diplomatic skills shown in the interview. Willingness to start work immediately. Good physical health is an issue and in America, most companies use drug testing and want to weed out anyone who has any physical dependency. Open mindedness for the student, the parents and the company are ideal circumstances. It is an ideal, yet can be realized.

Forty-seven percent of our national treasure of college graduates everywhere must learn new skills, patience, networks though local connections and family. Some will create their own businesses out of frustration and some of those will be winners.

Forty-seven percent of graduates have no meaningful jobs. This calls for a major shift of how we think about careers and employment and supporting ourselves and our families ― in America, and globally, in Korea. Part of the big picture answer is to move away from the prime jobs of security with Samsung, Hyundai, LG, and glamour brand companies with big names. Students from around the world are finding better career traction to start in small- and medium-sized enterprises. These are plenty globally and offer fast rising opportunity. It is not a cop out for Korea. It is what 75 percent of the astute graduates around the world are finding out as the best place to seek first harbor. It is a long journey.

Dr. Michael McManus is emeritus president and founder of California International Business University in San Diego, and guest professor at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in Seoul. He can be reached at cmismism@aol.com. <The Korea Times/Michael L. McManus>