In spite of the hard economic times being experienced all over the globe, universities and colleges and still churning out hordes of graduates into the labor market. And the new graduates, like all the other graduates before them, expect to get jobs, and get them quickly to pay up the loans they probably took to finance their education. If you happen to be one of these new graduates who are looking for their first job in the present depressed economy, there are some things you can do to help you in that endeavor.

The key to getting a first job in a depressed economy lies in the skill set you come into the labor market with. And if you come into the labor market with an irresistible skill set, you are bound to attract the attention of employers, regardless of the state of the economy you find on your entry. Remember, whatever the state of the economy, businesses (like human beings) are driven by a survival instinct and are on the lookout for people with the skills to take them through the rougher stretches.

Now acquiring these irresistible skills sets means you have to go the extra mile. Just the fact that you, for example, have a degree in information technology (which would in better times be considered an invaluable asset) won’t be enough to make you irresistible to employers. Many other job seekers have a similar degree. On top of your degree, you need to acquire skills and certifications in emerging technologies – at it is these extra skills and certifications that give you an edge in the labor market and that have the potential to make you irresistible to employers.

Taking the case of the information technology graduate (who specialized in software engineering) as an example one again, he could ahead and take extra certifications in hardware maintenance (like A+) and network management (like N+ and Cisco). This way, the graduate becomes multi-skilled – which is a great attraction to employers in rough economic times as they seek to consolidate tasks by employing all-rounders.