Indianapolis, IN, July 19, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Nearly two million graduates have left their college campus and headed home to begin their first professional job search. In an effort to assist college graduates in finding employment more efficiently, DirectEmployers Association and its job search tools, like My.jobs, will be featured in TalentMarks’ three-day Grad CareerFestival July 27 – 29, 2017, that will highlight 27 career authors, 10 career coaches and online career discussions.

Research by DirectEmployers partner, the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), suggests that it will take the average graduate 7.4 months to find employment. If the average graduate of the Class of 2017 earns approximately $4,000 per month (as reported by NACE), graduates stand to lose $50 billion dollars in salary and the ability to repay three-fourths of their student loans by the time they gain employment.

Graduates can find employment more efficiently if they have the right knowledge, skills, tools and strategies in place when they begin their search. To help them better understand what resources are available, DirectEmployers will participate in an interview discussion during the upcoming Grad CareerFestival and offer guidance on how to find vetted employers with open positions for early talent.

During the Grad CareerFestival, attendees will have access to four tracks that run from 11:00 AM to 10:00 PM EDT each day, and will consist of the following agenda:

• Career Management: Thursday, July 27, career authors will provide tips and strategies on how to build a career plan and manage one’s career.
• Job Search: Friday, July 28, career authors will provide advice on networking, building a keyword focused resume, interviewing, branding and the job search process.
• Post-Graduation Advice: Saturday, July 29, career authors will provide graduates advice on refinancing loans, managing finances, learning soft skills and successful strategies on how to transition into their first professional job.
• Career Coaching: Each day from 8:00 PM – 10:00 PM EDT, four certified career coaches will lead thought-provoking discussions to help grads find direction and meaning in their career choices.

“As a former recruiter, I’ve witnessed how difficult it is for recent grads to find employment. DirectEmployers decided to get involved with Grad CareerFestival to help make this process a little easier, and hopefully connect jobseekers to employers more quickly,” commented Shannon Offord, Director of Strategic Partnerships.  

Graduates looking to participate in all 33 hours of presentations can register for the event by visiting http://www.gradcareerfestival.com.

About DirectEmployers Association

DirectEmployers Association is a nonprofit member-owned and managed association formed in 2001 by 14 leading Fortune 500 companies searching for a way to reduce recruiting costs, while regaining ownership of their recruitment brand. Through collaboration with these individuals, DirectEmployers developed proprietary technology that has since led to the creation of our flagship product—a federal contractor compliance solution that assists with the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Program’s (OFCCP) VEVRAA mandatory listing requirements and Section 503 regulations. Now with 900 employers varying in industry and size, we’ve expanded our Member benefits to include a Partner Relationship Manager (PRM), networking and educational opportunities and fully customizable Recruitment Marketing Solutions.

About Grad CareerFestival

The Grad CareerFestival is produced by TalentMarks, a nationally recognized firm that provides scalable career and professional development programming to career centers and alumni associations.  Participation is limited! Graduates can apply to attend at  http://www.gradcareerfestival.com.

Attachments:

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/9ab76710-90da-43dd-b24f-f35437c995e0

Nancy Holland
DirectEmployers Association
317-874-9022
nancy@directemployers.org