I thought this blog and article by Dr. Cummins was really enlightening. She discuss research about why recent college grads are having a tough time finding jobs: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/good-thinking/201311/why-recent-college-graduates-can-t-find-jobs.
You can read her blog for specifics but the two things highlighted are things that I've been saying for a long time:
"1. Almost half of the students
surveyed believe a degree from a prestigious school is very or extremely
important to employers. But only 28% of hiring managers indicated that
this mattered in their hiring decisions."
I believe that the top echelon ivy league schools are in league of their own. Companies send campus recruiters to find the brightest. But just about everyone else falls into another bucket and what is really important is not the school, but what you did at the school to show mastery or cleverness. The kid who set up his own successful business plan and managed to pay most of their own college bill will get a bigger look at than the kid who did nothing but travel every summer on their parent's dime. Great internships mean a lot as well. I think the eager grads that shows they have good communication skills (can write a coherent email), social skills (follow up appropriately), good solid references from internships--they are the ones who will get the job. Which leads us to the next part of the findings:
2. About three-quarters
(77%) of surveyed college students believed professional or personal
connections were important for securing a job. But only 52% of hiring
managers thought so.
I don't think that personal or professional connections are important to securing a job, but I think they are important to help you break out of the crowd and be seen. If you're not good, you won't get hired. But you can't get hired unless you are interviewed. If you can use those personal and professional connections to get you in front of someone, and you're good, then you have a much better chance than the star in the pile who comes across as one of many. I think this is true to getting an internship. Those with the connections are the ones that will get the internship. And the connection could be a professor who is known in their field that recommends you or a family friends who things highly and sends your resume on to the HR group with a personal recommendation. I genuinely think most adults want to help young people start their career--but only if they are sure they are good.
