亲爱的安妮：明年春天，我即将拿到化学工程学士学位。但我很担心，不知到时候能不能找到工作机会。我有一大笔助学贷款要开始偿还，所以，我必须马上工作。我有两个问题：第一，我们学校将在下个月组织招聘会，约有50家公司会来参加招聘。其他许多学生都已签约。我该怎么做，才能避免自己不至于淹没在浩浩荡荡的求职大军中？您有什么好的建议吗？

    第二，我已经参加过几次面试，其中我非常中意的是两家截然不同的公司。可从面试到现在已经有一个月时间了，我还没有收到任何一家公司的回信。这是不是意味着，他们对我没有兴趣，还是有别的什么原因？——DC

    亲爱的DC：虽然我非常不想给你的焦虑情绪火上浇油，可你确实该好好考虑一下找工作的事了。如果你够聪明的话，应该已经开始求职了。你或许已经知道，几个月前，美联社（Associated Press）公布了一份广为传播的报告。这份报告称，2011年毕业的大学生中，失业或未充分就业的学生占一半以上（54%）。所谓未充分就业，就是指身陷不需要学士学位的低端岗位中。而2012届毕业生的情况似乎也好不到哪里去。今年9月，美国18至29岁年轻人的失业率为11.8%，远远高于美国总劳动人口7.8%的平均失业率。

    不过也有好消息，美国大学和雇主协会（National Association of Colleges and Employers，NACE）年度招聘经理调查的初步结果显示，2013年，雇主招聘的应届毕业生预计将比2012年增加13%。此外，你所学的专业也是你的优势所在。NACE执行董事玛丽琳•梅克斯称：“最有可能增加应届毕业生招聘的雇主所在的行业就包括化工与制药。”此外，她还补充道，拥有商学、计算机科学和各种工程学位的毕业生尤为抢手，而且雇主“纷纷瞄准大学校园，来为公司补充新鲜血液。”

    这就涉及到你所说的校园招聘会。艾莉森•多伊尔称：“要想让招聘会发挥作用，第一件事就是一定要去参加。毕业班的学生通常非常繁忙，所以，他们会放弃参加校园招聘会。这其实是错误的做法。三年级学生也应该参加，因为通常会有许多公司通过类似活动招聘实习生。”多伊尔从事过多年人力资源高管工作，目前在About.com网站担任常驻职场专家，曾写过多本关于求职的书，最新的一本书名为《艾莉森•多伊尔的求职宝典》（ Alison Doyle's Job Search Guidebook）。

    她说，就算你对参加招聘会的企业单不感冒，也要去参加。“你永远不知道自己会在哪里遇到谁，谁会成为你未来职业发展道路上的贵人。此外，招聘会也是让你锻炼如何向招聘经理展示自我的绝佳平台。”

    如何充分利用校园招聘会？下面有几条建议：

    1. 调查你感兴趣的雇主。应该特别关注每家公司网站上的工作机会，仔细考虑什么样的机会既符合你的兴趣，又能发挥自己的优势。

    2.准备好“电梯演讲稿”。用20到30秒的时间，总结自己的才华和能力。如果你对自己的能力并不确定，可以回忆一下自己到目前为止所取得的成就，包括你在课外活动（是的，当然包括体育活动）中担任的领导角色，然后仔细分析是什么帮你取得了这些成功。

    3.穿着得体。如果不确定该穿什么，即便是穿衣讲究过了头，也强于过于随便。穿什么不能代表一个人的全部，但是，穿职业装可以传达一种非常微妙的信息：你对这次活动非常重视。

    4. 充满热情。如果你真心对一位雇主感兴趣，在对话结束的时候，要说出自己的感受，并表明自己有兴趣在这家公司寻找更多机会。多伊尔称，在其他条件相差无几的情况下，对工作机会表现最迫切的求职者更有优势。

    Dear Annie:I'll be getting a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering next spring, and I'm nervous about my chances of having a job offer in hand by then. With a lot of student loans to start paying off, I really have to be working right away. So I have two questions: First, my school is having a career fair next month, with recruiters from about 50 companies. A zillion other students have already signed up. Do you have any suggestions about how not to get lost in the crowd?

    And second, I've had a couple of job interviews already, with two different companies where I think I'd really like to work. It's been about a month now, and I haven't heard anything back from either one. Does that mean they're not interested, or what? — Dixie Chick

    Dear Dixie:Not to add to your anxiety, but you're right to be nervous about finding a job -- and smart to have started looking already. As you probably know, a much-publicized Associated Press report a few months ago said that more than half (54%) of 2011 college grads were either unemployed or underemployed, meaning stuck in jobs that don't require a bachelor's degree, and the class of 2012 doesn't seem to be faring much better. In September, unemployment among Americans ages 18 to 29 stood at 11.8%, well above the 7.8% average for the workforce as a whole.

    On the bright side, however, employers expect to hire 13% more new grads in 2013 than in 2012, according to preliminary results from the National Association of Colleges and Employers' annual survey of hiring managers. Moreover, your choice of major gives you an advantage. "Those most likely to increase their hiring of new college graduates include employers in chemical and pharmaceutical manufacturing," notes Marilyn Mackes, executive director at NACE, adding that demand will be particularly strong for new grads with business, computer science, and all types of engineering degrees -- and that employers "are looking to college campuses to supply their hiring needs."

    Which brings us to your career fair. "The No. 1 way to make a career fair work for you is to make sure you go," says Alison Doyle. "Often seniors are so busy that they skip it, which is a mistake. Juniors should go too, because companies often look for interns at these events." Doyle, a longtime human resources executive and now About.com's resident career expert, has written several books on job hunting, most recently Alison Doyle's Job Search Guidebook.

    Even if the list of employers scheduled to attend doesn't wow you, she says, go anyway: "You never know who you'll meet there, and who might be helpful to you down the road. A job fair is also a great place to practice presenting yourself to hiring managers."

    A few suggestions for making the most of the event:

    1. Research the employers who interest you.Pay special attention to the careers section of each company's website, and think about which opportunities there would best fit your strengths and interests.

    2. Prepare your "elevator speech."This is a 20-to-30-second sound bite that sums up your talents and skills. If you aren't sure what those are, think back to successes you've had so far -- including any leadership role you've played in an extracurricular activity (and yes, sports do count) -- and analyze what helped you achieve them.

    3. Dress appropriately.If in doubt about what to wear, it's safer to be overdressed than clad too casually. Clothes don't make the man (or the woman), but wearing business attire will send a subtle message that you're taking this event seriously.

    4. Be enthusiastic.If you're genuinely interested in an employer, end the conversation by saying so, and express your interest in exploring opportunities at the company. All else being equal, the most eager candidate often has an edge with employers, Doyle says.