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President Barack Obama delivered the commencement speech at Morehouse College in Atlanta. Although the event was closed to the general public, Atlanta residents were excited about the President’s visit. Monica Allen, local business owner, and author of the book You've Graduated. Now What?: 10 Steps to Stand Out and Get Hired in The New Economy (Amazon.com, 5 stars), says she hopes that the president’s message will not only inspire college grads, but will instill a sense of professionalism and work ethic that many new graduates are lacking when they begin their careers. Allen says that ever since the recent recession, “businesses are more demanding and more particular than ever when choosing employees because they do not have extra dollars to waste on a bad hiring decision. As a result, the hiring process is tougher and the overall job market is much more competitive than in past years.” At the time of this writing, 7.2% of college grads are either unemployed or under-employed. A recent survey by USA Today states that 20% of job applicants behave poorly or bizarrely during interviews, doing things like texting, dressing poorly, using slang, arriving late, and even bringing pets or parents to the interview. When asked in a recent interview with Esme Murphy of CBS Radio why these college grads behave poorly in interviews, Allen replied “they’re smart kids, however they’re just not being taught the proper way to go into a job interview.” Allen has lots of hands-on experience with the subject; one of her businesses - stuff4GREEKS – makes custom fraternity and sorority merchandise, so most of her customers and employees are either college students or recent graduates. “I wrote this book to give job-seekers insight as to what employers really look for in candidates. In general, colleges have left a void when it comes to training students for career professionalism,” she says. “President Obama will have everyone’s ear at Morehouse’s commencement this weekend, so I hope that his words somehow help fill that void. President Obama is considered ‘cool’ by today’s youth. His words of inspiration could be the stimulus that America’s economy really needs.” About Monica Allen Monica Allen and Ethan King are the authors of You've Graduated. Now What?: 10 Steps to Stand Out and Get Hired in The New Economy (5 stars on Amazon, featured on The Wall Street Journal This Morning podcast). They are the co-founders of APGG, a multi-brand creative services firm in Atlanta, Georgia. The APGG brands include stuff4GREEKS.com, a leading Internet retailer of custom fraternity and sorority paraphernalia; Zeus’ Closet custom clothing stores; Monica Allen Interiors, and E. K. Allen Creative, a corporate image design studio whose work has appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show with notable clients such as Tyler Perry. Students, recent graduates, or anyone in the job market can learn more about the book and find other helpful resources at www.graduatednowwhat.com . Media Contact: Ethan King ethan@apgg.net 1339 Marietta Blvd. Suite D Atlanta, GA http://GraduatedNowWhat.com
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