Everything seemed to be in place. With internship experience and full-time offers from Caterpillar, two ISU students were ready to make the transition from college to the real world after graduation, until they got phone calls telling them their job offers had been rescinded.

Allison Strong, senior in logistics and supply chain management, and Natalie Woodrum, senior in marketing, were both offered full-time positions with Caterpillar after graduation, but because of the economy, their job offers were taken away.

With a mix of emotions, Woodrum said it was hard for her, especially when the company delivered the news just a few days before Christmas.

“It was just a flood of emotions — disappointment, anger, all of that, because to me I was back at ground zero, rebuilding and everything,” Woodrum said. Strong said she also felt disappointed, but she knew she couldn’t give up.

“I was disappointed but I knew I couldn’t just stop. I had to keep going to find something else,” Strong said. “It’s not fair, but I know they had to because of the situation and it’s just the way it goes.”

As an alternative, Woodrum looked into the Peace Corps, an organization she has been interested in since she was a little girl.

“I’ve actually always been really interested in the Peace Corps, ever since I was really little, and I knew that was something I was going to do at some point in my life. The timing of it now is just different,” Woodrum said.

Strong said she has searched and interviewed for other positions continually since she heard the news.

“Since I found out that my job was rescinded, I started filling out applications and interviewing. I went to the career fair, which was really helpful,” Strong said.

Mike Gaul, director of career services for the College of Agriculture, said that even with unfortunate situations like these, students need to keep positive attitudes and stay aggressive in their job searches.

“The unfortunate thing with that is those students probably could have been off the job market a long time ago with any other company, but it was just a classic case of wrong place, wrong time given the economy,” Gaul said. “The best advice is you have to stay aggressive with it, you have to stay positive. It’s so easy to get down because all you hear is the doom and gloom. Maybe things aren’t clicking right away, but you have to stay with it.”

Gaul said students still have opportunities, even if the job market is smaller right now.

“The good news is this: Good help is always in high demand and we have great students here at Iowa State in all of our colleges. It may take awhile but eventually things will collect,” Gaul said.

Bringing everything together as a whole will help students get ahead in the search for a job, Gaul said.

“It’s really a combination of everything — a positive attitude, mastering the art of networking, fine-tuning a hopefully well-rounded resume and being able to communicate effectively with people out there,” Gaul said.

Although it was difficult at first, Woodrum said she understands Caterpillar’s predicament.

“I think they did it in the fairest way possibly and even though I am out of that job, I’m accommodating for that. I’m just changing around my plans and do what I have to do,” Woodrum said.

As soon as the economy turns around, Gaul said he believes there will be plenty of opportunities for students, but they need to remain focused and aggressive in their job searches.

“Down the road, when things get better, I just think there are going to be some fantastic opportunities out there for students, but with that said, it’s getting that foot in the door and getting that first job,” Gaul said.