Students, faculty, and other job seekers around the Austin area gathered in Mabee Ballroom on Oct. 11 to hear from job expert Donald Asher.

Asher, who wrote 12 books on higher education and career development, engaged audience members in a live discussion on how to seek a job in today’s tough job market.

Asher said that the first step to finding a job is to be specific with what kind of job you want.

“People have career goals, and it’s like a secret,” Asher said.

Asher also brought up some realities about the job market today. He said that it takes the average college student nine months to find a job after they graduate. To help with this process, Asher said he wanted students to be aware of the resources that they have around them.

First, he said that a student’s major does not determine his or her career path. He brought up examples of students whose majors led them to alternate career paths. For example, an accounting major who became a night club manager or an art major who became CEO at a bank.

He also said that students should start looking for jobs and internships right now, because employers have a soft spot for students.

“Students are like puppies and kittens,” Asher said, “After you graduate, you’re like a stray search.”

Asher said that students need to be proactive in their job searches by talking directly to people instead of sitting behind their computers. If a jobseeker gets 10 of their friends to introduce them to their boss, then two-thirds of those people who do this will get hired, according to Asher. He also said that it was important to let others know that you are looking for a job.

Asher stressed the importance of having more than one job lead when you’re searching for a job. He said that many people only apply for a small number of jobs, which is why they are unsuccessful in finding one. He said that job seekers should look for at least 100 job leads.

“You need leads that you can abuse,” Asher said.

Asher said that once jobseekers have many job leads, they need to get appointments with employees who work at the companies. He believes appointments are the key indicators of success in a job search—not the number of applications sent in.

Jobseekers need to be proactive in getting those appointments by contacting their potential places of employment every two weeks until the company expresses interest or disinterest in hiring, according to Asher.

“Most jobseekers fade away on their own,” Asher said.

Right now, there are 25 million people in the country looking for jobs. As an alternative to looking for a job, Asher said that some college graduates may turn to graduate school.

According to Asher, this is a wise choice because the unemployment rate for people with doctorate degrees is 2 percent and the average yearly salary is $116,000.