(ARA) – Many recent college graduates continue to face a challenging job market, but do they know how to effectively locate and acquire a job?

With 53.6 percent of bachelor’s degree-holders under the age of 25 underemployed or unemployed, the nation’s young people are unfortunately less prepared than they think.

According to a new national survey, 48 percent of college career center directors felt students were not well prepared for the career landscape – noting a lack of motivation and understanding about the job search process as major barriers to successfully landing a job. The survey, Effectively Counseling Graduating Students, was conducted by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) on behalf of the Career Advisory Board, established by DeVry University.

Career center directors cited that, overall, students have a poor understanding of the effort required to search for and secure employment. More than 77 percent of college career center directors felt the greatest obstacle in counseling students to enter the job market was getting them to understand the effort required to successfully search and compete for a job.

These factors contribute to students not utilizing their school’s career center or skipping this resource altogether, which could prolong the job search process. Fifty-six percent of career center directors felt students did not have resumes ready to show employers.

“The survey reveals recent graduates may be prepared to perform on the job, but not prepared to find the job,” says Alexandra Levit, business and workplace consultant and Career Advisory Board member. “Students need to seek out the career center early in their college experience to take advantage of resume review, coaching and career counseling to prepare for the job hunt.”

Eighty percent of the career center directors surveyed believe individual student career coaching is the most effective resource available for students.

Additionally, the Career Advisory Board recommends the following advice for students and recent graduates to become marketplace ready:

1. Tailor your resume– Do your homework. Ensure your resume fits the target position’s job description, including keywords before submitting. Craft your resume in a way that will interest an employer immediately.

2. Build on your skill set – Continually improve your skills. In order to succeed in the workplace, you need to be able to master new information, write coherently and contribute meaningfully in a group setting.

3. Practice makes perfect – One-on-one coaching sessions or mock interviews with career service professionals are the best forms of rehearsal and a good way to learn the dos and don’ts.

To learn more about the survey and successful strategies to transition from college to career visit: CareerAdvisoryBoard.org.