When Nakul Randev started his business degree four years ago, he never thought finding work would be such a challenge. I'm really surprised that the prospects aren't what we thought they would be, says the 21-year old Wilfrid Laurier University student. The financial market is really bleak and that's making it tough.

Graduating this summer with a bachelor in business administration with honours, Randev has found that many employers he was interested in have slowed or even suspended hiring. Organizations I've approached have said they're not doing interviews because bringing people on now could be a liability and even ones doing interviews don't always hire, Randev says. I've made it to a second interview only to have a call back to say that they've cancelled the job.

With growing economic uncertainty and market volatility, landing a job right after graduation in the finance and insurance sector may take a little extra time and effort and requires a serious game plan.

Having a plan is really important, says Joanne Uy, who graduated from the University of Toronto management program last year and landed the job she wanted just a few weeks later.

The best thing [job seekers] can do is figure out what they really want, what they're really good at, and then determine where they can go to achieve their full potential, she says. With a business background I could have gone anywhere but what really helped me plan was asking myself where I wanted to be in five years. That focused me on what I like to do, what I wanted to do and where I needed to start.

For Uy, whose five-year goal is to be an insurance underwriter, the place to start was as an underwriting assistant at AXA Insurance in Toronto where she had done a summer placement in 2006 and then worked part-time before graduation. When a full-time position became available, Uy was the natural choice.

I would say an internship or summer placement really helps because then you already have your foot in the door, advises Uy. I was already in the company and they really valued that because you're familiar with the culture, the environment, and you've had a chance to prove yourself.

Work experience not only helped Uy network and land her job, it also gave her a very good idea of what it was like to work in the field. It was the most important thing I did to find work and there were no surprises when I started ÔÇô now I'm looking forward to more challenges as I move up the ladder.

Nakul Randev picked a co-op program for that very reason and credits his placement at Scotiabank with helping him to focus his goals. My experience at Scotiabank helped me so much ÔÇô it was a great experienced and really opened up a lot of opportunities, he says. Now I know that Scotiabank is a great employer and that there's a real future there ÔÇô you don't always know that until you're in the door.

Randev is now hoping to get his foot permanently in the door at Scotiabank and is in regular contact with his former co-workers. In amore competitive market, those who've found success say it's also important to be open to all the opportunities that come your way. It's okay to start at the bottom, says Uy. Just because you graduated from university, especially when it's called a management program, doesn't mean you have to take on a management role. Take part-time work and any experience you can get, it'll really help you in the long run.

And while there's concern over how the economic uncertainty will affect the financial services industry, Uy isn't worried about her future. In the insurance industry, there's always demand. Even though the economy is unstable, the very fact that it is unstable means people need insurance. jp