Seniors, I’m hearing from a lot of you that you’re having a tough time finding the right job and graduation is looming.

So you want a job that pays you to do your best work. You want to be appreciated for your experience, your special abilities and your creativity. You want to work for an organization that aligns with your personal values, a place you can feel proud to call home.

Dear Ms. Cheston,

I am graduating from college this May with a B.S. in Public Health from Syracuse University, but I’m no longer sure I want to go into this field. While I’ve taken some business courses as well, I don’t know what to look for in a job, and when I apply to jobs online, I never receive a call back.  As I move closer to graduation, I am nervous that I don’t have a job lined up for after graduation. Please help! I’m getting desperate.

Leadership is one of those terms that is so ubiquitous it’s hard to define. Everyone aspires to be a leader, feels pressure to be a leader, is building their leadership capabilities. Every company is looking for leaders. Sure there are natural leaders, those with charisma to burn whose disciples will follow them anywhere. But leadership is not just the purview of those with rare talents; most people can become leaders if they take an interest and a methodical approach.

There is a long-standing misconception among job seekers about recruiters – how they can help, how to engage them and, most often, why they’re not returning your calls.

Being a leader means knowing who you are and what you stand for—You’ve decided upon your mission and you have a vision for how to get there. It’s informed by your value system—what you care most about and what you feel is right.

Are you a 20-something seeking work with meaning? Are you willing to trade great mentoring and a dynamic work environment for a lower salary? If that’s the case, you are trending with your generation. And while making less money is not to be treated lightly, research shows that people who feel personally fulfilled at work are happier than those who work exclusively for the money.

You know how important it is to have internships during your college years. And if you haven’t already lined something up, there is still a bit of time—provided you’re not completely consumed with studying for finals at the expense of conducting a search!