All you need to do is turn on your TV to CNBC to be reminded how bad the economy has become.  With unemployment rates hovering around 9 percent and countless more “underemployed,” this economy has raised a new set of challenges for those of us approaching graduation.

I look at our class and see that with just over a month until graduation, about one third (present company excluded) of the second year MBA students have accepted positions.  While I would like to say this is a function of students holding out for the “right” position, I’m afraid that just isn’t the case.

But what is the “right” position in this current environment?  I cannot answer this question for everyone, nor while I try, but for me the “right” position has changed dramatically over the last year.  After months of no responses or a standard “<insert agency name here> is currently on a recruitment freeze…” it was hard to keep putting in the effort with top agencies.

But a real breakthrough for me came from reaching out a group of alums that were able to direct me to a more refined list of companies that would be a “fit” for me.  Once my emphasis switched to where would I truly “fit” rather than what brand name agency can I get into, my batting average improved.

Recruiters, especially in the ad world, are more concerned with whether or not a person fits in with their company’s values and culture rather than technical expertise, and that will get flushed out in later interviews.

Finding a list of companies where I matched culturally and highlighting why I would be a good match was a big break through in my personal career search.