It’s no secret that there is a growing problem in the American workplace - too many college grads heading into the workforce with degrees that don’t mean much anymore.

The main problem is, there are just too many graduates. A Bachelor’s degree is not as worthy as it used to be back in the ‘70s. These days, a Bachelor’s is not enough to get the better jobs. But experts feel that some of the weaker students who attended college had other options that could have served them better. As a result, many students who aren’t skilled become degree holders. Now that 70 percent of high school graduates go to college, a degree has become watered down as everybody has got it. In the meantime, the unemployment rate for recent graduates has risen to 10.6%.

Though employers agree that a degree remains essential, it is work experience that makes an applicant stand out. Daniel Pink, author of A Whole New Mind: Why Right Brainers Will Rule the Future (2005), says companies are looking for people who have the ability to do jobs that are hard to outsource, such as design, and seeing the big picture; in other words, right-brained abilities. They also look for graduates who don’t need a lot of hand-holding and who are self-directed.

It’s not so much that you have a degree, it’s what you did during that degree that will impress the recruiter.