Carmen Alvarez

The rebound came just in time for Carmen Alvarez, who graduated in December from the University of Illinois at Chicago with a bachelor's degree in finance and management.The 23-year-old had worried about finding a job, particularly with so many experienced white-collar professionals in the labor market.

But recently, a contact she made a year ago at a job fair helped her win a position as a junior accountant for Douglas-Danielle Inc., a direct-marketing firm in Chicago, and at the salary she wanted.

"I was considering going to grad school and also working part time for a small-business owner," she said.Instead she started her new job Monday, taking charge of billing, accounts receivable and payable and assisting the chief financial officer with sales forecasts.

At a time of record long-term joblessness, many job seekers like Alvarez were ready to launch into Plan B. Some dropped out of the labor market altogether, figuring there was no point in looking.

The rebound came just in time for Carmen Alvarez, who graduated in December from the University of Illinois at Chicago with a bachelor's degree in finance and management.The 23-year-old had worried about finding a job, particularly with so many experienced white-collar professionals in the labor market.

But recently, a contact she made a year ago at a job fair helped her win a position as a junior accountant for Douglas-Danielle Inc., a direct marketing firm in Chicago, and at the salary she wanted.

"I was considering going to grad school and also working part time for a small-business owner," she said.Instead she started her new job Monday, taking charge of billing, accounts receivable and payable and assisting the chief financial officer with sales forecasts.

At a time of record long-term joblessness, many job seekers like Alvarez were ready to launch into Plan B. Some dropped out of the labor market altogether, figuring there was no point in looking.