There’s been a lot of doom and gloom lately when it comes to the job market for graduates.

It’s probably bumming many Gen Yers out right about now.

But take heart! While there aren’t as many jobs to go around, there are employers who are specifically looking to hire recent graduates. And they’re looking for the best and the brightest.

Want inside information on what some of the biggest companies are looking for?

I asked three recruiting managers at top corporations to describe their vision of the perfect candidate.

Dan Black, Americas Director of Campus Recruiting, Ernst & Young:

“At Ernst & Young, we take a long-term view of recruiting and we work hard to find the best and the brightest candidates on college campuses. We will hire roughly 5,000 interns and full-time campus hires this year. We know that the talent on college campuses today will grow and develop into the leaders of our firm in the future. So, even in this tough economy, our campus hires are a critical talent pipeline for us.

We are looking for strong candidates who will excel in a high-performing culture that values inclusiveness, teamwork, and leadership skills. We’re looking for individuals who bring strong academic credentials and work experience; but it’s equally important that they are active in co-curricular activities on campus, at home, and/or in their communities. We’re evaluating how well someone will be able to handle multiple tasks and job responsibilities but, just as important, how well someone will be able to build relationships with their co-workers and clients. To be successful in an interview, students should focus on providing clear examples of what they have actually done, rather than explain what they would do in a particular situation.

We focus on those individuals that exhibit solid communication skills as well as a strong commitment to integrity. And, diversity is a strong component of our recruiting strategy: diversity of thought, backgrounds, and experiences. We believe our clients are better served when we bring all of our different perspectives to the table to help solve their business issues.”

Check out — www.ey.com/careers

Marie Artim, Assistant Vice President for Recruiting at Enterprise Rent-A-Car:

“At Enterprise Rent-A-Car, we set ourselves apart from our competitors by following a simple but powerful philosophy: ‘Take care of your customers and your employees and the profits will follow.’ So, we look for smart, motivated candidates who can really bring that philosophy to life and deliver our uniquely personal brand of customer service.

More specifically, as we interview the roughly 8,000 people we plan to hire this year, we’re looking for individuals who are highly social, goal-oriented and self-motivated, and with good leadership, communication and problem-solving skills. We want entrepreneurial people with a strong work ethic – candidates who are seeking the opportunity to build a career, who want to advance rapidly and who are willing to work hard to do it.

We’re looking for the future leaders of Enterprise. And we’ve learned that best way to find them is through a ‘high-touch’ recruiting process. We have 200 recruiters at universities and colleges throughout North America looking for the best candidates for our management training program. They don’t just look at a candidate’s major… they strongly consider extracurricular activities, work experience, leadership roles and community involvement. We then build on that foundation to give management trainees a solid grounding in the skills they need to operate a successful business, through extensive training, one-on-one coaching and on-the-job experience.

Our interview process is a rigorous one. The qualities we’re looking for – leadership, motivation, entrepreneurship – tend to come through loud and clear in the early stages of our recruiting process. If they don’t, we move on to the next candidate.

At Enterprise, we make a promise every day to exceed our customers’ expectations. Finding the right people to serve those customers is the first – and perhaps most important – step to ensuring that we live up to that promise.”

Check out — www.erac.com

Susan Houghton, Manager of HR Communications, Chevron:

“Chevron is looking for people who are driven to find cleaner, smarter ways to power the world.

If you were to ask a recent hire why they chose to work at Chevron, they would probably tell you it is because of our company’s vision, business strategy and values – what we refer to as The Chevron Way. The Chevron Way establishes a common understanding of who we are as a company, what we believe and how we want to get results.

When we interview potential candidates, we examine their technical skills and competencies, and we also look for traits we value in our employees, such as integrity, trust, ingenuity and partnership. We evaluate these traits against our corporate goals of protecting people and the environment, as social responsibility is a top priority at Chevron. We also look for performance in potential candidates. We want high achievers – but high achievers who are interested in getting results the right way.

Chevron is committed to having a diverse workforce – in every sense of the word. We want to learn from and respect the cultures in the communities where we operate and we look for individuals eager to embrace a myriad of talents, ideas, and experiences. The Chevron Way is much more than a recruiting mantra—it is at the heart of what we do. We believe it is helping us reach our goal – to be ‘the’ energy company most admired for its people, partnership and performance.

Chevron offers a truly global and collaborative work experience. We are looking for candidates who want to team up with some of the best and brightest people in locations around the world using leading edge technology to create energy solutions.”

Check out — http://careers.chevron.com/

It’s a glimpse of what some recruiters are thinking. If you think you fit the bill, go head, apply.

Don’t let the negativity derail you. People do get jobs in a tough economy. It’s just tougher. Be tough! Mom and dad can’t make it better. It’s your turn to take charge.

(Note: Ask a question below if you want more specifics on what these executives are looking for. I’ll do my best to answer. Also, there’s a good chance the hiring managers may be reading this blog in the days ahead, so I well-thought out question could get a response right from the hiring horse’s mouth.)