Top Mistakes Recent Grads Make in the Job Search

— -- Two college graduates who have been unable to find jobs in their fields got a big surprise on “GMA” today, when they were offered jobs after a protracted search.

Before subscription beauty service Birchbox offered them salaried, entry-level positions with benefits including health coverage and paid vacation time, Desiree Quinto and Emma Sayles had talked to “GMA” about the difficulties of finding a job that matched their qualifications and goals.

Quinto, 24, thought she’d done everything right in college. The Boca Raton, Florida, woman mastered three languages and did four internships and a host of extracurricular activities, and graduated in 2012 from the University of Central Florida with a degree in interdisciplinary studies.

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Still, two years after her graduation, she was unable to land what she called a “real job,” and was still living with her parents.

Quinto put a lot of effort into each of her job applications, including writing separate cover letters.

“You make it sound so personal and then … they come back and they tell you that they moved on with a different candidate,” she said.

Sayles of Roanoke, Virginia, understood only too well. She graduated last year from Marymount Manhattan College in New York City with degrees in theatre and business management.

She said she attended networking events and always sent out resumes, but a year after her graduation she had only managed to land a job in retail and counts on her parents to help pay her monthly bills.

“It's definitely really frustrating … how are you supposed to get that experience if someone doesn't give you a chance?” she said, adding, “I never thought I would find myself in this position at [age] 23, needing my parents' financial support. It's really demoralizing.”

“GMA” had no involvement in the women being selected for the positions.

The two women’s experiences are not unique, job experts say.

Rosemary Haefner, vice president at CareerBuilder, said times are tougher for job seekers.

“Now what we’re finding with 2014 grads going for entry-level employment -- these employers are expecting volunteer work, some internships ... it’s a much tougher playing field,” she said.

Haefner gave "GMA" some of the most common mistakes new college grads make in the job search.

Nearly one in four employers said that college graduates aren’t prepared for the real world, according to a March 2014 CareerBuilder survey of more than 2,100 employers:

.Top reasons why employers say they’re not prepared, which also translate into the biggest mistakes college grads make, are: