Dear Recent College Grad – You Aren’t Alone, So Stop Job Hunting Like You Are!

Usually, my posts are focused on the staffing solutions space, perhaps discussing key factors for success (and the pitfalls to avoid) when launching a contingent workforce program, or the impact that AI is having on talent solutions operations, or how to properly position your firm for growth in today’s hyper-competitive supplier market.  But let’s face it…

Aren’t you sick and tired of reading and talking and hearing about those same subjects over and over? I think it is time we discuss another painful subject – the challenge of finding your first career job after graduating from college.  If you are a recent college graduate on the job hunt, this article is for you! (If you are a parent of a recent college grad, I hope you get something out of it as well.)

Full Disclosure

If you are reading this article, I believe you have a right to know a bit about my background, and what my experience was coming out of college.  Otherwise, you might be inclined to believe I am just a guy going off on a rant who never lived through what college graduates  may be experiencing today.

I am a proud graduate of Miami University! (The one in Oxford, Ohio that you got tired of hearing about during March Madness this past spring!) It was, and I believe still is, one of the leading public universities in the country, especially for those seeking degrees in business, education, microbiology, and (believe it or not) video game design.  I was a business major who actually got recruited as a jazz musician. This meant my academic friends were largely conservative capitalists, and my music friends more liberal – a perfect balance for what would turn out to be my career!

I was like a lot of college students.  I partied a little too much early on and then settled in academically once I got to my Marketing major courses. Yet somehow, the Famer School of Business invited me to serve as a mentor for Miami students from 2007-2010.  That experience sticks with me today, as I try to offer mentorship to anyone who may need a helping hand or a different perspective.

When I graduated in 1990, the toughest part for me was that the job market was very tough for new college graduates, much like it is today. According to “The Harvard Crimson”, it was the worst in 20 years.

·         Unemployment was at 6.8% as the US economy was in a recession, and many companies were downsizing amidst economic concerns, particularly in manufacturing and middle-management roles.

·         Job openings had decreased 13.3% from the prior year

·         20% of college graduates were “under-employed” - forced to enter into jobs that traditionally did not require a college degree.

·         “Low paying jobs” represented 15% of accepted jobs by recent college graduates.

·         Technology was having an impact as the PC era was becoming more dominant, and robotics were delivering an alternative to certain human roles in the workplace.

Geez, this all sounds kind of familiar to a lot of the news about today’s job market doesn’t it?

In the end, it took me 6 months to land a “real job”.  I worked as a musician, did some retail supporting a family friend who owned a Hallmark store, and served and bartended at a country club in my hometown during that time, while job hunting every day and doing as many interviews and career fairs as I could in the Cincinnati, Dayton, and Columbus areas.

Finally, I was hired into a Management Training program with a major department store chain, and within two weeks, I lucked my way into the opportunity that would shape my career – Human Resources Trainee within the Corporate Human Resources Department. It was a great training ground as I started my career. I eventually found my path into IT staffing for seven years, then the contingent workforce solutions space where I have spent the last 24 years in senior and executive level roles. So yes, you can say that I have always been a people person, and I have a resume to prove it!

But enough about me.  Let’s talk about today’s world, and the approach to job hunting that can be challenging to today’s college graduates.

The Job Market Today for College Graduates

Thirty-six years later, college grads are facing similar job market challenges, albeit with different economic stimuli driving the numbers.

·         For the first time in recorded history, the unemployment rate (8.9%) for college grads ages 20-24 sits higher than the national unemployment rate (4.2%). (Source: National; Association of Colleges + Employers)

·         Hiring for entry level roles has declined, with over 40% of employee recent college grads underemployed, working in roles that do not require a college degree. (Source: NY Times)

·         Economic depressions have led employers to retain tenured staff, and workers have been less aggressive in pursuing new opportunities.  This means fewer job openings. The result is an increase of 26% - 30% in job applicants per job posting. (Source: Indeed hiring Lab)

In the end, this is one of the worst job markets we have seen overall, and especially for college grads, since the recession of 2008-2010.

Add to it that culturally, today’s college graduate exists and functions differently than we did thirty-six years ago when I was looking for my first career job.  For that matter, they function quite differently than those navigating the recession era of sixteen years ago! As a culture. . .

·         User experience has changed from how another human being treats or services our personal or business needs, to how convenient performing a task such as placing an order or making a payment via a cell phone or tablet with no human interaction.

·         We don’t go out to buy things from a store staffed with humans.  Instead, we do it from our home offices, bedrooms, or even commuter trains via a cell phone so we don’t have to speak with anyone.

·         Department stores have adjusted their marketing strategy to partner with online retailers to serve as a destination point for returning items just to increased foot traffic.

But here is the problem!

Today’s generation (not just college graduates, but society in general) has grown so accustomed to technology as a facilitator of efficiency that we forget that in most cases, technology is merely a tool, and not an actual decision maker. It is critical to understand that when you are job hunting as a recent college graduate, it is people who are going to make the decision about you!  They aren’t going to make it anonymously either.  They are going to want to hear your story, your evolution, what you can bring to the table, what kind of teammate or leader you can become, how you problem solve, what you sound like when you are in front of a potential client or review board or patient.

Once you realize that, then it will be easier to understand the steps to take as you pursue your first career job!

Now, here are some potential solutions!

The following tips and comments are intended for recent college graduates who are seeking to enter their professional field, but it doesn’t mean some of these may not apply to those readers who have already been working the grind for a few years already.

·         Get the best version of you out there! 

1.      Figure out what your goal is professionally.  You may have several options at this point, and that is normal.  For example, a marketing major might be interested in true marketing work – advertising, social media strategy, business writing; or they could be interested in sales or entry level management roles.  It’s OK to have multiple resumes based on the potential paths that interest you.  People with thirty years in the business do it all the time!

2.      Craft your resume to optimize your credentials.  You may or may not have had the chance to work during high school and college in your field, but the experience you may have had shouldn’t be discounted automatically.  If there are any recognitions you have achieved, get them documented.  If you had an internship or co-op, provide the details on the projects or daily operations work that you performed. Format your resume so it is polished, and flows well. State your objective, then detail your work, educational background (especially if you were on teams that supported a business for a school project), skills (technologies you have some level of experience with), and recognitions. It also doesn’t hurt to call out your volunteerism and community efforts.  You don’t want a resume out there that looks like you just did it because you had to!

3.      Have a recruiter review your resume.  I always recommend that you have someone who has recruiting background review your resume.  They play in this space every day and may be able to provide tips on how to optimize your resume so it is more AI-friendly. Lots of the job boards have AI screening capabilities that can weed out candidates if they read a resume that misses certain job description criteria. A recruiter’s eye will help immensely!

4.      LinkedIn. The world still relies heavily on LinkedIn.  Be sure to create a profile that introduces you to the world and what you can bring to the table. Accentuate the best parts of you.  Don’t speak to your own weaknesses. That will be a common question in an interview process soon enough.  A get a professional headshot to post on your profile!  Nobody wants to see the picture of you at a fraternity or sorority formal or tailgate party.

5.      Leverage your college resources as early and as long as you can!  Many universities are keen to promote how their Career Placement Centers drive certain job placement success.  Remember, we live in a metrics-driven society, and education is not immune to it!  Tap into the resources and offerings they provide.

o   Resume review

o   LinkedIn profile optimization

o   Mock interview and coaching

o   Job search techniques

o   Access to career portals such as Handshake that help you network and identify potential internships and networking opportunities

6.      Identify career fairs and networking groups, and go to their events!  Many college students expect the college Career Placement Center to do everything for them, but the smart job hunters are proactive and take matters into their own hands.  Identify networking groups that relate to your field of interest and attend their meetups.  Also, don’t wait until after graduation to attend local job fairs.  It can be a good way to identify what companies have training programs for college grads, and the type of talent they tend to hire out of college.

·         Understand the recruiting process.  What most new candidates don’t recognize is that the first representative of a company you are interviewing with is not the ultimate decision maker.  Rather they are the first gatekeeper, and their job is to learn about the potential candidates and then narrow down the field to those who will progress to the next round of interviews, potentially with people who will actually be your future boss.  It is vital to be prepared with questions that fit the role and mission of the interviewer.  The initial interviewer is commonly from HR or Talent Acquisition, so good questions may focus around company culture, the typical training programs that a newhire would go through, what common job assignments might be during years 1-2 of a formal training program. You can inquire about the “WIIFM” (What’s In It For Me?) items such as benefits and volunteerism opportunities, but I don’t recommend asking about pay rates unless they bring it up.  Remember, you are seeking to gain access to as many opportunities as you can, especially in this economy.

·         Know the perspective of your audience interviewing you!  This always is applicable, and it is something I emphasize when I am consulting with other businesses.  Think about the role that your interviewer occupies within the company today.  Ask yourself what their priorities might be and proactively think about their hot buttons.  This should shape the kinds of questions you should ask of them during the process.  For example, a Sales Manager will be focused on how you build a pipeline of prospects, how you communicate with them, and how you qualify business as a good opportunity versus bad business.  On the other hand, an IT executive will want to know about the platforms, languages and software you have worked with, the types of development or infrastructure work you have done and how the platform functioned for the end user, and how you worked within project teams.

·         Demonstrate your own organization.  It may sound old school but follow up emails to express your appreciation for the time and insight still matter, especially if you truly personalize the message to the conversation.  Do this within 24 hours of the interview, regardless of whether or not you are interested in the opportunity.  You never know when your paths may cross again. But if you are interested in the company and role, say it.  AI can be of great assistance in helping your craft a baseline thank you email, but you will want to customize it a bit for the firms who have caught your attention and interest.

·         Don’t expect a virtual role to start your career.  A recent Gallop poll showed that for roles that can potentially be done remotely, 52% of that work is done in a hybrid model, 27% virtually, and 21% on-site. When the work model is evaluated across all jobs, the number drastically change to 75% on-site, 13% hybrid, and 12% remote. Corporate culture is important to organizations hiring talent, and many believe that the shift during COVID to virtual workplaces has jeopardized corporate cultures, and the ability to retain good talent.  More companies are bringing people back into physical facilities and offices these days – at least on a hybrid basis - in an effort to rebuild that comradery and culture. This is especially true for newhires and management trainees who need to learn the organization, the industry sectors they compete in, and the players in the organization whom they rely upon.  You should expect as a college graduate hire to have some days in office each week.

·         Ask for feedback.  Most people have at some point been rejected for a job opportunity.  (My roommates and I had an apartment door called “The Ding Door” where we posted the rejection or “ding letters” and highlighted the phrase of doom, such as “Although”, “Regretfully”, or “However”.  The winner was “Regretfully”.)  If you advance through the interview process, but don’t make the final cut, try emailing the recruiter to seek feedback on what you may have been missing so that you can learn from the experience.  I’m not going to lie and say that most will give you that insight, but some will.  If you get it from them, ask them if they have any suggestions for you to implement going forward.  I once interviewed a young lady in St. Louis for a Program Manager role, and rejected her in favor of someone who had more IT experience.  She had asked me for feedback, and she thanked me for sharing it at the time.  A year later, I proactively reached out to her to meet for a business dinner and hired her for the same role. I’ll say it again.. . . YOU NEVER KNOW!

·         If you struggle to find the right full time job, consider part-time or contract roles within your field of interest.  As we have stated, fewer companies are hiring entry level full-time employees and the competition is high in today’s talent economy.  Contracting through a staffing agency, or working part-time in a role that links to your field of interest may be worth considering.  It may not be your dream job, but you will earn some compensation, get experience that is relevant, and possibly position yourself for the next recruiting class of college grads.

·         4 Words – YOU ARE NOT ALONE!!!  I hear it far too often.  The phrase, “I want to do it on my own.”  While that is very noble and independent thinking, let’s face some facts.  This job market is not a very favorable one right now.  There is a lot of competition for that one opening that you are hoping to land to get your professional life kick started. And then there is the fact that you probably don’t have much professional experience and clout overall.  So why the hell do you think you are better off doing this alone?

Networking with people in the industry that you seek to enter is critical to gain an advantage against the competition.  That’s not just a sales perspective, it is a job search perspective as well!  If your parents offer to connect you to a friend in the business, take them up on that offer.  If a family friend offers to make an introduction or to employ you part-time while you are interviewing, take them up on that offer. If a friend of your own works at a firm you are interested in joining and offers to make an email or LinkedIn introduction, take them up on that offer.  If someone is willing to provide mentorship who you respect, take them up on that offer. 

Independence is fine if you are in position financially and competitively to accomplish your goals.  Hopefully that day will come for you quickly.  But if you are a recent college grad, that day likely isn’t today.

Conclusion

Hopefully, you can tell that I have been where many college grads like you are at now.  The career placement office at their university didn’t come through as you had hoped, and now you are potentially faced with living at home with Mom and Dad, neither of whom likes your taste in music, entertainment, or clothing.  (On the bright side, if you are willing to go shopping with them at an actual store, you might score a lunch or dinner out of it!)  But they do care, more than you will ever know until you are in their shoes about 25 years from now. They are trying to walk the fine line of being your parent and allowing you to live independently. As a parent of two kids in their twenties, I assure you it can be a tough balancing act sometimes. Believe it or not, they expect you to not have all the answers, and to make some mistakes along the way.  But it is also reasonable to hope that you learn and evolve from those mistakes on your journey so you ultimately achieve your goals and reach a better place in life. 

If you are seeking a resource who has been there and done that in this crazy process, I hope you will reach out to me, or someone you trust for their perspective.  I believe in mentorship and have gained so much from making an impact on the next generation.  I know there are others out there like me who feel the same.

Good luck!

Steve Dern is the Founder & Principal Consultant of Trumpeter Consulting, L.L.C.  Leveraging expertise gained over his two decades in talent solutions with nearly 30 client programs, Steve provides consulting expertise to enterprise clients as they navigate their way through the complex world of contingent workforce management, and to suppliers who seek to expand and optimize their operations and revenue streams.  For more information, email us at steve.dern@trumpeterconsulting.com