Getting your first job out of college is extremely difficult and frustrating. But, its up to you to differentiate yourself from other candidates and stand out in a crowd of hungry job seekers.
Being a recent-college graduate, I have discovered there is a new-graduate paradox.
No employer will hire you without experience, but you can’t get experience without getting hired. Well that’s just wonderful since I myself am a recent college graduate and have worked during college in retail, but have yet to get a “real” full-time job relevant to my economics degree.
During my job search, I have discovered that entry-level doesn’t mean having a college degree and little experience.
Entry level really means at least 1 to 2 years prior relevant work experience when you read the whole description. How many college graduates really have at least 1 year relevant work experience to the jobs they seek out?
Entry-level jobs no longer mean what they used to. Employers are taking advantage of the current economic downturn and adding new requirements (additional experience) to entry-level jobs. Two years ago, it seemed that there was a high demand for entry-level workers right out of college. There was a huge market for recent graduates. Employers hired many full-time employees straight out of college. Two years ago the economy was improving and unemployment was low. But then the housing bubble burst, the financial markets began to fail and for those of us graduating in 2009 into the present got screwed over.
Reasons for the New-Graduate Paradox:
- High unemployment. The combination of layoffs, financial market crashes and foreclosures flood the job market with experienced workers that are unemployed or looking for a higher paying job. Recent graduates have little chance of getting hired when the market is full with workers who have racked up many years of experience. Basically there is less demand for young unexperienced workers in today’s job market.
- Employers think experts get the job done. Employers don’t want to “take a chance” on new and creative minds.
Solutions:
- Employers should take advantage of unexperienced workers. New-graduates are willing to work longer hours for less money than experienced workers. Employees that have many years of experience racked up also have bills to pay, mortgages, kids and additional responsibilities that demand higher incomes. Recent-graduates have student loans, but little variable costs. Employers should hire recent graduates because they are enthusiastic about starting their career, will bring new insights to the job and will accept less in compensation.
- Get an internship. Even though internships typically don’t typically last longer than 6 months, it will give you some great on-the-job experience and show that you are worth the money. Be indispensable and turn your internship into a full-time paid position. If you show your ambition, hard work ethic and creative ideas during your internship, chances are they won’t let you go.
- Volunteer. You won’t get paid, but you will get some hands on experience and add skills to your resume. Plus, your ambition and dedication to work for free shows you are a self-starter and will be a valuable employee.
- Blog or make your own website. Show off your writing skills and get blogging. Sharing your ideas and creating a discussion is a great way to use the skills you learned in college. Don’t let all those years in school go to waste. Keep up your professional writing skills and blog in your spare time. If you are more of a technical person, make your own website to include in your portfolio. Don’t know what type of website to design? Advertise your skills on Twitter or social networking sites and start a contest to design a free website for some very lucky person and build your portfolio.
- Have a business degree? Make a mock business plan. After graduation you can either use what you learned during all those years or lose it. My advice: use your writing, analytical and creative skills to draft a business plan for an existing business or one you create yourself. This is a great way to show your ambition and take action. Employers will love your ambition and self-motivation. Who knows? Maybe showing them who you are and what you are capable of will get you a job. It could happen, so go for it!
My Journey:
Since there’s this new-graduate paradox, I am currently on the job search looking for the right opportunity to come my way. So I’m taking my own advice. I started a blog. I volunteer as a data ninja with People for Puget Sound (environmental non-profit) and I’m applying for internships to gain hands-on experience. I’m also in brainstorming ideas for my business plan. Wish me luck!
Hope this post helped and inspired those recent college and unemployed graduates out there.
What’s your story? How did you land your first job? Any other advice for recent college grads to gain experience? Comments and discussion are always welcome!
Excellent post, love your advice to use your skill and start a business or just do a simple business plan and be pro-active… don’t lock yourself home and wait
Despite being unemployed and have been for 4 months, discovering my career interests, blogging and volunteering I just find a way to keep busy. I know of many recent graduates that applied to a few jobs and just gave up. You have to keep adding to your skill set, apply for jobs and challenge yourself every day.
I recently voiced my opinion about this ‘experience trap’ in the post ‘Nothing More Unexpected’.
The experience to get experience loop frustrates me no end, all the entry-level jobs that fit with my degree want me to have this elusive 1-2 years experience. Often it isn’t just lab experience but something really specific that my final year lab experience couldn’t cover.
Since graduation I have traveled, waited for a work visa (to work in Canada) and been trying to figure out what I really want to do. Many of my friends are either pursuing further degrees or stuck temping – working in offices and retail they could have done without going to college. I always had an interest in endocrinology and fertility (I’m a Biology girl) and decided to run with the idea of working in IVF – applied science and helping people through science. I have had 3 disappointing replies to work experience in Hospitals in Britain when I was living back with my parents for 3 months waiting for the visa, they lacked time, resources, spaces full. It was really difficult because they lived in such a rural area, the transport was terrible and I have no car so hard to find things to do. I have been in Canada for 3 weeks now, before I came I wrote to the IVF clinic here and last week I got a positive response, wasn’t a definite yes but in the right direction. I hope this will differentiate me from other grads applying to clinical embryology training next year, as I’ll have more than a Biology degree. Like you, I’m on the prowl for volunteer work and evening classes, anything to add to my skill base. I think employers are expecting most of us to have some kind of gap as 2009 graduates but as long as we have a few worthwhile things to note down it’s not damaging to our job prospects.
My brother graduates in 2011 and I do worry that there’s going to be some sort of ‘graduate pileup’ of grads from previous years for newly opened job positions when the economy recovers.
I think taking a chance and traveling to Canada is a good move and will definitely differentiate yourself from other candidates. I figure if we keep showing our ambition and improve our skill set, at some point (hopefully soon) employers will take a chance on us. Many recent graduates have given up. You must continue to act you will stand out when the economy improves and the demand for jobs increases.
I definitely agree that there is a possibility of a ‘graduate pileup’ in the future. I also have a brother graduating in 2011 (engineering degree) and hopefully things will improve before then. My advice is to do whatever you can to gain important skills and show your commitment to your career. Best of luck!
Thanks for the encouraging words. It’s hard, but if we persevere things will fall into place for us.
I think another problem with pure science degrees is you really need to decide what you want to do and run with it. It was always implied Biology would lead me into research and that was the ‘done’ path. Either that or teaching. With research, the main experience is built into your academics so you don’t really need to hunt for it. Since changing my mind I’m having to play the ‘graduate game’, I only wish I’d decided years earlier so I could have taken action sooner.
All my engineering friends seem to have comfortably slipped into engineering jobs post graduation. Wishing the same for your brother!
Nice post, and interesting, since I just punched up a guest post similar to this for someone I met through Brazen.
I was unemployed for a long time after I graduated—and that was 2007, before this crapfest of an economy got into full swing. You’re absolutely on the right track with all the advice you mentioned here.
One more bit of advice I might drop, and maybe you already thought of this, is that if you’re looking for a job in a particular industry, you should think about how your skills could translate over into other industries. I’m a journalist and I really wanted to do that for a living (and I do) but I never really considered becoming an HR rep that produces company newsletters or a PR intern that helps an organization communicate with the press.
You forgot one major important thing. Network, Network and more Network. It dose not matter what you do if no body knows that you exist. This should be done in person and online. There are several good sites. If anyone needs any help in this area let me know.
Very good advice from all. Having been in the working field for many years and now unemployed due to a reorganization, I too have been faced with a paradox — ” Too much experience – or lack of industry experience- when looking into a new industry!” It is frustrating but have been proactive in educating myself on other industries and seeing how my current skills can transfer over. Keeping busy and staying focused and positive has been my fuel to keep going because something will land. Good luck to all.