The job market is quite competitive right now. It is fluctuating a lot. There are students who graduated in 2020 who still haven’t found a job and students from 2021 are joining them. In fact, about 45 percent of those who graduated from college in 2020 are still looking for a position. Luckily there is cause for hope. According to the Future of Work 2021 study from hiring company Monster, 82 percent of employers are planning on hiring this year. While there are many gaps in employment and experience for these graduates, many companies will hire new graduates to cut down on overhead and salary expenses. Here are some tips for the college students graduating and the companies looking to hire them.
Spend Time on Resumes
Whether you’re a student putting together a resume or a company going through them, it is important to spend time on this part of the process for both parties. However, you look at it, taking the time to go through the resume will change the game. As a college student who is graduating, creating multiple versions of resumes will help you find the right job. Since graduates should be taking a lot of time to sell themselves and what they have to offer, companies should be careful when looking through them to determine the best candidate for the job. For both sides of the interaction, taking more time on the resume will help make the process smoother and more effective.
Be Honest & Transparent
A lot of companies are using an employee background check to determine whether or not the prospective employee is being honest about their criminal record, employment history, and education. For recent college graduates, it may be tempting to embellish parts of their experience. This isn’t a good idea. Every college graduate should be honest about their shortcomings while selling their strong suits. On the other end, businesses that are hiring should acknowledge that entry-level college graduates won’t have as much experience as others. This provides an opportunity to pay a lower salary while training the new employee from scratch. When the company and candidate are transparent, it will be easier to find a match sooner.
Use Hiring Sites
Both the business looking to hire new employees and the college graduates looking for jobs should use hiring sites. It’s important to use all the tools at your disposal, especially if you’re looking for a full-time job for the first time. Companies recruiting new hires can find employees on these career websites and prospective candidates can look for jobs that fit them. These sites are a great resource for both ends of the hiring process. They can help you narrow down your job options if you are a graduate and find the right people for the job if you are running a business.
Research Salary Trends
An entry-level job will have lower pay than a job that requires experience. Both parties should do their own research on the salaries for a particular job and how they go up with different levels of experience. As a college graduate, you should know what you will get paid at an entry-level job. When you have reasonable expectations on what you will get paid or what you will pay, there will be less disappointment. You will find better matches because both the candidate and the business will know what they are looking for.
Keep Up Online Presence
For both the college graduate looking for a job and the company looking to hire them, keeping up an online presence will facilitate the process. The candidate should clean up their social media profiles of anything unprofessional and present themselves in a way that will be enticing to companies and the companies should broadcast that they are hiring entry-level workers. Social media is a great tool. Use it for good.
Finding a job is nearly always a daunting experience. While it isn’t easy, many businesses are looking to hire. Whether you’re a hiring manager or a newly graduated student looking for a starting job, following these helpful tips will facilitate the process and make it that much easier for everyone. Finding the right match will fall into place.