How To Find Entry Level Jobs After College

The Current Job Landscape For Recent Grads

• In 2016, the employment rate for bachelors degree holders aged 20 to 24 was 86%.
• In January 2017, the unemployment rate for people aged 25 and older with at least a bachelors degree was only 2.5%.
• In 2016, 67% of employers surveyed by CareerBuilder said they planned to hire recent college graduates. It was the highest rate since 2007.
• In September 2017, only 4% of recent graduates were unemployed.
• In 2016, employers reported they planned to hire about 5% more recent college graduates than they had in previous years.

Graduates looking for work should keep in mind that theyre in a much better position than job seekers who havent completed degrees. For example, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that in January 2017, the unemployment rate for high school graduates was 5.3 percentwhich is more than double the unemployment rate for recent college graduates with at least a bachelors degree. Similarly, those who completed some college or an associate degree had a 3.8 percent unemployment rate, compared to a 7.7 percent rate of unemployment for those who had not completed high school.

And although most recent grads may not be able to land their dream jobs straight out of college, these statistics illustrate that employers are indeed willing to hire workers fresh out of school.

You Can Try Your Hand At Business

If youre a business-minded person but didnt finish a related course, you can live up to your interest by trying entrepreneurship. In addition, forming a business these days is convenient because you can even do it from within the comforts of your home via online. Besides, it gives you the chance to become your own boss while earning an equal sum of money working as a regular employee! Although this move may be risky, it will teach you how to face lifes challenges.

You Can Appreciate Life And Make The Right Career Moves Later

The more you spend your life hunting your real passion, the more hopeful you become. In addition, youll stick to your principles and make sound choices in your career.

Do you agree its best not to be in a rush finding a job after college? Your choice matters, so enter the workforce when youre ready. Then, learning when and how to find entry-level jobs after college as you wait may help you become a better part of the workforce.

When youre ready, a well-written resume can help you get interviews for entry-level jobs. Yet if youre unable to create one, look for resume samples or writing services. Resume Valley can help you do well in your job hunting.

Also Check: How To Build Credit In College

How To Find A Job After College

10 Minute Read | September 09, 2021

I get it. Trying to line up your first after-college jobwhile still managing everything else on your platecan make you feel like the real world is about to hit you like a freight train.

Youre not alone in this. People call in to The Ken Coleman Show all the time to get advice on their career direction, and most of them are way older than you. So take a deep breath, because Im here to help!

Here are a few simple, practical steps you can take now that will not only help you get a job after college, but also get you one you actually love.

How Do You Find Entry

Job boards are a great starting point to discover what entry-level jobs exist in your industry. If a jobs seniority level isnt labeled, candidates can use context clues to tell if a job would be fitting for them. Most entry-level jobs list no experience needed, but some may say one to two years of professional experience required or preferred.

While job sites and online tools can be handy for researching and applying to opportunities, they are usually highly competitive.

Once you go to those digital resources, youre a number, Martin said. Instead, both Martin and Robinson recommend using your network to excel in your career search.

Read Also: Does Trade School Count As College

Interpret The Job Description Differently

Consider the job description a wish-list written by the companys HR department, rather than taking it at face value. In most cases, what you see written here are the desired skills the employer wants from the person in that position. Whether or not you possess them when you join their team or you go on to develop them over time while working in the role, the end result is the same.

Thus, reframe most of what you read in the job description concerning previous experience along the lines of the employer saying it would be nice for you to have these skills rather than you must have all of these skills to apply.

Be An Adventure Guide

Are you the adventurous type? Whether you’re into white water rafting, skydiving, rock climbing, abseiling, kayaking, snorkeling, or bungee jumpingturn it into a part-time or even a full-time job. Many adventure companies look for young people to hire.

There are opportunities both within the United States and internationally. Many companies look to hire eager, English-speaking guides due to the popularity of these activities among college students abroad.

You May Like: How Much Is My College Book Worth

Leaning Into The Resources Of Their University

Universities often provide job search resources to students and recent graduates. For example, Wake Forest provides students access to Simplicity and Handshake up to 6 months after graduation. Upcoming graduated should contact their career services department to see what types of tools are available to them for their job search.

Our 2021 Grads Guide To Getting Hired

If youre a new graduate starting your job search, theres good news about the job market: were on the road to economic recovery from COVID-19 and the future looks bright. In fact, there are millions of open entry-level jobs in the U.S listed on LinkedIn right now.

To help you take the next step toward one of those opportunities, were unveiling our 2021 . The guide features workforce trends and insights, like which jobs and skills are most in demand right now, to help set you up for success as you start your career journey. Here are the highlights.

The rate of hiring is returning to normal for US graduates

Although the 2020 graduating class struggled for a few months last summer, we saw the hiring rate for fresh college grads return to pre-covid hiring levels by October of 2020.

As a result, we are cautiously optimistic for the 2021 graduating class. The rate of hiring returning to pre-COVID times suggests that 2021 graduates are likely heading into a more stable and healthy job market.

What are the opportunities?

Looking at entry-level job openings in the US, here are the top 10 industries with the most job openings.

More entry-level jobs are going remote

These are the top ten remote jobs hiring entry level talent that weve seen grow the most over the last year.

Methodology:

Recommended Reading: How To Get Noticed By College Football Scouts

How To Find An Entry

When it comes to relative newcomers in the Data Science field, there arent many out there doing better than Alyssa Columbus. Although she just graduated from college earlier this year, she already has a full-time data scientist role at Pacific Life, a laundry list of conference and symposium speaking engagements, and has founded a local group for women who code in R. Oh, and shes a NASA Datanaut.

In other words, if you want advice on how to break into the industry successfully, shes a good person to ask. And while some of her advice will probably sound familiar, she also said some things you really might not expect.

Obstacles For College Grads

Tetiana SHYSHKINA Unsplash

Right now, there are countless obstacles that college grads are facing. The state of the job market is poor. There are no in-person career fairs for seniors. Networking events that are in person do not exist anymore.

There are 10.7 million people currently unemployed, making the unemployment rate 6.7 percent. Some industries are being impacted harder than others. Areas that are seeing job losses are leisure, hospitality, healthcare, and private education.

But, there is hope with growth in employment opportunities being in professional and business services, retail trade, and construction.

While new grads understand how grim things are, there still are ways to overcome these obstacles and to remain resilient.

Don’t Miss: College Terre Haute Indiana

Create An Impressive Online Marketing Portfolio

If you’re serious about launching a marketing career, then you need a marketing portfolio. You can use it to showcase your best work and glowing reviews from people you’ve worked with before. Read on to discover how you can create an online marketing portfolio that wowsno matter what your experience level.

If You Meet Most Of The Job Requirements Apply Anyway

You have nothing to lose by applying for the job if you meet nearly all of the requirements. Try not to overthink your decision. Go for it!

Stack the deck in your favor by being positive in your approach and your application. Never apologize for the skills you lack that the company is asking for. As already mentioned above, you need to believe that the employer has a wish-list in place for their candidates, but not necessarily a have-to-have list.

After all, you are applying for an entry-level job where most candidates will not have 2 years of work experience in the field. Anyone with this level of experience most certainly will be looking to climb the career ladder not stay exactly where they are or take a step backward.

You May Like: How To Introduce Yourself In A Scholarship Essay

Don’t Be Afraid To Intern

If you’re having trouble breaking into your desired field, be willing to pursue an administrative or customer support role, or even an internship, to get your foot in the door. Many entry-level jobs today require one or more years of relevant experience. If you didn’t intern during college to gain the prerequisite experience, you are at a disadvantage when competing for an entry-level job.

Target internships that offer part-time hours or a flexible schedule so you can build up your resume with relevant experience and still have time to take on other work to pay the bills. It’s a lot easier to land an entry-level job within your desired industry once you’ve gained some relevant internship experience and have begun to build a strong professional network in that field. Plus, internships can turn into full-time jobs if you play your cards right.

Learn How Others Like You Got A Job After College

It helps to learn from those who have been in similar positions to where you are now. Learning about the process that others followed, the projects they worked on, and the critical connections they made can be instructive for you as well as inspirational. Youre not alone in how you feel and its important to remind yourself that.

At Acadium, you can find a lot of success storiesabout people paving their own ways and getting to where they want to be. Some are fresh college graduates who found their first jobs or launched their own marketing businesses through apprenticeships. Others have decades of experience in another field and switched to digital marketing. Still others have work experience in another country and leveraged their apprenticeships to launch careers in a completely new location.

In case youre curious about my own story, I tell it in this video:

Don’t Miss: How To Sell College Books Online

Best For Networking: Linkedin

LinkedIn was created in 2003 and is now the largest professional networking platform. With over 690 million registered users from around the world, LinkedIn serves as a database for open opportunities, a digital resume, and a social network all in one. Because of its social networking functions, LinkedIn allows you to add recruiters and other people of interest to your virtual network, making it the best job website for networking.

Your LinkedIn profile serves as a public digital resume and portfolio. It also gets sent to recruiters once youve applied for a role, so its important to take time and effort to make sure its detailed, accurate, as well as optimized for search. Its free to make a profile, search opportunities, and grow your network, but LinkedIn also offers a Premium membership. With a Premium membership, you can see who viewed your profile, detailed insights on the other applicants who applied for jobs youre interested in, and the ability to send messages to people outside of your immediate network.

LinkedIn is especially valuable for entry-level job seekers because you can use it to send connection requests to grow your professional network, even if you don’t personally know anyone who works in your desired field. You can make connections with people in your dream roles or industries to gain valuable insight, find mentors, and stumble across opportunities that arent listed anywhere else.

Network The Right Way

Ah yes, the buzzword youve been waiting for.

Most people dread going to networking events, but heres some good news: If youre interning or volunteering in the field you ultimately want to work in, youre already networking organically. Youre building relationships with people who are doing what you want to do, using something I call the Proximity Principle.

Whats the Proximity Principle? Its all about finding opportunities to do what you love. And its as simple as getting around the right people and being in the right places. For example, if you want to be a professional chef, you should be around other professional chefs in a place where theyre mastering their craft .

This is the right way to network and now those relationships become an important part of your search for your first post-college job.

Why? Because relationships are the key to a good resumé.

Also Check: How Much Does One College Class Cost

Find A Mentor Who Will Give You The Guidance To Get A Job And Opportunities To Gain Experience

Another benefit of taking on side projects is that you will connect with people who could potentially become your mentors. Having someone there to give you direction as you navigate the first steps in your early career can help you overcome the confusion and stress of finding that first job.

A mentor will also give you valuable feedback on your work. This feedback is gold, because it elevates your learning. Getting the guidance of someone whos in the trenches cant be matched by classroom learning. Some things can be learned only through experience, and mentors allow you to learn from theirs.

Q: How Do I Get An Entry

I’m about to graduate and it seems like every “entry-level” job requires at least two years of experience. I don’t have any experience! What do I do? Evan D.

It’s an awful Catch-22: You’re about to graduate from college and are seeking an entry-level position to kick off your career. The problem? Most entry-level positions ask for anywhere from one to FIVE years of experience. Suddenly, the panic sets in. How in the world are you expected to land an entry-level job if they all require experience?

For better or for worse, this is a fairly common situation. Over the past 10 years, the definition of “entry-level” has changed dramatically. Now, it’s not enough to have a shiny new college degree in order to land your first post-college position. Employers expect college graduates to enter their first job after school and hit the ground running.

In today’s job market, the internship has taken the place of the post-college, entry-level job. If you graduate without a couple years of work experience under your belt, you’re already at a disadvantage.

The internship has taken the place of the entry-level job.

If you’re already on the brink of graduation and your resume isn’t padded with a plethora of paid internship, don’t panic just yet.

Next, re-evaluate your job goals. It’s unrealistic to think your first job after college will be your dream job. Instead, consider this initial position to be a stepping stone the first of many on your path toward your dream career.

Recommended Reading: How Much Does It Cost To Go To Berkeley College

You Can Exercise Your Skills

The decision to delay getting entry-level jobs after your studies can help bring out your best as a person. With nothing to keep you busy, you may discover yourself doing creative stuff. You can explore activities and try challenges until you gauge your artistry. Further, use your talent in writing, drawing, or photography and earn money from doing them!

Internships Are Now The Entry Level Alan Seals

Seales says this fact impacts the entry-level job market on multiple fronts. First, companies can save money by using interns to do that work without having to pay junior employees the more interns a company has, the fewer entry-level jobs its likely to open.

Second, because applicants with one or more internships on their resume arent tough to come by, those who dont have internship experience are left out in the cold. That can happen to students who cant afford an unpaid or low-paid internship, or those who have trouble securing one.

In some cases, you need to have had an internship to get an internship. Its also tough if youre an ethnic minority, says Seals. A February 2020 study he co-authored showed that employers are less likely to respond to applicants with Black-sounding names and much more likely to hire those whove had internships before.

Add to that the fact that the vast majority of internship opportunities are geographically located near major cities, meaning those who dont already live there or cant relocate are out of luck.

This is a problem in the United States, the internships are on the coasts, says Seals. Those are the most expensive places in the country to live. If youre in college in a region with no internships, now you need to not only get an internship, but find a way to afford moving there for a summer. If you have no knowledge of how the system works or how to gain access to these elite levels and places, youre left behind.

Recommended Reading: Who Buys Back Used College Textbooks