Young Graduates: Don't Waste This Job Market

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Brian Weed has a message for eager, ambitious college graduates of the Class of 2017 – and also for discouraged graduates of the Class of 2014, 2015 and 2016: Take maximum advantage of today’s favorable job market.

Weed, CEO of GradStaff, a recruiting firm, says that demand is the strongest he’s seen in many years to fill entry-level positions leading to more senior roles.

Since the recession last decade, many grads have been “under-employed,” or stuck in positions that don’t require a college diploma, Weed says.

Employers understand under-employment, but aren’t totally forgiving. “Barring special circumstances, more than three years in non-professional roles will raise a red flag for most hiring managers,” Weed says.

He says in order to take advantage of today’s market, would-be employees need to job hunt vigorously, especially in industries like insurance, health care, logistics and financial services, which need new workers to replace retiring Boomers.

The career office at many schools will welcome grads from the past few years, while other colleges “have dedicated resources for alumni,” says Patrick Sullivan, career advisor with Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, N.C.

Help is necessary since many under-employed grads don’t understand how to market their skills.

“Connect what you have accomplished in your current job to the role you want to fill moving forward,” Sullivan says.

Weed says that, for instance, someone who’s worked in retail might emphasize the customer service and merchandising skills he’s acquired with statements such as: “I helped create a display for seasonal products that drove a [certain percent] increase in sales.”

Adds Joe Minarik of the non-profit Committee for Economic Development, “The message of a recent graduate who has struggled to find a fitting job has to be: ‘I’m eager. I have used my time productively to keep my skills sharp, and I am ready to prove myself.’”

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