In all my years as a career counselor, something new is now happening. An unprecedented number of tech and finance majors are graduating without a job. That would have been unheard of before. We still have 2023 college graduates who are unemployed, and high numbers of 2024 tech students who have not been hired.
David was a parent who called looking to help his son. He expressed frustration, saying, “My son has just graduated with a computer science degree. He wants to be a software engineer. That was supposed to be a high-demand field. So, I can’t understand why my son is leaving college without a job.” He added that he was astonished by the situation and asked, “What can I do to help him get hired?
Having no job on graduation day is typical for marketing, communication, and psychology majors. The big surprise is the number of 2023 and 2024 Computer Science, Engineers, Finance, Data Scientists, and Analysts who are unemployed. It all adds up to a challenging search. One significant reason is that many tech companies that typically hire these workers have cut back and either stopped or drastically reduced their hiring. So, there are fewer jobs available and more people pursuing them.
These are excellent job search strategies to help you land a good job.
Resume
College students often have poorly written resumes since they likely haven’t created one before. Most don’t make the most of defining their internship experience. I find that they have more knowledge and skills that can be included.
The resume needs to be targeted and based on what an employer wants. Check out the job description for a few roles to determine what is essential. Search for the job title you are seeking, such as web developer. Review the top qualifications and look for 3-4 typical duties in several job opening descriptions. Then, incorporate some of that into the resume to align more closely with what an employer is looking for in an applicant.
LinkedIn
This is a valuable network that most students overlook. You need a completed profile with the “open to work” section and the tag turned on. The headline is the most searched part of LinkedIn, so you must ensure that potential job titles are covered. The headline will appear under your name. Note that you must use the vertical slash between these titles and the experience tagline to be effective with the algorithm search.
Here is an example:
Computer Science | Data Scientist | New College Graduate | Data Analyst | one year of experience
Another common LinkedIn mistake is that graduates often need more connections. Many have less than 20. Change that immediately. Add people you know—friends, relatives, parents' friends, etc. Implement this powerful technique that is described in this Forbes article to connect directly with recruiters.
Interviewing
This is another area where tech graduates fail to outline their skills, offering inadequate answers to the employer's questions. Situational questions where they need to provide a specific work example have them coming up empty trying to think of a response. Most lack insight into how to market themselves effectively.
They fail to point out key academic projects, knowledge, or skills they develop independently or in college. Many graduates learned to program before college or taught themselves. Others took courses that helped them master languages like Python and JavaScript. These are things you need to emphasize.
This next step is an essential one. Write out answers to potential questions in advance. Review them. There is no need to memorize. Just become familiar with that answer. Roleplay to practice your answers. Be sure you have covered all the likely and common questions you may be asked, such as “what is your greatest weakness”, or “tell us about yourself.” Get feedback to revise or improve your answers. Also, practice your online presence to ensure that you project confidence.
This Forbes article will help graduates improve their interview skills and give better answers to employers.