Once a young person graduates, a period of celebration starts. However, once that has been completed, the big question of what to do with the rest of your life starts. Do you want to become the Director of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), manager of investors’ accounts with APFC, or even the next President of the United States? The possibilities are endless, but the opportunities, unfortunately, not as fruitful. This is why Larry Polhill believes it is so important that new graduates get to understand the current landscape and how they can find the work they so desperately need – and want.
Larry Polhill on the Current Economic Climate
There is hope for college graduates. The National Association of Colleges and Employers has reported that those with an undergraduate degree in business administration and management were in very high demand. Meanwhile, Career Builder reported that some 74% of businesses will look for college graduates in 2017, which stood at 67% the year before. They also reported that they would offer a higher pay, with 39% offering entry level salaries in excess of $50,000. Only 27% reported this the year before.
The key areas in which there is work for recent college graduates are:
- Business
- Engineering
- CIS (computer and information sciences)
- Communications technology
- Statistics and mathematics
- Construction trades
- Clinical sciences and health.
New Strategies to Get a Job
What Larry Polhill believes, is that college graduates have to approach getting a job differently. The environment is competitive and few people get an entry level position in their chosen major straight away. In fact, the Economic Policy Institute states that one in eight graduates are underemployed, meaning that they work below their skill level. Additionally, in 2016, the Office of the New York City Comptroller reported that Millennials earned around 20% less than what the previous generation had done in their first job.
According to Larry Polhill, there are 110 key strategies that graduates should adopt in order to become more employable:
- They must be attractive by developing good character.
- They must make sure their perfect job is connected to their personal values, their abilities and skills, but also their interest.
- They must see themselves and treat themselves as a brand. This includes creating a valid online personality through social media, particularly LinkedIn.
- They must be committed to continuous education and complete any certifications offered to them.
- They should use positive and affirmative messages every day.
- They should focus on developing a professional network.
- They should find a mentor to guide them.
- They should question everything and use this to become true problem solvers.
- They should seek out successful individuals, industry leaders, and subject experts and network with them.
- They should apply periodically to the job of their dreams and other desired positions. This also gets their name out there, meaning they will be sought out when a position does become available.