Despite the fact that the current economic strife has curtailed the number of entry level jobs that many employers are providing, hiring managers are still looking for recent graduates who are talented. In many cases, the problem is that the jobs are in one location while the best potential employees are in another. Were jobs more abundant, many might hold out for positions closer to home, but a new survey shows that many graduates looking for entry level jobs are willing to move for work.
Experience, Inc., an entry level job search site, recently polled Generation Y for its 2008 Hot Cities Survey and found that 85 percent of those who are fresh out of college are willing to move within the U.S.. Another 70 percent responded that they would be willing relocate outside of the country.
The survey found that 44 percent those polled citied their careers as the reasoning behind considering to move. Hoping to find a more favorable social scene was the reason that 19 percent said they would be willing to relocate. Another 6 percent said that were thinking about moving for family reasons.
Despite the obvious willingness to move, 33 percent of entry level job seekers said that a high cost of living would be a reason that they might turn down a company's offer for employment.
The survey also asked participants where they would most like to move. New York was they most popular metropolitan area, with 12 percent of entry level job seekers reporting a desire to move there. Washington, D.C. and Chicago were the top locations of choice for 8 percent of those polled. San Francisco, which appealed to 7 percent of participants, came next. The fifth slot was a four way tie between Seattle/Tacoma, Atlanta, Boston and Charlotte, all of which were attractive to 5 percent of those polled.
"Employers have the opportunity to attract a larger entry-level talent base by sourcing beyond their geographical boundaries," said founder and CEO of Experience Jenny Floren. "It's imperative that recruiters understand what motivates Gen Y and then promote the comprehensive benefits of their job opportunities, including the aspects of living in a specific region. When organizations can attract and retain large number of young professionals with optimized workforce development efforts, there can be a real economic boon to the city."
At this time, Experience.com is the largest career site in the nation for entry level job seekers. The website finished the survey in August of this year. Altogether 277 individuals participated in the poll. More than 100,000 employers use the website to look for talent that have attended 3,800 different colleges and universities.
MonsterTRAK.com, a part of Monster Inc. that deals with internships and entry level jobs, recently released a report announcing the top five industries for recent graduates. The results for this are based on the number of jobs posted by employers on the job search website.
According to the report, there has been a major shift in entry level job postings showing that medical and educational employers are now looking for more recent graduates than ever before.
MonsterTRAK.com's vice president and general manger commented on this, saying "[A]s the medical and educational sectors continue to add jobs, as well as expand online recruitment efforts, we expect their need for qualified applicants to outpace other white-collar industries that previously dominated year-over-year growth such as the slowing financial and business sectors."
"Because the majority of industries, regardless of the sector, will continue to face a shortage of talent generationally, many employers are looking to attract entry-level candidates by offering long-term growth potential and other perks." He went on to say that "[T]his remains good news for students who are undecided about a degree path, as well as recent graduates and young professionals still looking for their first opportunity."
Sales and business development came is as the top industry for employing recent graduates. This sector made up for a quarter of all the jobs posted for entry-level workers on MonsterTRAK.com. Positions under this category include jobs in account management, real estate, advertising and field sales.
Secondly was accounting and finance, which made up for nearly 15 percent of the job announcements on the website. Despite the current issues with mortgage and loan providers, there were still a good number of entry-level job postings for accounting positions, financial analysis, consulting and administration positions.
Third on the list was training and instruction. All together these education-related jobs increased 90 percent since last year.
Information technology and software development came next. Popular entry-level jobs in this sector included web and software design, consulting, online security systems, computer maintenance and help desk support.
Finishing off the list was the medical and healthcare industry, which had the highest growth over the last year, showing an increase by approximately 200 percent. Employers looking for newly graduated nurses, dental practitioners, pharmacists, physical and occupational therapist and general practice physicians posted the most new jobs.
You have no experience in a particular industry but you need a job. You don't have a job to give you experience in that industry. So you can’t find a job.
Sound familiar?
Don't give up - everyone has some type of experience through part-time jobs, life experiences, school, civic organizations, or volunteer work to help them land an entry level job. Your biggest obstacle is to identify the skills and knowledge you have gained from these types of activities and position them on your resume as qualified experience.
Volunteer organizations, educational activities, family and household management, and vacation planning all give you some type of experience. Think about the skills and knowledge it took to do these things, and you'll begin to see how much experience you actually do have!
Volunteer Organizations Don't discount or disregard the experience you may have gained from volunteering. Including information about activities you lead or participated in related to planning, advertising, organizing, fund raising, writing, speaking, or chairing can put you head and shoulders above the competition. And don't forget the value of teamwork in these situations. Volunteer organizations typically require creative thinkers who can work independently.
Education and Extracurricular Activities Finishing school is a time when many people are frustrated and confused about the job search. Creativity is key here - consider any part-time jobs you held while in school, clubs or groups in which you participated in or offices you held, school events you organized and planned, sports events or clubs in which you were an active participant or member, and other school activities. These types of activities provided an opportunity for you to utilize your planning, organizational, communications, and creative skills. Use this experience to your advantage on your resume.
Clubs or groups you've been actively engaged in may have given you more experience than you previously imagined. Being involved in group dynamics, being an active team player or leader, and participating in community activities all provide different levels of experience that can be described skillfully on your resume.
Family and Household Management Raising a family can provide you with a tremendous level of experience in many areas including financial planning, organizing, event planning, negotiating, decision-making, contractor or vendor management, and time management. Multi-tasking and coordinating services and activities for several people simultaneously is an art in the business world!
Caring for your elderly parents also positions you well. You have sharpened and honed your skills in communication, geriatric medicine, health and benefits management, physician interaction, negotiations, planning, organizing, financial management, and directing. You've learned to multi-task and balance multiple priorities by managing two households and your decision-making skills are heightened as a result of this opportunity. Businesses are always looking for people experienced in this type of situation.
Travel Planning and Time Management Planning a vacation for your family takes lots of planning and organization. It also requires research and cost comparison in most instances. Whether you've traveled nationally or internationally, you've learned much about organizing schedules, time management, travel planning, and financial management. And international travel broadens your horizons to the multi-cultural differences across the world and gives you a broader perspective on different cultures. If you've learned a second language, that’s even better! Include this on your resume.
Investigating job opportunities when you don't believe you have experience can be a challenge, but when you evaluate your past life and the many things you have participated in or planned, you will identify experience that is valuable to many employers. An employer who is looking for an innovative, creative, experienced, and ambitious individual will see the potential in you!
Entry level jobs don't always mean you have no experience. They simply mean that the position you are seeking is entry level for a particular industry or company, and the experience you actually have may be much more than you originally thought you had.
Identify your transferable skills from other jobs. Combine this experience with your education and life experiences for the most impressive resume and launch a job search that will land that perfect job!
Breaking into a new field of work or looking for an entry level job after graduating from college can be a challenge. But if you know where and how to get started, it's much easier to gain the experience you need to quickly move up the corporate ladder. Human resource positions are no exception and entry level jobs are key to future success.
Human resources professionals must be able to communicate clearly and professionally with individuals at all levels of an organization. They must interact well and protect the confidentiality and privacy of the people they work with. It is just as critical to maintain the confidentiality of the position at an entry level as it is at the executive level.
The growth of human resource jobs looks good over the next 10 years. Entry level positions are currently in high demand as more job seekers have turned to the internet for posting resumes and other documents. Entry level positions for human resource assistants require computer skills and the ability to navigate through various search engines to locate the best and most qualified resumes.
Human resource support staff is responsible for maintaining employee records, typically through the use of computerized programs. Not only do they maintain general information such as name, address, title, earnings, and other information, they are also responsible for managing supervisory reports related to attendance records, payroll, performance management, and other management reports.
Entry level positions offer the opportunity for individuals to conduct the employment pre-screening process and participate in the hiring process. They may be asked to administer aptitude, personality, or skills based testing. They are often responsible for coordinating drug testing and other pre-employment testing, as well as contacting references to confirm validity of information provided by applicants.
Often, Human Resource Clerks, Assistants, or other entry level employees are given responsibility for notifying applicants when they are hired or rejected for specific positions. Their job includes processing new hires and coordinating the orientation process.
As security measures have become much more prevalent and critical in our business world, entry level human resources jobs are often charged with managing the process of assigning security badges, updating computer files and records to ensure access only to appropriate information and data for new hires, and conducting criminal background checks if required for the industry.
As you gain experience in human resources support, additional duties will be added which include creating and analyzing reports such as turnover reports, benefits reporting, and other employee related analyses. Increasing job responsibilities as you become an experienced HR Generalist will include management of the human resources policies, procedures, and programs.
Positions in human resources are particularly rewarding since you are providing support, guidance, and direction to the workforce. Taking on more responsibility for organizational development, performance management, policy development, and compensation and benefits administration will give you the chance to create a positive work environment.
Your ultimate goal as a human resources professional is to create a culture that encourages and supports empowerment, high productivity and quality, and development of an outstanding workforce. Regardless of your level within the organization, the role you play is extremely valuable to your company's management team.
A video resume is a video in which a job seeker can convey his/her career objective, qualifications, experience, and educational background through job search activities. With new technology and popular websites specifically for the sharing of streaming media (such as YouTube or MySpace), the experimentation of video resumes is on the rise.
It is similar to an interview; just without the confrontation. You can edit as much as you want until it is perfected to your liking. It allows your creativity to show through while revealing your personality. It makes an impression and stands out from the crowd. A video resume can serve as a counteraction to the competition of several other sheets of paper.
Keep in mind that with a video resume, employers can discriminate on things such as your race, religion, and/or any disabilities that shouldn’t have any effect on determining whether to allow an interview or not. Be prepared for it to become a possible target of mass ridicule in the case it is made public.
This can be a strongly effective tool depending on what field of work and particular position you’re interested in. (Such as in entry level jobs and creative fields.) With that in mind, if applying for a traditional field such as finance or law, it might be better to stick with paper resumes, since personality isn’t necessarily the determining factor.
A suggestion would be to use a video resume alongside a paper resume, rather than as a replacement. An average video resume should be limited to a length of two to three minutes. Be very careful; you want to be remembered for the right reasons when looking for employment opportunities!
An entry level position will generally have little, if any, requirements beyond a high school diploma, a smile, interest, and a hard-working attitude. It is like taking the first step on the ladder; getting a foot in the door. Many entry level jobs will be aimed particularly on college students, and will pay a little higher, but at the same time are more likely to require specific skills and knowledge. Most positions are part-time and will not offer health benefits. An entry level job will almost always provide paid training, and can range from anything such as apprenticeship, receptionists, retail sales, to a fast-food employee.
On a personal note: I remember the very first job I ever had was making pottery. I was in high school, and my art teacher mentioned he had his own pottery studio and could use a helping hand. I told him I was open to work, so he taught me and eventually left me unsupervised. Although paid minimum wage, I was doing what I loved while receiving income.
A good way to find an entry level job Network. Talk. Get the word out about the kind of job you are looking for, then seek out and talk to people who are already doing that. You'd be surprised what will come up. If you are a new college graduate, congratulations! Check out the Web. Internet recruiting is very popular.
Spend some time with a counselor in the career office, but don't depend solely on him to get you hired. He is just there for guidance; it is ultimately up to the job-seeker how much seriousness and energy they will put into finding the right job. One of the very best ways to learn about an open entry level position is to actually walk into the place of interest, and ask for an application while making yourself known to the boss or manager. Try to shake their hand, promoting physical contact and eye contact. Show interest.
Over the past couple of years, I have reflected on this topic, but never put anything down on paper: What is an education worth? With the rising costs of college and universities, is it really worth taking an education to the next level and obtaining the certification. Or is it more practical in taking the hands-on approach and learning from someone through either internships or on the job training?
A good friend of mine, Lauren, recently graduated with a Master's Degree in Architecture from the University of Georgia. Since graduating, Lauren secured an entry level job within a firm located in Fort Wayne, Indiana, with a salary of $42,000. Her interest began in high school when she had an interest in art and became more involved with design and structure. After graduating with a 4.2, she then too the next step at the University of Miami and graduated with a degree in Architecture four years later. Her self quote throughout this experience has been “work hard, play hard”, which goes to show that hard work does pay off.
Now, take myself for example. Throughout high school I enrolled in various business courses. Therefore, my junior and senior year, I was given the opportunity to enroll in the Business Technology program. While in that program, I took advantage of the opportunity to mentor individuals at various businesses.
By the time I graduated, I secured employment within a financial firm and was given the opportunity to work along side a financial advisor. While in this position, I utilized my knowledge and used my skills to obtain my next job working alongside a Certified Public Accountant during tax season. It is now seven years later, and I have extensive experience working within an accounting firm, as well as a law firm. I have been told that my experience is extremely marketable because you do not find many people who have a legal background as well as a financial background, let alone someone who has this experience without a college education and presently making $37,000.00 annually.
Getting back to my main question, what is an education worth? I have shown you two examples of successful individuals, one who has an advanced college education and another who simply has a high school diploma. To my knowledge, there really isn't a right or wrong answer to this topic.
Lauren, simply wanted to become an architect and in order to do so, she needed the proper schooling for the right jobs. When asked if she regrets what she did and if she should have gone into something else, she told me "the loans are a killer, but I love what I do." I on the other hand, have gotten where I am today by observing and learning hands on.
If I hadn't taken advantage of the technology program and mentorships, I probably would have gone to a college of some sort and obtained a degree, but I’m not sure in what. I love business and when I go to work everyday, I am faced with a challenge of numbers. So there you have it, two individuals, two different learning experiences and both are happy with what they do everyday - college isn't for everyone.
