You made it. Graduates this year will face an interesting job market where salaries are increasing and your skills may be high in demand thanks to record-breaking resignations and a labor shortage stretching across every industry. It’s different if you would enter the job market in a recession; today the question is whether you should take the first job being offered.
This blog will look at the market you’re stepping into and some career path considerations if you are a recent college graduate.
2022 Job Market for Recent College Graduates
In the next few weeks, the job market will flood with thousands of eager college graduates. What can they expect?
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The job market is still recovering from COVID, however, the number of job openings is at an all-time high. In March 2022, there were 11.5 million jobs out there.
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Wages went up 4.5% in the first quarter of the year. That’s the highest increase in average salaries since 1983. Starting salaries have gone up by 8% in the past five years.
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We are still in the thick of the Great Resignation. Did you know four million people have quit their jobs every month for the past six months in a row? Read that sentence again and you’ll begin to understand the level of desperation employers must be feeling.
What does all this mean for you, the new graduate just on the job market? Well, you have choices. But this doesn’t mean you should “follow your passions.”
Practical Job Advice for the New Graduate in 2022
If you have student loans, here’s some practical job advice to heed even in a candidate-driven market:
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First, the reality is your first job out of college may not be your dream job. It rarely is and you will be lucky if you find it. The question for you when choosing your first job is more skills related. Ask yourself: What will this job teach me that will get me to my dream job?
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Second, it’s normal for you to not know what you want to do right now. You may find that your college major was in some ways a waste; what it taught you is that you don’t want to work in that field at all. Try to focus on what else your education taught you, though: Communication, perseverance, and critical thinking skills are all important in jobs today. Many employers will teach you hard skills; emphasize the soft skills you bring as a smart, capable new graduate.
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Third, consider working with a recruiter. Even if you had internships, you’re new to the job market. A good recruiter can give you solid resume and interviewing tips that will help you not only in the search you’ll undertake this summer—but also down the road.
The recruiters at People Plus are standing by to connect you with top employers. Talk to our team and get started on your work as a successful career professional.
