New Grads and the Employability Myth
Whether it’s waiting to get a call from a particular employer or waiting for other promising opportunities, it’s not easy to be a graduate in 2015. In fact, according to a Statistics Canada study from the previous year, only 71% of students between 15 to 24 were able to secure full time work. And for the ones who can’t, they face a period of indeterminacy.
Sania Rashid is one of those students in limbo. Rashid graduated in June, 2015, with a B.A in Criminology and Sociology from the University of Toronto. She hopes to go to law school in September 2016, and remains adamant about gaining relevant work experience; something many, in her position, struggle to find.
Rashid currently works full time at a local eye clinic as a receptionist in Mississauga, and if you ask her, she’ll tell you she is looking for something more. What she really wants is to work at a law firm.
“When you apply to Law school, there’s a whole section where they ask you about experiences,” Rashid said. “I want to work somewhere where I’m gaining experience that’s relevant.”
For Rashid, and students like her, the problem isn’t always that they lack relevant experience; it’s that they don’t realize that their current experience could prove just as valuable.
Monica Scott, a career councilor and outreach coordinator at The University of Toronto’s Career Center, said having the right mindset is key for grads.
“Students don’t always see that [their experiences], no matter what they are, are relevant and helped them to develop employable skills,” Scott said. “The challenge is making those connections for the employers.”
Van Le, the HR Generalist at Knowledge First Financial, and an RESP firm that works with young Canadians on a regular basis, mentioned that from her perspective as an employer, “anything that demonstrates you practiced the listed ‘skills or knowledge’ in the job description [counts as good relevant experience].”
When students see the word experience, they interpret it as an absolute qualification. It’s why students hesitate to apply when they read that a company is looking for someone with one to five years of experience for an entry level job. It simply isn’t true.
“Often times, employers are seeking more than they expect to get back,” Scott said. Le added, “If you can demonstrate that you have the ability to learn things quickly and immediately contribute to a company’s productivity, one year of comprehensive work experience goes a lot farther than five years of routine work.”
Most students who have worked in a part time customer service job for instance, have developed valuable communications, customer service and conflict management skills without even realizing it. Those skills are significant and transferable across many different industries. Scott pointed out that students in their undergraduate years need to evaluate their experience and know what skills they have developed in whatever it is they are doing — working, studying or volunteering. Knowing what you bring to a company can help you actually succeed in your interview. Knowing that can also help with networking.
Helping students understand their experiences and the skills developed is something Scott and her team at The Career Center have been intentional about in their workshops and counseling seasons.
“Experience is cumulative,” said Scott. “If [students] do a little bit of skill development each year, in the form of volunteering or seeking opportunities, it can actually go a long way.”
Aside from experience, Rashid is looking to build a network.
“It’s about who you know, and who they know,” Rashid said. “It isn’t entirely about skills. I’ve tried that. It doesn’t seem to be enough.” Rashid’s sentiment isn’t entirely wrong.
“The key is to remember that networking is not about finding a job,” said Wilson Chen, a recent graduate from the University of Toronto’s business program and current I-Cube program coordinator. “Finding employment might be one outcome of networking, but it isn’t what networking is about. Networking is about relationships. Networking for the sake of networking.”
Scott echoes Chen’s sentiment.
“Networking is relationship building,” said Scott. “‘I like your sweater! Oh! What do you do? Tell me about you.’ Networking is something we actually already do in our everyday lives. We just don’t call it networking.”
The Career Center hopes to normalize a word that for many students is associated with business types in clean pressed suits and briefcases. Scott suggests starting with professors, T.A’s or even students around you.
“The key is to make an impression so that you are someone that people would want to refer to other people.”
Scott urges the students who come into her office to start early.
“You’re setting yourself up for success if you’re intentional and mindful of opportunities.”
For Chen, having an active and ever-growing network is one of the main ways he is able to find work.
Whether it’s in an opportunity to network or in an actual interview, knowing the skills that you have, how you got those skills and what you could bring to the position are ideal in both attracting an employer and landing a job.
But what is it that new graduates want and what is it that employers want from their new graduates? One thing is common: new graduates who are genuinely interested in a career want a place where they can grow.
Chen states that even at the stage where he is, he seeks employers who will give him opportunities to “develop skills that are useful and unique.” Rashid’s desires were similar.
“I want to be challenged and respected in my work.”
For both Chen and Rashid, and many other students like them, they crave work they can care about.
“I think it’s important to be passionate about our work,” Chen said. “If not, it’s very easy to lose drive.”
“Young people have potential and it’s important to give them opportunities to develop,” said Le when asked one of the main reasons that Knowledge First Financial regularly hires new graduates. Employers like young teachable employees who genuinely want to learn and succeed in their position.
“I would say for an entry level role that isn’t highly technical, there’s a big emphasis on attitude,” said Le. “[A young graduate is considered hirable if they are] someone who wants to learn, be a positive contributor to the team and really get a sense of satisfaction from doing good work.”
In Le’s experience, this is actually a strength of today’s graduating class.
“New grads are eager to learn and receive feedback, able to adapt to new settings and have enthusiasm for the opportunity.”
Many graduates believe there are no jobs because employers don’t want to hire them fresh from university. While this may be true for some employers, the vast majority want employees that are eager to learn and contribute to the company’s environment.
“The hiring managers want to know if you understand and believe in their mission, vision, and values,” Le said.
It is possible to find good work — with the right strategy. Are new graduates hirable? Yes. Do they have to be intentional about networking, skill development and assessment? Yes. Is that doable? With a lot of patience, Absolutely.
Press on new graduate, Press on.
