NEW YORK (AP) — Growing up as the daughter of an immigrant from Jamaica, Stacey Watson saw herself in the characters in the book she read. Now 28, she wants to be the editor of a book that helps her promote more. The diverse range of story protagonists Her nie and other young people feel expressed.
However, the entry-level work in publishing has proven elusive. Two years after I acquired her master’s degree, Four internships and several part-time jobs under her belt, Watson has not achieved a full-time staff position. she I live with her parents To communicate in Brooklyn.
“You want to be the year you can tell your parents every year. “I got a full-time job, you don’t have to worry about me anymore,” she said.
Watson’s experience reflects the challenges faced by many job seekers looking to start their careers when economic uncertainty prevents employers from leaving their staff and workers.
US Unemployment rate among university graduates The ages 22-27 exceed the unemployment rate of the general population Since the coronavirus pandemic. Many Degree holders They spend months submitting their application to report in search of their first job.
in The tough job marketIn reality, companies choose more experienced candidates because they often do so, and often they can choose more experienced candidates. “The rates to quit are lower…and businesses don’t employ a lot of people, so it’s this stagnant environment that doesn’t create a lot of space for these new alumni.”
Below, career experts and candidates who landed their jobs share how to endure in their search.
Build a network
When some employers are present Filter using artificial intelligence Connecting within the company through hundreds of resumes can help candidates by providing referrals, experts say.
Internship or part-time jobs can provide a starting point for building relationships with experts in your chosen field. Alumni Network Professional organizations are other paths to meeting people.
When 22-year-old Jennifer Moglia was intern in the music business, she created a spreadsheet to record the names of everyone she met during the meeting, what they talked about, and the interests she shared. She then looked into them on the social networking platform LinkedIn, asking for time to meet one-on-one.
“I usually reached out to most of the people I worked with. “Hello, I’m an intern here. I’d like to talk about your job if I have 30 minutes,” Moglia said. “I’ll try to make it as simple as possible for them,” he said, “If your calendar is up to date, I can find the working days and times. I can book a room.”
Networking paid off. A few months before graduating from college, Moglia applied for employment for 70 people and reached out to contacts who had asked about the availability. “Most of the interviews I got were for businesses that I was connected to,” she said.
After receiving two offers, Moglia is currently working as venue marketing coordinator for Live Nation Entertainment in New York.
Open your heart
If you are far more than applicants than open positions in your chosen region, consider looking for jobs outside your university major or ideal career path. Your skills may be able to be transferred to other fields or positions.
“I ask a lot of 40-year-olds and they don’t work in the exact field they went to college,” Ulrich said. “That’s why it’s clever to cast a wide net.”
Luke Sutton, 24, graduated from university with a dramatic writing degree in 2023, wanted to work for television. Strike by Hollywood writers When he began his search, he stopped hiring in studios and production companies. Sutton applied for more than 1,000 jobs before acquiring one patient and purposeful creative assistant at a healthcare advertising agency.
Sometimes he felt desperate. The most difficult thing was to fill out the application and then not hear anything. “My head is like spinning like I just want to eat, Sutton remembers.
He worked part-time, and moved himself forward for a wide range of positions that involved writing and focusing on his work as an assistant for titles. His current role is not his dream job, but “I’m one of the lucky ones because I’m at least doing creative things,” Sutton said.
Adaptation to artificial intelligence
As a use of artificial intelligence Employers are looking for people to understand how to use technology and incorporate it into their workflows, said Efrem Bycer, head of the Workforce and Climate Policy Partnership at LinkedIn. However, technology is changing so quickly that adaptability is also a skill that requires.
“What employers want to know is that can they overcome that change?” Viser said.
Some employers are finding some tasks, thus limiting employment of entry-level workers can According to artificial intelligence, Betheny Gross, research director at WGU Labs, the innovation division at Western Governors University, a Utah-based online school.
However, AI can also be useful Bridging the gaps in experience of entry-level candidates. The university offers virtual internships and apprenticeships that simulate scenarios workers encounter at work.
“For the time being, the labour market will split into people who understand what AI can do and can use it themselves, who can understand the strengths and limitations and who don’t,” Gross said.
Give yourself grace
One of the most important things to remember over the long term Job Search Peter Capelli, a professor of management at the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School, says that it’s not why you’re taking so long. If the new workers feel discouraged, I think it’s about realizing, “What’s so big for them and for parents, is that this isn’t your child’s fault.” ”
Securing a job after being fired from a nonprofit in May was a brutal process for 23-year-old Irene Ryan.
None of her 400 applications have brought offers. Of the 70 contacts, Ryan sent a message to LinkedIn and responded to only three. One of them said, “I hope I can help, but my best recommendation is to pray.”
Her unemployment benefits and Student loan deferral Ryan, which is expected to end in December, is planning to move in with his mother. By then, ideally if you are not working in the non-profit sector. Nevertheless, Ryan continues because she has to, she said.
“I know what I have to offer and I worked really hard to get to this point,” Ryan said. “I know what I want from myself and I’ll continue until I get to that.”
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