Why University Graduates Struggle to Find Employment

The Career Services Dilemma

In today’s competitive job market, many university graduates find themselves struggling to secure employment shortly after graduation. A significant contributor to this challenge lies in the reliance on university careers services. While these services work hard to guide students toward entry-level positions with numerous well-intentioned programs to work through the job search process, the advice is outdated and misaligned with current hiring practices. Here are some examples provided by UCSB and San Diego State that are completely wrong and should not be used for young grads.

Outdated Resume Guidelines

At the heart of the issue is the out-of-date advice on recommended resume formats. Many universities still advocate for a one-page resume. While this is easy to understand, this underwhelms the abilty for candidates to effectively showcase their differentiated qualifications. In an age where employers increasingly seek comprehensive insights into a candidate's skills and accomplishments, a rule for a single page is unlikely to be appropriate for all candidates. In today's modern world, two pages are acceptable, no matter what role and position recruiters are seeking. In particular, as all resumes go through ATS (Applicant Tracking System), one-page resumes are likely to be automatically eliminated and not even reviewed by the recruiter.

No Marketing Message

As mentioned in the Resume Magic tips, 95% of recent graduate resumes have no marketing message. They are unable to control the narrative presented to the recruiter. There is no competitive differentiator when you present your resume in that fashion.

Employers today are not focused on the length of a resume at all, but rather on the relevance and impact of the content presented. Most recent university graduate resumes usually answer the question "This is what I've done". The question that the resume should be answering as asked by the recruiter is "What can you do for my organization?". And you need to answer that question in 7 seconds. This oversight can lead to automatic disqualification from job opportunities, as hiring managers who review hundreds of resumes, seek candidates who effectively communicate this important question.

The job search is not merely about applying to openings; it’s about strategically presenting oneself as a valuable asset to prospective employers. Graduates must take the initiative to adapt their job application materials to the current market demands and to the actual job position. If a young graduate has had internships, and class projects related to the position, we create multi-page resumes that have impactful narratives that also show off your experience relevant to the job position.

Contact us on how we converted Brandon J's typical college resume to a can't-miss candidate for a consulting position.