Will young professionals make it through Covid?

2020 college graduates are having a difficult time starting their careers. CBS News says that it usually takes 6-9 months for new graduates to find jobs. During the pandemic, this process has been put off even longer. The jobless rate for 2020 grads was up to 7.2% which was higher than the 4.7% that it had usually been.    

These graduates now are competing with the more recent grads who finished their schooling in a more traditional way and the people that are job switching from other careers. Many of these individuals have had to find multiple jobs in random areas in order to fulfill the need of making ends meet. At the age of 25, most live with their parents and can’t find jobs in the area they studied.   

Coming to the other side, the pandemic is slowing down and more jobs are becoming available. The problem now is that a lot of people are looking at that the same job. Many higher-level jobs are getting too many applicants than they can hire. Only one candidate will get the job, the rest will have to continue to search.   

In order to find a job, it takes persistence from the candidate. Now, it isn’t enough to submit a sub-par application. A clean resume, cover letter, and follow-up call to an interview all are expected and will set them up for success. But it is a lot of work for the candidate applying.   

Sometimes, this pushes applicants to go back to school for a graduate program that could set them up for a better job. The problem with that is it acquires more debt without the guarantee of finding a job. It just delays the job searching process.    

One thing that has helped these students to thrive under the not-great circumstances is to network. Utilizing the relationships that they built while in college to put their name out there and gain experience. There are many platforms out there like linked in that create opportunities for potential employers to see the skills and strengths that you have.   

As hard as the pandemic has been on everyone, it has incomprehensibly impacted graduates. It may take many years for the job market to correct itself, but these young professionals are willing to put in the work.