With new graduates and victims of corporate “right-sizing” contributing to a saturated job market, competition for jobs-even entry-level ones-is as tough as it’s ever been. Personnel managers are virtually unanimous in observing a fundamental change in the profile of the entry-level job seekers, and most agree that this shift represents a significant challenge for the first-time applicant.
“Every ad we run gets a tremendous response, but we really get inundated when we list entry-level positions,” says Gayle Spavapani, director of human resources for Stone Container Corp. “It used to be that these kinds of jobs mainly attracted recent college graduates, but now it isn’t unusual to find just as many applicants with a few years of business experience.”
A protracted economic malaise has led to an overcrowded job market, one in which even the most experienced individuals will accept entry-level jobs if it means a regular paycheck. A longer resume doesn’t necessarily provide an edge for this kind of position, particularly if the job doesn’t offer short-term growth opportunities.
“We have a level of concern with people with a few years’ experience,” says Spavapani. “They won’t be as happy in an entry-level position because they will want to advance fairly rapidly, and most of these positions don’t offer that promise.”
Still, it was easier for college graduates when they were competing only with other college graduates. Ralphine Derryberry, human resources director at Smith, Bucklin & Associates, says the person who has the experience has the edge.
“I don’t want to sound discouraging to the college students, but it’s a vicious cycle. You can’t get experience if you can’t get a job, and you can’t get a job if you’re up against someone with more experience.”
Heidi Griesser, a 23-year-old from Wilmette who graduated from the University of Kansas in December, landed a job at Smith, Bucklin though she had no job experience. After a long and frustrating search in which she counted on her impressive scholastic records to attract an employer, she had to rely on personal contacts to help her get a job with the firm that manages associations.
“It was a difficult job search because I didn’t have office experience,” Griesser says. “I chose to study in school, and I graduated with a 3.95 grade-point average. But if I had it to do over again, I would spend more time doing internships or taking a part-time office job than I would hitting the books.”
Griesser says she would go on job interviews and notice that the other candidates looked older. She says she had many potential employers tell her that they were interested but that they chose someone with more experience.
If experience is becoming a prerequisite even for entry-level jobs, how can college students and recent graduates get some? Getting a job while in school is an obvious answer, though with the demands of college and the limitations of certain college markets, this may not be possible or practical.
Gretchen Kreske, with the strategic planning department at Manpower Temporary Services, suggests that temporary work may be just the solution for frustrated college graduates.
“On-the-job skills are key,” Kreske says, “even knowing how to operate a computer. Most every job requires that, and if you don’t have it, you have to get it. Working for a temporary agency can help get you the skills you can only get on the job. Thirty to 40 percent of our temp workers find permanent positions. If you temp first, you know the culture.”
Kreske acknowledges that the layoff epidemic is sending more experienced workers into the trenches with new grads, but she says that the wide range of temporary needs can provide opportunities even for the inexperienced.
Jenny Graham, division manager for CPS professional placement service in Westchester, agrees that experience is crucial in today’s tight job market. “Graduates should have some internship experience at the very least,” she says. “Having held part-time jobs during college will help, too. But the fresh graduate with virtually no work experience doesn’t stand a chance anymore.”
Graham says that while there is no golden ticket for college graduates, any workplace background is better than none, and ingenuity impresses employers. “I’ve seen people go overseas to get work experience,” Graham says, “anything to build that resume and get a paycheck.”
In addition to layoff victims, graduates face competition from career changers. Kathy Clifford-Grazinskas says it took until she was 44 “to find out what I wanted to be when I grew up. I’ve been a high school English teacher. I’ve been an advertising copy writer. And now I work as a sales rep for Metropolitan Life Insurance.”
Clifford-Grazinskas says that when people switch careers, they give up something, be it money or status. “Sometimes you get lucky and can move ahead, but that’s not the norm,” she says. But her experience and varied background would seem to have given her an edge in pursuing a career selling insurance.
“I see my job now as a sort of compilation of all of my careers,” Clifford-Grazinskas says. “When I sell insurance or financial packages, I must educate people about money so I draw from my teaching skills. And of course it being a sales job, I can use my advertising experience.”
Though such a background would no doubt appeal to many prospective employers, Howard Sharfman, agency manager for Metropolitan Life’s Deerfield office, says a new college graduate isn’t necessarily at at disadvantage when competing with a work veteran.
“I’m looking for success stories,” Sharfman says. “Chances are if you graduated from Harvard with a 4.0, you didn’t do it because you were lucky. You did it because you had determination and a hard-working attitude. And that doesn’t just go for Ivy Leaguers. Anyone who has had success, in clubs, school, associations or sports, I see them as winners, and I want winners.”
As vexing as the job search may seem, many believe a return to more fertile employment conditions is just around the corner.
Roger Herman, a human resources strategist from Rittman, Ohio, says that job switching will become much more common and accepted later in this decade, which will mean vacancies in one career area while people try to slip into another.
“As the economy recovers, employees who have been reluctant to change jobs will begin to look for new employment,” Herman predicts. “Right now, there are growth opportunities in communications, computer technologies and manufacturing, and these areas will continue to open up as the economy grows.”
Herman believes that these conditions will particularly benefit the freshest college graduates, whose knowledge, energy and enthusiasm will be needed.
“Here’s how it works,” Herman reasons. “With all of the recent cutbacks, more companies are working with less employees and stretching them to the max. This is frustrating to the employees, and it makes people quit. As the pendulum swings back and employers see that they can’t operate this way any longer, they’ll hire more people.”
Whether the workplace environment shakes out this way or not, the fact remains that right now is a tough time to be looking for work. Tenacity, verve, self-confidence and optimism are needed not only to land a job but to hang on while the job search continues. Flexibility such as Metropolitan Life’s Clifford-Grazinskas displays may be the most valuable trait, for job seekers and prospective employers.
