Ask the Experts: Recent Grads Include Those Who Graduated a Year Ago
Question:
I graduated from graduate school in August 2002 and am looking for a job. Is it still correct for me to be applying to jobs targeted to recent graduates? I’ve been told that I should only apply to those jobs for the first 18 months after graduation? Once I hit the point when I should not be applying to those jobs, what category do I fit into and what types of jobs should I apply for?
First Answer:
I’m wondering about that “recent graduate” label. My feeling is that this is an arbitrary distinction that employers make to categorize a type of job, If the term “recent graduate” means “entry level” or “someone without much practical experience” and you fit that description, I think it is perfectly fine to apply. If, however, there is some compelling reason why the company is only recruiting recent (under a year) graduates, then you don’t fit that narrow parameter anymore.
You ask what category you should be in. There isn’t a simple answer to this. Again, it depends upon your skills and work experience. Not all recent graduates are young or inexperienced these days! Select jobs that you think best suit your skills, your educational level, your interests, and your experience and don’t rely on labels to make that choice. If you’re not certain how to do this, check out my latest column Ask Alison – Managing Your LIfe & Career as if has pointers to help you figure out what makes a good match in business. Make sure you market yourself well, no matter what the position. If you’ve been unemployed for some time, a book like You Are The Product: How To Sell Yourself To Employer might help build your confidence.
— Alison Blackman Dunham, life & career expert, columnist, personal public relations consultant, half of THE ADVICE SISTERS¬Ã, and the author of the ASK ALISON career advice column
Second Answer:
I think that you will find that there is no hard and fast rule on when and what kind of jobs to apply for. I would concentrate on applying for those
jobs that I was interested in and had the skills to do. If those are the
ones targeted for the recent graduate, then go for it. During this search
you will probably be applying for some jobs that fit in that category and
some jobs that do not.
If you feel that you possess the skills needed for the job apply for it.
— Linda Wyatt, Career Center Director, Kansas City Kansas Community College
Third Answer:
You are still a recent graduate, although at two years out it becomes a little questionable. The real question is what have you been doing during those 18 months? Are you doing “survival” work (a sales job at the mall, waiting tables)? Are you volunteering in an area that polishes your skills or adds new ones, or at least demonstrates you can’t sit still waiting for a job offer? The point is to fill the time you are unemployed with meaningful activity related to your chosen field.
What category of jobs you fit into now depends on what you did before graduate school; if you really haven’t worked, you’re still looking for a career-entry job, hopefully one that will find your graduate work a plus or count it to compensate for a lack of experience. I can’t be more specific than that because a social worker’s point of entry may require certification in your state, an employer with a marketing job looking for a recent MBA still considers you green, whereas if your degree is in economics and you have significant work experience before and during graduate school you could enter the career at a higher starting point (for a federal agency, for a private firm needing economic forecasting or analysis of financial market), just to provide a few examples. If you’re a master’s graduate pursuing a doctorate part time, you may want to consider teaching undergraduates as an adjunct.
You see why it’s difficult to provide specific advice without knowing your degree and previous experience.
— Carol Anderson, Career Development and Placement Office, Robert J. Milano Graduate School of Management and Urban Policy at New School University in New York City
Fourth Answer:
Be careful about trying to “categorize” yourself this way … because such time-oriented “categories” don’t truly exist in the world of work. There is
no rule, for example, that says you can only apply for an entry-level job
for up to 18 months after graduation.
Indeed, the type of job you apply for really has nothing to do with the amount of time that has passed since you’ve graduated, but rather:
- What education you have
- What experience you have
- What skills you have
- What you want
You say you just finished graduate school. If you accumulated a good deal of experience between the time you finished your undergraduate degree and the
time you finished grad school, then you may be well beyond wanting or
needing to apply for entry-level positions right now (although it would
still be just fine to go ahead and do so if you felt like it). Conversely,
if you have your graduate degree but little or no “real-world” experience,
then you may well find that you want or even need to apply for entry-level
positions so that you can get the experience you’ll need to be eligible for
higher-level opportunities.
So instead of thinking about how much time has passed between finishing your degree(s) and now, think about what type of job makes sense to pursue given
your education, experience, skills, and desires/goals.
And one other thing: If you’re ever in doubt about whether to apply for a job or not … apply for it. Far better to give yourself the chance to be
OFFERED the job — and to then choose to take it or not — versus having NO
chance at all for the job because you didn’t even try for it.
— Peter Vogt, college career counselor, President of Career Planning Resources, and a Personal Career Coach with College to Career
Fifth Answer:
Generally speaking, you will fall behind on the career ladder if you continue to apply for new-grad, entry-level jobs.
But the real answer depends on a couple of factors. Do you have any experience, or did you go straight
from your undergrad program to grad school? Did you
gain any relevant experience, such as internships,
while in either your undergrad or grad-school years?
If you have experience, it would almost definitely
be a mistake to keep looking for entry-level jobs.
The other factor centers on what area your grad degree is in. If it’s an MBA or a degree in the hard sciences, for example,
looking for entry-level jobs would most likely be a step
backward. If it’s in a liberal-arts field, you may have
more latitude in the varieties and levels of jobs you
seek.
Without knowing what field your degree is in, I can’t advise what kinds of jobs you should be looking for.
— Katharine Hansen, former speechwriter and college instructor who provides content for the Web site, Quintessential Careers, edits QuintZine, an electronic newsletter for jobseekers, and prepares job-search correspondence as chief writer for Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters
Sixth Answer:
I’m not certain there is any per se guiding rule about when you should stop applying for “recent graduates” jobs. However, at
some point in time you should stop considering yourself a recent
graduate and see yourself in terms of a graduate of whatever
program.
As to the types of jobs for which you should be applying, there are a number of criteria to use. The category will depend on a
number of other factors.
-
Look for jobs that seek a person with the skills you’ve developed through your education and previous work experience.
-
If you did not have an internship while you were in school, it would be advantageous for you to start doing some volunteer
or intern work that uses your education while you simultaneously
continue your job search. Volunteer and internship are both
excellent ways to earn experience — experience that can
legitimately be put on your resume as work experience. They also
increase the size of your network of contacts and referrals. -
It sounds as though you are still in the search mode and have no on-the-job experience whatsoever. This is based on the
wording of your question. It is possible you have work
experience but in some area that you want to leave. Look at
opportunities in the same industry. You already know the
fundamentals of that industry. Now start looking at what
criteria is necessary to move up the ladder in that area. Look
at the knowledge and skills you earned while in your earlier
position and use them as lateral skills for the next step up.HINT: In your cover letter, talk about the soft skills you have that show your expertise, things such as quantifiable
initiative, verifiable innovations you created that proved
successful, projects that you saw needed attention and you
handled without being reminded or asked to do them. -
Always remember to network. Networking opportunities abound. You can network through informational interviews, club
and association meetings, volunteer work colleagues, educational
workshops and seminars, church and other social organizations.
You can even gain great contacts by being selectively
conversational with fellow commuters (the bus or metro
commuter).
Perhaps these, and my colleagues’ words, will help you to think of additional ways to market yourself into the right job. May
all of your Entrances be through the doors of success!
— Yvonne LaRose, career and professional development coach, Career and Executive Recruiting Advice
Seventh Answer:
The single most important “fact” to know about recruiting is that the job description you read probably does not accurately reflect the specific problems you will be asked to solve or the detailed situations in which you will be involved. Most descriptions merely describe the general tasks to be performed but offer little in the way of the real short and longer term problems impacted by job. So what is a talented person supposed to do?
My personal belief is that talent is talent – if you see something that sounds interesting, you’re obliged to yourself to pursue it with as much energy as you can muster. I don’t understand people in counseling roles who offer fresh new talent “rules of engagement” that delineate the next move based upon years of experience – the 18 month rule. If the entry-level position sounds interesting, make the contact. Offer to help the recruiter network to new grads – in return, you ask them to help you navigate to more senior positions.
As for which category you should be targeting, I say it doesn’t matter. Why? Because most top companies are in a perpetual hunt for talent. If any job you see sounds intriguing, your job search process begins right there. For instance, if you see a post for a Director of Product Marketing and you’re just a bit more than a neophyte, put your best foot forward and take a swing at the pitch…
Do your best to breakdown the job description as listed into distinct job competencies and address these job skills with your accomplishments. More specifically, start your communication with something like this, “While I may not be your ‘ideal’ Director of Product Marketing, this has more to do with the fact that I can only offer two years of experience as a Marketing Analyst with four years of part-time work in retail than my future ability as one of your marketing change agents. However, as I do, you believe in potential, then let me break down my experience as it relates to a future Director of Product Marketing.” After offering the analysis of your experience with respect to the senior position in question, finish off the communication with something like this:
“What I’m really interested in seeking are positions that will offer the developmental problem-solving opportunities that will ultimately lead to a position as a Director of Product Marketing.” Do your homework and offer suggestions as to some of these assignments as they relate to the company’s products or services. Close with a promise to call. And call.
Finding the right position requires work, creativity, and follow through. Job search is first and foremost about building relationships and less about arcane rules.
— Steve Levy, Principal of outside-the-box Consulting
