College graduates are prepared to do the jobs they want, they just aren’t prepared to find them. The main difficulty recent college graduates face in a job search is their own unrealistic expectations of the amount of effort and motivation it takes to get a job, reports a new study. The lack of understanding of the job-search process makes today’s college graduates amongst the least prepared people in the labor force.
Conducted by the National Association of Colleges and Employers on behalf of the Career Advisory Board and Devry University, the study polled 593 career center directors at public, private, for-profit, and not-for-profit schools throughout the U.S.
More than half, 56%, of the respondents felt that students’ lack of interest in career preparation and professional development is one of the largest stumbling blocks to finding a job. The survey also found that 48.1% of those surveyed believe that, while they may have academic knowledge and a degree, students have not developed the teamwork and time management skills necessary to effectively compete in the job market.
They respondents also provided a series of recommended actions students can take—such as: expanding their social network to include working adults in their mid-twenties, showing enthusiasm, and practicing interview techniques—and a recommendation that universities begin requiring students to take career preparation classes. Of the career center directors surveyed, 41.7% responded that largest impediment their offices face in successfully counseling students is a lack of staff, 34.4% said the biggest problem was getting students to come to the career counseling center.
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