It's hard out here for a job-hunting millennial.
When the class of 2016 graduates this month, they will enter a job market that hasn't quite recovered from the recession of the late aughts. According to a recent report from city comptroller Scott Stringer, young workers in the Big Apple are facing an employment rate that has yet to fully rebound, and they're earning about 20 percent less in real wages than their Generation X counterparts. Millennials — including a growing number with bachelor's degrees — are more likely than the previous generation to work low-wage jobs in industries like hospitality and retail.
In that kind of economic environment, soon-to-be graduates need all the advice they can get to land their first job. We asked three career experts to share their tips for newly minted job hunters, and here's what they told us:
► Don't feel pressured to find your dream job straight out of college.
"Sometimes you just have to start with a job that’s maybe less than perfect, and deal with the 9-to-5 for a while while you’re building skills and acquiring experience," said Marzena Ermler, manager of the job search central at the New York Public Library's science industry and business branch.
"In your spare time you can find some sort of meaningful volunteering activity that helps to feed your heart and soul," and hone your emerging abilities, Ermler said.
► When assembling a list of jobs to apply for, don't be intimidated by job descriptions that call for more skills than you currently have.
"If you have 60 percent of the skills, you should apply," because the responsibilities associated with a job may change drastically in several months time, said Trudy Steinfeld, executive director of the NYU Wasserman Center for Career Development.
In general, take the long view, rather than the short one, said Mary Pearl, dean of Macaulay Honors College at CUNY.
"Think strategically of your dream job and search for that dream job opening. Of course, you’re not going to get it if you dream big the first time out. But if you look at the qualifications and make notes on what you need to do to secure or build those qualifications, that will steer you to jobs that will help you put together a mosaic of backgrounds," Pearl said.
One of the stops along the way might be a start-up, for example, where you can rapidly pick up a diverse set of new skills.
► Don't neglect your LinkedIn profile.
"Do not overlook the power of LinkedIn," Ermler said. "Eighty percent of recruiters will look you up on Google and LinkedIn shows up on Google, and they will want to first check you out that way before they invite you for a conversation.”
Last month, the networking site introduced an app designed specifically for students, which it says will help users discover jobs that suit their major, find companies that tend to hire graduates from their college and will highlight the career paths of other alumni.
► Take a good look at your resume — and have someone else take an even closer look.
Avoid using the phrase "responsible for" when describing your experiences, Ermler recommended. Instead, find a verb that captures not only what you did, but what impact it had.
Ask a friend or relative to copy edit your resume. "It’s a deal breaker at every level if there’s the smallest typo," Pearl cautioned, "and you don’t [always] see your own.”
You may also want to customize your resume for the jobs you're applying to, particularly those at big companies which use applicant tracking systems to winnow down their candidate pool. If the key words in your resume don't match up to those in the job's description, you won't get your foot in the door.
► Use career centers to refine your job search and prepare for interviews.
A coach at a career center like the NYPL's Job Search Central can help you identify your interests and passions and find a job that suits them.
Your college career center is also gateway to alumni networks, which offer mentorship and insight into the kind of work you could be doing with your shiny new degree.
"Still the best way of finding jobs is by networking and talking to people," said Ermler, who recommends scheduling informational interviews with alumni who may not be hiring, but can shed light on the companies that employ them.
Pearl encourages students to visit their college career center to practice their interview skills with counselors.
"You might discover that you have a verbal tic you never knew about, until you were nervous in a mock interview and you find yourself repeating some hackneyed phrase, or having a distressing habit, like flicking your hair over your shoulder, that may be annoying to an interviewer but your’e not aware you do it," Pearl said.
► Do your homework after you lock down an interview.
It's imperative to research a company thoroughly before interviewing because you need to convince your prospective employers that you want to work for them only, Steinfeld said. A couple of good resources, beyond Google and the company's website, include Glassdoor and Hoovers.
You should also come prepared with two or three questions to ask your interviewer, and tack on one more based on what you've learned during your interview.
► Treat your job search like a job in and of itself, but don't let it define you.
"If you’re not applying to 20, 30 jobs a week, that’s problematic," Steinfeld told us.
Ermler recommended that new graduates devote 25 hours a week to their job search, and some of that should be spent meeting potential job connections in person, since some online job listings are outdated, and some jobs are never advertised.
Plug away at your applications consistently, Pearl advised, rather than binging and stopping.
"If you spend two or three hours a day on it, then that’s enough," she said. "Then go to the gym, then see your friends, then feed your soul, because it can be very demoralizing if you spend all your time on your job search.”
An additional benefit of keeping up your hobbies is that employers appreciate candidates who can talk about other things than just their career ambitions and qualifications.
