Where The Heck Are The Entry-Level Jobs?
For those who are looking for an entry-level job position, you know exactly what I mean. You see the job ad, it looks good, — maybe too good to be true — only to see that the position requires 3-5 years of experience. Why is a job that is listed as entry-level — supposedly meaning this is a position for those who have just graduated college or have no formal working experience — asking for 3 -5 years of experience? It makes no sense and it is immensely frustrating. The whole point of entry-level jobs is to gain the working experience that you need to move forward in your career. So why is it now that you need previous experience to get a job that is supposed to be for those who don’t have previous experience? After doing some research, here are several reasons as to why.
Internships - According to an article from the BBC, now it is not just common but expected for college students to complete an internship before they join the workforce. Internships have silently and swiftly become the “new” entry-level jobs. Meaning, if you don’t have an internship to your name, you will find it very frustrating and difficult to get that entry-level job because that internship(s) was essentially it. Knowing this is the new status quo makes unpaid internships even more problematic since it’s essentially giving companies cheap labor in exchange for “entry-level” experience. However, completion of internships doesn’t mean you will automatically have an easier time finding an entry-level job.
Job applications - The job application is exasperating, time-consuming, and demoralizing no matter what position it is. Nevertheless, the job applications are even more irritating for entry-level because you already don’t have much experience to go off of when applying. As if that wasn’t enough, many of these job applications are now online. This means you essentially have to impress a machine that employers have programmed to accept those keywords or those who “tailor” their resume to their liking before it then goes to an actual human being. Even then, that might not be enough because a recruiter reportedly spends an estimated 6-7 seconds on whether you should move forward or not, which is frustrating. After all, you spent so much time perfecting your resume to their liking. Not to mention, that you are applying to a job that most likely has 200+ applicants, so what are the chances that they are going to look at yours when they are already overwhelmed? Furthermore, some of these job “openings” aren’t open. According to an article from The Wall Street Journal, some employers have these openings just to see who applies for them and collect their information for future use, with no intention of hiring at the time. Online job applications were supposed to streamline and make the job process easier; now it's a nightmare for everyone.
Employers are asking for too much - Many employers are still under the assumption that recent college graduates are well prepared to enter the workforce even after a global pandemic that has upended every aspect of life. As a result, you might feel like you made significant mistakes in your college career if you didn’t get the internship experience or not enough of it. It’s not fair for employers to have these expectations even in the best situations because everyone is different and won’t have the same experience at any level. Even when employers admit to this, they still adhere to the expectations of job seekers which hurts both of them in the end. They need to tone down their expectations and work with applicants and the experience that they have brought.
Schools letting down the workforce - Employers and college graduates feel schools are failing to properly prepare them for the workforce. Though improvements have been made such as colleges requiring internships for graduation, and career fairs and centers, many believe it’s still not enough and are feeling left behind. Colleges and universities continue to claim that they will give you the skills that are needed for the workforce but many would beg to differ. There is a discrepancy and more must be done to solve this. However, we shouldn't forget that college is more than just getting skills and a degree to be employable.
What can you do?
Unfortunately, there isn’t much. Until there is an agreement on all fronts that the job process is unpleasant and needs a serious overhaul, we are stuck in this job application hell. However, here are some tips and ideas to keep in mind when applying:
Networking - You have heard this time and time again but essentially if you want to bypass as much of the job process as possible, you will need to know someone at the company that you are applying to that can give you a helping hand. This means you will have to network. That might be easy for some people but for others —including myself —, networking can be a nightmare. Whether it be online in LinkedIn or Slack groups to in-person networking events, it can be scary, overwhelming, and draining. But luckily, it can be done, it will just require some preparation. Regardless of whether you are job hunting or not, it's important to have connections for your career.
Recruiters - This tip can give you mixed results. Recruiters can certainly help you get your foot in the door of the company and provide you with advice or information about jobs; that is if you can find them. Luckily, many recruiters are on LinkedIn and have their job titles listed so it shouldn’t be too difficult trying to find them. The problem generally lies with if they will answer you or not. Some might not be able to answer you because they might not be able to share anything with you, some might be too busy, and others will see your message and just not respond for no reason. This is why I said that this tip can give you mixed results. Either way, it is certainly worth a try and reach out as you might be able to talk to someone helpful in your job quest.
Newsletters - I have subscribed to many newsletters that showcase job opportunities that might be hard to see on job boards or are not even advertised. Many newsletters discuss different job opportunities so you are capable of finding newsletters for entry-level jobs. Substack is the most popular newsletter platform, so you can create a free account there and locate some newsletters. You can also do a simple search as many sites will provide different newsletters as well. Typically, most newsletters will be sent to your email weekly but some might even do it daily; it all depends on the person responsible for that newsletter.
Use a different email and phone number when applying for jobs - Because applying for jobs online now feels like you are just throwing your information into the void, I suggest you use a different email and phone number when applying. You don’t know what happens with your information when you hit “Apply.” They might delete it after a certain amount of time or they could keep it on file for who knows how long. There’s not much you can control but at least you can control what contact information that they keep on file. Create a new email address or alias that is specifically for jobs so that they don’t have your personal one on file if they do respond or they keep spamming you with other job offers. For phone numbers, there are many services where you can get a new phone number that can be connected to your phone. Google Voice or Hushed are some choices to use. If you are going to apply, at least they won’t have your personal contact info.
Hopefully, you have a better idea of why entry-level jobs are very frustrating to find. I hope now that you know this, maybe the job process can be a little less painful for you. Perhaps also it will lead to more conversation about the job process itself and hopefully lead to some change, even if it is small.
Additional Links for further reading:
Easy Networking Tips for the Networking Haters
An Introvert's Guide to Networking
What Happened To ‘Entry-Level’ Jobs? Job Seekers Baffled By Requirements