http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2010/jul/06/graduates-face-tougher-jobs-fightUK newspaper but probably generally true throughout the "western" countries.
Graduates are facing the most intense scramble in a decade to get a job this summer, as a poll of employers reveals the number of applications for each vacancy has surged to nearly 70 while the number of available positions is predicted to fall by nearly 7%.
The class of 2010 have been told to consider flipping burgers or stacking shelves when they leave university as leading firms in investment banking, law and IT are due to cut graduate jobs this year.
THEY CAN'T! Most employers won't hire college graduates for menial jobs. Won't even consider them. Costco employees seem to have fairly normal intelligence, but it is the only big company I can think of. Krispy Kreme won't; it hires exclusively through agencies such as Casa Latina and El Centro de la Raza. Wal*Mart seems to hire through welfare placement agencies.
The Association of Graduate Recruiters polled over 200 firms including Cadbury, Marks & Spencer, JP Morgan and Vodafone and found the number of applications per vacancy had risen to 68.8 this year, the highest figure recorded. In the most hotly contested sector – makers of fast-moving consumer goods such as food, confectionery and cosmetics – there were 205 applications for each job.
Carl Gilleard, the association's chief executive, said graduates needed to be more flexible in their career choices. "They need both short-term and long-term career goals because you're graduating in a very tough climate. It doesn't mean you should be put off applying for the profession of your choice.
In other words, they won't be able to find experience in their chosen career paths. They'll have wasted most of their training, and they may never get their foot in the door.
A college degree has never been more worthless than it is now. Better to have a specific skill, like reading X-rays or fixing HVAC system.
Gilleard warned that employers were raising the bar on degrees, and graduates with a 2.2 or worse faced being filtered out by automated applications. "There are dangers in that. You can miss out on some very good candidates."
Here in the states, the "bar" is experience, and most firms seem to be asking for TEN YEARS!
Here is part of the problem:
As applications for university places continue to soar, the government has urged universities to publish statements revealing the help they offer to get their students ready for work.
Back in the 1950s, a college degree set you apart. Now so many young people get degrees, it DOESN'T set you apart. Instead, you have too much competition for white collar jobs.
Responding to the survey, the minister for universities, David Willetts, said: "The job market remains challenging for new graduates, as it does for others.
"But a degree is still a good investment in the long term, and graduates have a key role to play in helping Britain out of the recession. We are committed to making it easier for current graduates to find work. That is why I have just asked all universities to provide statements on employability for their students."
THEN HE HAS FAILED.
