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« on: May 14, 2012, 02:50:44 PM »
I have to say also, that as an employer, there are two major problems I see with recent grads coming out of college.
1. They have very little work experience while in college. Although I do not expect a student to work much during college years, I am looking for SOMETHING on their resume other than a 4.0 GPA. Sorry, but work will get you more work. I went to college and worked to pay myself through school. Sure, it was less expensive at the time, but the point is, even while working I managed a good GPA and still had time to party. In the 17 years since I've graduated, I see more and more parents coddling thier kids and thinking they should not work because they need to keep up their GPA to land their first job. This might be true for the science industries, but a liberal arts major or creative writing major with a 4.0 is not that impressive without some type of work history. I want to know that this person can handle the stress of even a fast-food place or restaurant and has the ability to show up on time. Parents need to realize that the people hiring their children also went to college and a major like creative writing does not require hours and hours of study. We are looking for some type of work ethic.
2. They are not taking low paying jobs because they feel entitled to be making more money. I've noticed an entitlement with some undergrads that they should be making 40K a year right off the bat. I realize this is not a lot of money, however, when a college grad does nothing for a year because they feel above taking certain jobs, that is also a red flag for me. Again, work will get you more work. Maybe people worry that putting a fast-food place on your resume will hurt, but I beg to differ. Now, I can't speak for every other employer out there, but if I have to choose between someone who worked at Burger King for the last year with a 3.2 gpa versus one with a 4.0 gpa and no work experience, I'm going to hire the BK kid. I'm looking for a strong work ethic and a desire to work. If you stayed at home depending on mommy and daddy for the last year without doing some type of work, it insinuates that either you won't do certain tasks required for your job or that you may not even want to work. Everyone has to pay their dues at some point. How can I possibly give someone a chance at an entry level job when I don't know if they can even hold down a job?
I realize that we are still in a recession and when we have a job available, I get hundreds of resumes. However, there has definitely been a shift in perception among young graduates about what they should be doing and a shift in the parents perceptions as to thinking a small job during college is somehow going to be disastrous for their kids. It is simply not the case and I don't think I'm the only person out there that feels this way.