With recent college graduates entering one of the tightest job markets since the COVID outbreak, colleges and universities must find new ways to help students wow potential employers.
The entry-level hiring rate in May and June of this year is expected to be 16% lower than last year, according to Gusto, a payroll platform. The rate of jobless graduates has ticked up every year since January 2022 and is now higher than the national unemployment average.
Massive disruptions caused by emerging technology have chilled the job market, says Evan Kropp, executive director of distance education at the University of Florida’s College of Journalism and Communications.
For example, AI’s growing presence in the workplace may have triggered a 9% reduction in job postings for computer programmers over the last year.
“We are in a period of change, not just in higher education, but in work in general,” he says. “Leaders in higher education are experiencing a fundamental shift in how we’re going to educate people and how we approach examining our learning outcomes.”
Here are several suggestions for further embedding workforce readiness into your curriculum as students graduate into an unpredictable job market.
Nudge students further into using career services
Studies have found that students aren’t engaging with the full breadth of an institution’s career services. While undergraduates may be aware of resume workshops, Kropp believes that institutions must promote other services they offer.
Professional personality tests are one tool institutions could better promote. Students who feel more personally aligned with the career they’re pursuing may be less likely to switch majors.
One survey by BestColleges found that among the 61% of college graduates who said they would change their major, most would do so to follow their passion.
Build employer advisory boards
Employer-based advisory boards can inform an institution’s curriculum with in-demand skills and relevant job market insight, Kropp says.
“These are people who are working in the field who can advise the academics on what skills, knowledge and dispositions students need to bring on the first day of work. This way, we can infuse career-ready skills into the curriculum.”
Some small colleges well-versed in graduate workforce readiness have built relationships with employers by connecting with their regional market.
Key in on micro-credentials to display workforce readiness
Today’s employers are no longer relying solely on a bachelor’s degree to gauge a candidate’s full potential. Instead, they prioritize applicants who can demonstrate up-to-date skills and prove they’re ready to contribute from day one.
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Kropp believes that micro-credentials and digital badges demonstrate students’ mastery over specific skill sets and can be easily communicated via a résumé.
He’s not alone either. Employers have become more accepting of non-degree or alternative credentials instead of traditional four-year degrees.
Prepare students’ online presence
It’s an age-old piece of advice to advise students to clean up their online footprint ahead of any interaction with employers.
“Today’s modern advice is to build a personal brand to define and sell yourself. It’s not good enough to say, ‘I can do all of these things,'” Kropp says. “New graduates need to be more thoughtful and targeted in how they present themselves according to the types of jobs they go after.”
Promote entrepreneurialism
The rise of social media has also created a new market of self-made influencers capable of sustaining business models purely through advertisement revenue and sponsorships. This emergence should be taken seriously by colleges and universities that want to help students prepare for a different kind of workforce, Kropp says.
Some institutions have already begun to build programs and majors to develop the next generation of social media influencers, The Hill reports.
“We’re limiting ourselves to what employers want, but let’s not forget that not everybody’s going to work for an employer. It’s so much easier than ever for people to create a business.”
