Job prospects improve this year for graduating students

Apr. 11—MANKATO — Kenzie Brezinka scrapped her initial graduation plans because of the pandemic.

She was hoping to take a gap year and travel before going to graduate school. She had also planned to do a summer internship in Thailand last summer, but the program was canceled.

Despite the setbacks, the Minnesota State University senior was able to find an internship doing research in Peru for this summer. She's still not 100% certain she will be able to do the internship because of travel restrictions and rising COVID-19 cases, but she is hopeful.

"There are definitely less opportunities available," she said. "I had to dig to find this job."

Students entering the workforce this spring are facing additional hurdles because of the recession caused by the pandemic. While the job market has improved from a year ago, it's still a difficult time to begin a career.

"It's been challenging overall," said Andrew Coston, executive director of career development at Gustavus Adolphus College. He said students are still able to find work, it is just taking longer for some. He and his team have been working to help students adjust to the changing job market, often helping with resumes and preparing for virtual interviews.

"Students are adjusting. They're realizing that they may have to apply to more positions," Coston said.

Job prospects for students graduating this spring are better than for students who graduated a year ago. Many people were laid off last spring as businesses shut their doors.

State unemployment reached 11% in May 2020. Graduating students were competing with people out of work who had years of job experience. Many internships were canceled due to the uncertainty around the pandemic and the financial hit some businesses faced.

The job market has improved since then, with unemployment dropping to 4.6% by February this year. The National Association of Colleges and Employers reported that employers project hiring 7.2% more new college graduates from this year's graduating class compared to the year prior.

"With the vaccine being rolled out, businesses beginning to open and jobs starting to be added back to the economy, there is an optimism that did not exist at this point in 2020," said Pamela Weller, director for the Career Development Center at Minnesota State University.

There are more opportunities for graduating students this spring, but it is still a difficult job market to enter. Coston said students who delayed the job search until late in their senior year are having the hardest time finding work.

Some economic sectors, such as health care, have increased demand for workers. Others are resuming hiring after being negatively impacted by the pandemic.

Other industries have not recovered. The arts and entertainment, hospitality and travel industries were all decimated in the last year, and officials say it is much more difficult for students to find employment in these areas.

Some students have had to expand their job search and look for positions that may not be in their industry but can still help them move ahead professionally.

Weller said MSU career services has been helping students search for work and understand it may not be the right time to get their dream job.

"It's OK to take a job that helps to pay the bills for now. Every experience will teach you something, help you build transferrable skills and network with employers," Weller said.

According to a CollegeFinance.com survey from November, only three in 10 college students are confident about getting their desired job once they graduate.

Coston at Gustavus tries to help students and parents think long term about what these fields will be like in five or 10 years and if the industry will recover after the pandemic. Some students are pursuing positions in fields outside their major while the industry recovers or are furthering their education by going to graduate school.

"It's beneficial if students can pivot in situations like this," Coston said. "There are going to be obstacles."

To him, the key for students is to learn resiliency and keep applying to positions and pursue opportunities. Students may face rejections because of the more competitive job market so he said it's important that students have a good support system and seek out help such as career services.

Weston Lombard, a graduating senior at Gustavus, used career services to help polish his resume and prepare to apply for internships.

Lombard has a job at Clifton Larson Allen lined up for after he graduates this spring. He got the job offer after interning at CLA last summer.

Lombard said he was lucky. The pandemic had shut down businesses and colleges across the country only a few months before his internship started and many other internships were canceled because of this. He said CLA already had a plan in place and was able to transition to remote work without having to cancel its internships.

"In the grand scheme of things, I was super fortunate to still be able to intern there," Lombard said.

Some of his friends' internships were canceled, which hurt their job prospects because these internships often lead to full-time job offers. They had to find other opportunities available.

"It seems like the process got pushed back a lot," Lombard said.

Coston said the distinction he and his team are trying to make for students is that it's hard to enter the workforce now, but that it's not impossible. Many students have already accepted jobs for after graduation and the market has improved greatly from a year ago.

"It's not all doom and gloom," he said.