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I finished grad school in 2009 and the labor market was an entirely different animal back then. Applying for jobs when you had little experience AND a poor economy vs applying for jobs when you got skills now AND a good economy is almost night and day, not to mention being thrown into the deep end of the pool and picking up excellent job search and interview habits that were absolutely necessary to land any job back during the recession. Nowadays if you put in the same game you had to put in to survive 2009, you will totally kill it.
I still have a hard time believing that finding a job is not the excruciating chore it was in 2009 and yeah, the good times don't always last but i guess be grateful for it while it lasts.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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I started with my current employer in 2009, but I had the somewhat unique experience that was needed for a position that had been a big problem for several years with failures. After a week they announced layoffs, but fortunately it was based on elimination of non-critical functions, so I stayed while some long-time people were let go. When hiring in the first few recovery years, we were getting many well qualified applicants, often with over 100 applicants. The difference now is that those well qualified people are already working, so we get 20-30 applicants most of which do not meet the minimum qualifications. Typical experience required is 3-5 years. We still haven't gotten to the point where we will hire people right out of college. I think for those having trouble now, it's that employers will still look for experience if they can find it, while colleges are still cranking out more degrees every year. Those that do best have been doing internships. In fact, we have in some cases waved our experience requirements to hire people that have done internships with us while in school.
They are still asking for an MBA with 100 years experience in Drupal and rejecting candidates with a PhD.
The job market is still absurd if not worse.
I was underemployed about 2 years out of school. I am currently mentoring a fellow alumni who graduated in 2015 and still underemployed 3 years out. He's more qualified than I was when I graduated (better GPA and better internships)
It doesn't matter. He's not a card carrying member of the Fraternal Order of Anthony so it doesn't make a difference.
Really depends on the field. I still think it's hard. I graduated in 2006, found a job very fast but I had a good network. I've noticed the same for many others. In 2010, I left the finance world to do marketing. I have 5 years experience now and finding full time jobs is not easy, despite a great graduate degree. Without a network and connections it's very hard to land a decent paying job. You still have to totally kill it. And even then, you sometimes interview with these 24 year old HR associates who are totally clueless.
A lot of people get jobs because of who they know.
I am not sure it is improved much in my field. I mean there ARE more entry level postings available, particularly in the government, but very few agencies hired actual entry level candidates then and it seems just the same (if not worse) now that there are a bazillion people trying to get PSLF. It wasn’t that popular back in 2009-10, as few had signed up for federal GradPLUS loans. Now it is like every fed position gets 1000 candidates unless they limit it. I am in an “entry” level federal position but I am in my 40s and every single new hire in my office is also in their 30s/40s.
I got my Bachelor's in Mechanical Engineering back in 2010, and even though I started the job search several months BEFORE graduating, I still didn't get a job until 4 months post-graduation - a low-paying (even by entry-level standards) position in Manufacturing Engineering. This was with 4 semesters of co-op experience in engineering.
Fast forward to now, although my salary has gone up substantially over the years (mainly by building experience and switching companies), I still don't see the scene being much better for entry-level engineers compared to 2010. Sure if I wanted to stay in my current field, I could easily land a new job whenever (and almost wherever) I wanted with relative ease. However, I've been trying to switch from Process/Manufacturing to Design Engineering, and it feels like 2010 part 2. Companies are wanting X amount of years of extremely specific design experience that's impossible to get unless you were ever given a chance at it in the first place. Oh, the fond memories are returning!
Looking back it was so hard, and rightly so for someone with just a degree used to making no money or little money part time. That first step into a strong career path shouldn't be taken for granted. Now its easy to find another job if I wanted to.
I graduated in 2010. I couldn't even get a bank teller position as a finance major with a related internship, much less something like corporate finance. I got on in an IT call center and moved up in IT.
I get recruiters emailing me fairly regularly. It's not an excellent market IMO, but I am in a small metro, trying to relocate to bigger places, and the biggest issue I'm running into is the "not local" deal.
Graduated with a computer science degree in Dec 2011. Still nothing. No imposter syndrome here; the people I knew who got jobs were either White or seriously exaggerated/lied on their resumes. It's all bad.
The mediocre fratboys who run the show are still out to get "the smart set" and will cross heaven and earth - including hiring from across the ocean - to make sure they are still top dog, no one is smarter than them, etc.
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