Employment after graduation

By: Alex Polgar

Perhaps it was over the holidays that you realized a new chapter of your life is beginning in the not-so-vdistant future, or the beginning of your last semester at McMaster that got you thinking about what to do after. With a competitive employment landscape for new graduates, now is the time to start strategizing and working proactively to line up employment.

Upon graduation, many McMaster students are faced with fierce competition when landing their first job out of university. According to Statistics Canada, in December 2016, Hamilton’s unemployment rate was 5.5 per cent, which is slightly lower than the national average of 6.9 per cent. In contrast, Ontario’s youth unemployment rate is 14.3 per cent making it the highest among all provinces.

Hamilton’s labour force is also largely comprised of manufacturing jobs, which means that local employers who are seeking university graduates receive high volumes of qualified applications. For those students who decide to move to larger cities likes Toronto, Vancouver or even internationally in hopes for better opportunities, even higher volumes of competition exists.

Canada’s Youth Expert Panel weighed in on the topic in a report published in December 2016, and stated, “Many young people complete hundreds of online job applications without receiving any response.” You’re among the most educated demographic ever, you’re attending a leading university and yet many of you will struggle to find a great job upon graduation. So why is it necessary stand out from the crowd and how can you set yourself up for success?

Standing out from other the applicants is vital to landing your first career-related job that you are proud of. It requires a lot of time, persistence and self-realization. By nature, people are likely to choose the path of least resistance often because it is the easiest thing to do, or because they do not know what else to do. This means that many people submit online application after online application, but do not do much more than that. Getting your first career-related job can be tough, as many new graduates have limited work experience to demonstrate success with previous employers.

Setting yourself apart from other candidates, in a positive way of course, will greatly increase your chances of being invited into the interview process and receive quality job offers. To do so, you must go above and beyond simply submitting a cover letter and resume, and thoroughly understanding yourself so you can answer competency questions with confidence.

Employers now more than ever have the luxury of being picky. Intelligence, skills and knowledge are no longer enough to get hired, as employers know that these three things alone do not guarantee employee success. Sophisticated recruitment tools and behaviour screenings seek to find someone who is going to fit in well with a company’s organizational culture, is reliable and will bring their passions to work each day. Surprisingly, there are a large percentage of smart, well-educated people who cannot demonstrate that they can fill all of these qualifications consistently.

As you embark on your second semester, continue to work smart and be proactive about your future. Set yourself apart from the crowd and work pre-emptively to prove to prospective employers that you are the right fit for their organization.