San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) May 7, 2014, — Results of the 2014 AfterCollege Career Insights Survey, conducted among college students and recent grads, reveal unique insights into the millennial mindset, including a growing sense of anxiety about the transition to the working world and whether college is actually preparing students for life beyond the classroom.
Picture from 2013 Harvard University Commencement (file photo).
Job Market Getting Tougher for College Grads?
83% of graduating seniors said they didn’t have a job lined up as of April 2014, despite 72.7% reporting that they were actively looking for one. This is a jump from the 80% of graduating seniors who didn’t have a job lined up at the same time last year.
These numbers don’t vary significantly, even for more “marketable” majors—81.6% of engineering, technology, and math majors didn’t have jobs lined up, and business students didn’t fare much better with 85.1% saying they hadn’t lined up jobs either.
Students Need More Than What Colleges Are Providing for Career Help
Only 52% of 2014 respondents believe college adequately prepares students for the working world. This is a significant drop since last year, when 69.4% of respondents believed college was preparing them for their careers.
When asked how their school could better help them prepare for the working world, students overwhelmingly asked for more networking opportunities and a focus on getting a job along with academics.
The Influence of Faculty
Once again, faculty ranked 3rd, just behind parents and significant others, as having the strongest influence on career-related decisions.
This was echoed by the fact that 37% of respondents indicated that they would prefer to hear about career opportunities through faculty, advisors, or their department.
What a Working Millennial Wants
71.6%, ranked “caring about what the company does” as their primary consideration when choosing an employer.
Students didn’t jump for popular perks like allowing pets in the office—only 28% indicated this would sway their decision.
Flexibility appears to be an employer’s greatest draw for new talent, with 78.4% of respondents saying they’d be more likely to apply for a position that afforded telecommuting privileges or other leeway with working hours.
For more information on the 2014 AfterCollege Career Insights Survey or to receive a full report of the results, contact Jennifer Rutt, Senior Director of Engagement at AfterCollege on 206-930-0845 or jrutt(at)aftercollege(dot)com.
Survey methodology: The survey was conducted online through SurveyMonkey on behalf of AfterCollege among 1,494 college freshmen, sophomores, juniors, seniors, graduate students, and recent graduates (up to 3 years post graduation) between February 27, 2014 and April 15, 2014.
About AfterCollege:
AfterCollege is an entry-level job and internship resource that helps over half a million visitors each month. The Explore feature matches students and recent graduates with more than 400,000 job and internship opportunities from 25,000 employers based on the job-seeker’s school, major, graduation date, and personal preferences. AfterCollege visitors can provide feedback on jobs, companies, and locations to get results that better reflect their preferences.