(Radio Iowa) – Commencement in Iowa City is Saturday and some six-thousand new University of Iowa graduates will be hitting the job market under challenging circumstances. Cindy Meis, director of undergraduate career services at the U-I’s Tippie College of Business, says many industries across the board are very competitive this year, while recruiting has plateaued. Meis says she’s reminding new grads that their first job isn’t their forever job.
“It can be in a wide breadth of industry,” Meis says, “and sometimes it’s getting that foot in the door and that one year to 18 months of experience to then go on to what I would describe as Job Two, where you really start diving into what your professional path is going to look like.” Most understand they won’t land their dream job right after graduation. Seeing success in a career, she says, is often less about landing the perfect position, while it’s more about gaining experience in a professional environment and proving you can contribute and grow.
“It doesn’t have to be not-ideal. It can still be a great job, but it might not have maybe the brand name that they’re looking for. They may not be able to go into an agency right away,” Meis says, “and if there’s patience, it will play out in the longer game.” Employers in Iowa and abroad are still hiring, she says, but organizations are evaluating budgets, team structures, and long-term workforce needs. Plus, many employers are using an applicant tracking system, or A-T-S, which can make it tough to make a human connection when applying for a job.
“When people are saying, ‘Sometimes my resume is going into a black hole,’ it may not be the blackest hole that you think,” Meis says, “but there is that piece of AI technology, looking for keywords and maybe highlighting things for the recruiter that is then looking and processing your resume through the ATS.” New grads need to stay open-minded about where and how they start their careers, she says, not worrying about titles or even the industry. Meis says it’s important to stay flexible, adaptable, and coachable.
“It’s about learning and getting better and becoming more focused on maybe as a subject matter expert,” she says. “So, asking questions, being an active learner, that needs to become kind of your professional personality, and you don’t have to worry about knowing everything, because you actually cannot.” The job hunt can be discouraging and frustrating, but Meis encourages new grads to remember, it’s a marathon, not a sprint.
