Transcription
Maurice: NOW "EYE ON AMERICA." OUR LOOK AT CHALLENGES AND ISSUES AROUND THE COUNTRY, AND, WE HOPE, SOLUTIONS. TONIGHT, COLLEGE GRADUATES LOOKING FOR WORK IN A TIGHT LABOR MARKET. MEG OLIVER NOW ON WHAT EXPERTS SAY GRADS CAN DO ON INCREASE THEIR CHANCES OF SCORING THAT FIRST JOB AND ADVICE FOR EMPLOYERS, AS WELL.
>> Reporter: SO HOW ORGANIZED ARE YOU?
>> VERY. [LAUGHS]
>> Reporter: 23-YEAR-OLD JAIMEE DEL PIANO THOUGHT HER CREDENTIALS WOULD STAND OUT. A STELLAR GPA, A DEGREE IN PSYCHOLOGY, A MASTERS IN PUBLIC POLICY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT. SHE GRADUATED IN MAY HOPING TO LAND A JOB AS A CHILD ADVOCATE. HOW MANY APPLICATIONS HAVE YOU SENT OUT?
>> ANYWHERE FROM LIKE 10-20.
>> Reporter: WHAT'S THE RESPONSE BEEN LIKE?
>> I HAVEN'T HAD ENOUGH EXPERIENCE. AND THAT'S, OF COURSE, CHALLENGING BECAUSE I CAN'T GET ANY EXPERIENCE WITHOUT A JOB.
>> Reporter: A RECENT REPORT SHOWS GRADUATES ARE ENTERING A TURBULENT ECONOMY, WITH MORE COMPETITION FOR ENTRY-LEVEL POSITIONS. JOB POSTINGS HAVE DECLINED BY 15%, WHILE THE NUMBER OF APPLICATIONS HAS INCREASED BY 30%.
>> A LOT OF THE JOBS THAT I WAS LOOKING FOR WAS, LIKE, FEDERAL JOBS OR STATE JOBS.
>> Reporter: SOME OF THOSE JOBS HAVE BEEN ELIMINATED BY BUDGET CUTS. SO YOU ARE COMPETING WITH PEOPLE WITH A LOT OF EXPERIENCE.
>> EXACTLY.
>> Reporter: DEL PIANO'S FRUSTRATIONS ARE FELT BY JOBSEEKERS AROUND THE COUNTRY.
>> THEY HAD EACH DONE MULTIPLE INTERNSHIPS. THEY WERE PART OF COMMUNITY GROUPS.
>> Reporter: RYAN McGONAGILL IS TALKING ABOUT HIS OWN INTERNS AT Business.com, WHICH HELPS SMALL BUSINESSES LOOKING TO EXPAND THEIR REACH. AS THEY SENT OUT RESUMES LOOKING FOR WORK, HE DID A STUDY TRACKING EACH ONE. OF THE 311 APPLICATIONS THOSE INTERNS SENT OUT, 87 PERCENT DIDN'T EVEN GET A RESPONSE. ONLY FIVE APPLICANTS RECEIVED A SCHEDULED INTERVIEW. AND THE NUMBER OF JOB OFFERS: ZERO. HAS IT EVER BEEN THIS BAD IN THE LAST DECADE?
>> NO.
>> Reporter: VALERIE MARTINELLI IS A CAREER COUNSELOR. SHE ADVISES TAKING A PERSONAL APPROACH TO EACH APPLICATION, WRITE DIFFERENT COVER LETTERS, NETWORK IN PERSON, AND STEER CLER OF AI.
>> DON'T USE AI FOR ANY OF YOUR APPLICATION MATERIALS BECAUSE WHAT A LOT OF EMPLOYERS ARE SAYING, IF THEY THINK YOU ARE USING AI, THEY THINK IT'S DISINGENUOUS, AND THEY WILL AUTOMATICALLY DISQUALIFY YOU.
>> Reporter: AS FOR EMPLOYERS, MARTINELLI SAYS THEY NEED TO PUT THE HUMAN TOUCH BACK INTO HUMAN RESOURCES. WHAT IS YOUR ADVICE TO HR MANAGERS AND COMPANIES THAT ARE HIRING RIGHT NOW?
>> TAKE THE 3-5 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE OFF OF YOUR JOB DESCRIPTIONS.
>> Reporter: DEL PIANO IS TRYING TO REMAIN OPTIMISTIC, BUT WITH $15,000 IN DEBT, IT'S NOT EASY. WHAT ARE YOU LEARNING FROM THIS EXPERIENCE?
>> I'M LEARNING THAT YOU HAVE TO HAVE GRIT.
>> Reporter: BUT GRIT ALONE WON'T GET IT DONE FOR THIS YEAR'S JOB-HUNTING GRADS LIKE JAIMEE DEL PIANO. THEY'RE GOING TO NEED PLENTY OF PATIENCE AND RESILIENCE, AS WELL. FOR "EYE ON AMERICA," I'M MEG OLIVER IN ELLINGTO