Why Employers Should Hire Recent Grads

Okay, I have been job hunting for a few months now and I've come to a conclusion for me and those in the same boat as me: not too many people want us.  Why?  Because of the fact that we are recent grads.  I am so sick of looking through job sites and finding a job that looks promising....only to read that they want someone who has 10+ years of experience (Seriously?  What can possibly take 10 years to learn on the job?).   Though I have, in vain, applied for jobs that "only" require 3 to 5 years experience because you never know which places count internships and work study jobs, most really do mean it when they state you need the experience. Well, I'm going to tell you why employers should to hire recent grads.

1. We will work for less


We're not idiots, we know that with less/no experience, we shouldn't expect to get paid as much as the mythical person with 10 years of experience.  In fact, we'll probably work for half the amount that the magical 10 year experienced person makes at their current job.  Especially if we want to find a job quickly to start paying the never lowering student loan amount we've accumulated.  And what company doesn't want to save money?

2. You can mold us into what YOU want


With little/no experience, we don't have a set way of doing things.  We are a clean slate, a blank piece of paper, an empty canvass...you get the picture.  Therefore, you can make us do things the way you want us to without us slipping into the "how I did this at my last job" mode.  We will become the exact employee your company wants without having to "retrain" us.

3. We are competitive


This is more age-specific but then again, most graduates are my age.  We grew up in the era of video games, stricter college acceptance rates, and when the job market took a hit.  We know how to be competitive and we will bring that to the workplace.  Just like trying to get the high score in pac man (you know you secretly played that game ALL the time for that purpose) we strive to stand out against our colleagues.

4. We need to make a name for ourselves in the field

We have more to prove than the "I have 10 years of experience" know-it-all.  We are trying to make a name for ourselves in the field as early on as possible.  Why not take advantage of that?  This one kind of goes hand in hand with the previous reason.

5. We are up-to-date in the field

Everyone can thank their professors for this one.  In school, we are taught the most up-to-date cutting edge methods in our fields.

6. Weekends are irrelevant


I find it funny when a job posting states: must be willing to work some nights and/or weekends as needed.  Not because there is the possibility of having to stay at the office late, but because they have to explicitly state that you have to be willing to do it.   People my age have come to expect to be ready to work anytime, or at least are not as bothered by it as our older counterparts.  It has become the norm for our generation.

7. We can be mobile

Many of us are not married or have families.  Therefore, we are more likely to be willing to relocate or travel as part of work.  Bonus: less personal days due to sick kids.



For more reasons recent grads should be considered check out here and tips for employers (Jump on the bandwagon! Particularly those companies in my field!).