Graduating college students spend months applying for jobs, say it’s a tough market to break into

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (WIAT) – According to the state Department of Labor, 3.3% of Alabamians are unemployed as of March this year. Greene County has the highest unemployment rate at 7.7%, while Shelby County has the lowest at 2.7%.

For college graduates, it’s usually a happy time celebrating a great milestone and accomplishment. But many University of Alabama students said the job market is tough right now, bringing with it some stress about what happens after they turn the tassel.

“It gets annoying, but I need to make money, I need a job,” said graduating UA student Jameson Marshall.

Marshall began applying to jobs in the fall. He’s sent out at least 60 applications, only to hear back from a handful. He’s started a new tactic on his job hunt.

“They’re not going to see just a resume online. Call them. Let them remember some sort of something,” he said. “Once you, like, start doing it, you call, call somewhere, they’re not going to be like mean to you. They’ll answer. Be yourself, it won’t be bad.”

The job hunt is also still on for Gianna Renaldo. She’s only heard back from three jobs out of the more than 70 applications she’s sent in.

“I took some steps, and I paid someone to go over my resume and redo it. I’m hoping that helps. But I’m definitely going to keep applying and keep going to interviews and hope I can get something soon,” Renaldo said. “It’s definitely just, I don’t have the ‘experience’ needed, even with all the internships.”

Some graduating UA students say the lack of experience is a problem for many trying to enter the workforce.

“I think a lot of companies also are going through things like hiring freezes, so it’s hard to even find a job to apply for, and then, if you’re competing with people within the company, you’re not going to take an entry-level compared to an experienced professional,” said UA senior Hailey Kilian.

Kilian and Chloe Rickley get to skip the job hunt this year as they head into grad school.

“The second everyone was applying for jobs, I literally said, ‘I am so relieved that I’m going back to school, and I don’t have to be doing this right now,'” said Rickley.

Some graduating students like Travonda Ward believe it now takes more and more schooling to land a job.

“I have been attending different professional development seminars, so just trying to have different things to add to my resume, obtaining different certifications, and this is actually my second master’s degree,” said Ward. “I’m just trying to get as much as I can to make myself more marketable to employers.”

Given the current job market, students like Ross Bozeman feel grateful to have a job lined up after graduation.

“I was one of the lucky ones, so I feel for them,” Bozeman said. “I know one of my friends is moving to Nashville and she’s moving without a job, without a paycheck, and I just feel for her.”

According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers, employers are planning to hire less than one percent of new college graduates from the Class of 2025. You can see the full report from NACE here.