Major companies have been forced to lay off thousands of corporate employees in recent months due to a staggering economy and prices of running a business steeply rising. Big corporations such as Twitter, Google, FedEx, and Goldman Sachs have each laid off thousands of employees in January. Despite hundreds of thousands of jobs being created in 2022, college students are the odd ones out as Americans look for employment and livable wages. 

The COVID pandemic completely shook up the job market, with many small businesses closing and employees working remotely. With a return to normalcy over the last year and a half, the job market has improved, but not enough to guarantee a job for everyone. Over the last year, an estimated 568,000 jobs were created under President Biden. However, recent college graduates are competing with candidates with much more experience and qualifications who have lost their jobs at the corporate level.         

Despite these less-than-ideal circumstances, there may be hope for Saint Anselm students. Lindsay Coats, a new employee at the Saint Anselm Career Development Center, is optimistic about seniors securing employment after they graduate.

 According to Coats, finding a job easily “depends on the factor, depends on the industry.” That’s not to say that some fields will not be able to find jobs, but just that certain fields are more demanding. All skillsets are wanted, just in different levels of demand.

The issues in today’s economy and job market should be addressed, but students shouldn’t worry about a lack of opportunities. “There are a lot of jobs out there, and you’re coming from a competitive liberal arts school,” Coats mentioned. 

Coats is confident in the fact that “doors are opening for you.” The biggest thing to remember for students is to “research your opportunities, and dig into that job description,” Coats said. Students here have all of the tools they need to be successful in the job search, just do what you can to add those details of your skills.    

For those in need of assistance in knowing how to hone your skills for a job, the CDC is there to help with “writing a cover letter for why you’re interested in a company and how you can be helpful to them,” which are essential to keep in mind when reaching out to companies, Coats said.     

Some of Coats’s biggest advice in your experience with the job search is “keeping aware of the things that you do have in your control, and focusing on the doable stuff”, she said. There are multitudes of external factors that add levels of difficulty in obtaining a job, however, the things that are in your control are the only things you should focus on. Focus on writing a strong cover letter, go to the CDC or Handshake for your resume, and do the best you can with those things.    

All in all, it’s everyone’s first time getting a job after college, so no one is expected to know everything. Coats even said that “I don’t know what I’m doing” is more than okay when going to them for help. Just get the support while you’re still here to get it, and you’ll be more than ready to explore those opportunities that are lining up. Regardless of the external issues weighing on the job market, the seniors at Saint Anselm are more than ready (and capable) of joining the workforce successfully when they end their time here.