Thinking about Working

Noah Leavitt, Director of the Career and Community Engagement Center

Welcome to the introductory issue of ‘Thinking about Working,’ a new bimonthly publication from the Career and Community Engagement Center. These short pieces aim to help Whitman students, faculty, and staff gain greater insight about the world of work in 2022.

Phil Gardner, Ph.D. Executive Director, Collegiate Employment Research Institute Faculty Emeritus and Former Executive Director, Career Services Network Michigan State University

Today I’d like to introduce you to Dr. Phil Gardner. Dr. Gardner is perhaps America’s foremost analyst of trends affecting new graduates’ professional opportunities. For more than three decades, Dr. Gardner led a research department at Michigan State University specifically to learn from employers across the country about what skills and talents they are looking for when they bring new graduates into their organizations and businesses. During much of that time, Dr. Gardner also led the MSU Career Center, helping thousands of students each year make their way into the world of work. Honoring his success, in 2019 the National Association of Colleges and Employers inducted Dr. Gardner into their Academy of Fellows.

Dr. Gardner is also a Whitman alum who graduated in 1969 and over the last decade has advised the team in the Career and Community Engagement Center (CCEC) to continue to plan and make changes that align with his findings. For these and other contributions to the college he was awarded the 2019 Gordon Scribner Award for Distinguished Service, one of Whitman’s highest honors.

I was able to spend time with Dr, Gardner over Thanksgiving Break and he shared three important insights:

First – this an incredible time to be graduating. The job market is stronger than it has been in years, especially for new graduates. If students are thinking about entering the economy after they finish this year through internships or jobs this is a highly favorable moment to do so.  Dr. Gardner’s research on this point was cited in this must-read feature story in Insider Higher Ed last month, “Graduates Face Most Promising Job Market Since 2008” and this overall assessment of the job market has been widely reported on this season in outlets like Bloomberg (“New College Grads Are Making Gains in Employment and Wages During Pandemic“) and Yahoo News (“The job market for college students and recent grads is back”)

Second –   even with this highly favorable the economy, students still need to be both proactive and active in exploring, researching, and connecting with potential employers. Dr. Gardner told me that more and more, and especially this year, hiring is taking place through connections and networks rather than through job postings or more-traditional job boards. Thus, this is an opportune time for students to stay in touch with mentors, former supervisors, friends, advisers, and others who can help them access the organizations where they want to work.  (Lots of great tips about professional relationship-building here).

Third –  while flexibility has always been an important trait, in 2022 this characteristic will be near to or at the top of the list of skills that applicants will need to demonstrate. The relentless and unpredictable churn of COVID is changing how and where work takes place. New employees have to be able to be ready for nearly anything. Dr. Gardner told me that not only are the responsibilities within jobs morphing but the very positions themselves are evolving once someone is hired. The more that new grads can show flexibility, through stories and examples, the more they will demonstrate their ability to support their employer’s needs.

Beginning in January, the team in the CCEC will be discussing these and other relevant trends as well as other aspects of the job market.  We will suggest action steps so that students can increase their success in accessing the roles and positions they are interested in. These reflections will be housed on the CCEC’s blog for later reading.

Thank you for thinking about working. We welcome ideas of possible topics.  Please reach out to me with suggestions at leavitns@whitman.edu.