Thinking About Working #14
Written by Noah Leavitt, Director of the Career and Community Engagement Center
Senior Edition
Five weeks from today, the Class of 2023 will enter what we have affectionately come to call “Life After Whitman”—having the day before walked across the stage to receive their diplomas to the applause, tears and hugs of family members and friends. That ceremony will be a true commencement to a new identity and growth.
Accordingly, this column focuses on knowledge and suggestions that are particularly relevant to our amazing senior class. (That knowledge will also be helpful to others who are getting ready to make moves into the economy this spring through internships and summer jobs.)
Not surprisingly, given this special season, national news is filled with guesses at what the unpredictability of the economy may mean for college graduates.
Businessline.com notes, “Those graduating this spring are entering the job market at a weird time: the US unemployment rate is at a 50-year low at the same time that waves of layoffs, hiring freezes, and recession warnings continue to break. Gen Z is looking for stability and many new grads, fearing economic uncertainty, are broadening their search as they try to land their first job.”
Slightly more ominous, earlier this month, in an extensive interview with Wall Street Journal reporter Lindsay Ellis, Marketplace concluded, “The class of 2023 is graduating into a challenging job market.”
But wait … don’t despair! More cheerfully, according to a recent CBS news story on the prospects of new graduates, “online jobs board Indeed, has seen a sharp rise in listings between September and February, for more than two dozen job titles that pay more than $40,000.”
Three stories and three different interpretations. As has been the case throughout this entire semester, it’s difficult to draw definitive conclusions about the effect of the economy on the prospects for new college graduates.
No matter which headlines you believe (or even if you don’t believe any of them), a few best practices will help seniors and other students have the possibility for maximum success entering the job market.
To help convey these lessons, five of my colleagues in the Career and Community Engagement Center (CCEC) are meeting with lots of seniors this month during special senior-focused appointments every Monday.
I asked them to share some of the most frequently shared pieces of advice that they are discussing with seniors.
Kim Rolfe, who leads our career development initiatives, said:
“The most significant advice that I’ve heard from alumni at the finance accelerator and startup labs was to build your network! Reaching out to alumni with curiosity about their experiences and the insight and context for why students are reaching out was far and away the most significant suggestion that was repeated in every employer visit and alumni panel.”
(Pro tip: for great advice on this topic, Dr. Allison McWilliams, Assistant Vice President of Mentoring and Alumni Personal and Career Development at Wake Forest University, has a fantastic new column in Psychology Today that is worth a read, “How to Network the Right Way”)
Jacqueline Erwin, who specializes in working with students from humanities fields, agreed with Kim’s suggestion to focus on building networks and also shared:
“I’m also trying to focus on soothing anxiety by reminding students that it’s unlikely their first job out of college will be their dream/forever job. It’s just a starting point. The Chats with Grads event last week was helpful in that regard, as Georgetown University Professor Mark Giordano ’88 emphasized that he graduated without a clear idea of what he wanted to do. And he didn’t sit down and “figure it out” (which is what I find a lot of students are trying to do); instead, he continued to follow his interests and sharpen his skills, and worked his way into a fascinating career.”
Finally, since we know that many seniors are or soon will be contemplating whether to accept a job offer (or more), Victoria Wolff ‘12, who oversees career education initiatives, reminded seniors to join us for the always helpful and popular Start Smart Salary Negotiation Workshop For seniors: Saturday, April 22, 10:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. in Maxey 104 (brunch will be provided to all participants who attend the whole workshop).
In conclusion, I’m happy to remind everyone this: from leading tech startups to founding nonprofits, Whitman alumni make a difference across industries and passions. If you’re looking for inspiration as you’re working on your application materials, check out some of their energizing stories! They made their way from Whitman into the world and you will too!