Good news and bad for first-time job hunters
There is good news for the class of 2013. They can expect higher salaries.
A National Association of Colleges & Employers survey shows the average starting salary for graduates with a bachelor’s degree is up 5.3 percent from last year. Some grads can expect even more. Business majors can expect salaries seven percent higher.
“I’d be able to not worry about all the college loans I have to pay back immediately or over time. If it’s going to set me back in my life. I’d like to be able to live comfortably,” College of the Desert senior Luke Gibson said.
The bad news is getting that job seems harder than before. Experts say first time job seekers are doing very poorly in job interviews. We sat down with College of the Desert counselor Eve-Marie Andrews who said young people simply don’t have enough interview experience.
“When we have workshops about interview skills or resume skills, we have three to four people that come, and it’s free. It’s not on their radar until they’re panicking and have to find a job and they’re scared,” College of the Desert counselor Eve-Marie Anderson said.
Andrews says you get judged on the little things. A Skype interview may seem easy, but, “There are things you have to be aware of. Background sounds, you don’t want to be in a room that’s terribly messy,” Andrews said.
Interviews are definitely a daunting task.
“The unexpected questions. The ones that catch you off guard. The one’s you really don’t know how to answer,” Gibson said.
His fear is not without reason.
Human resource experts say some employers are asking more quirky questions now. Here’s a fun one: “If you were shrunk to the size of a paper clip and put in a blender, how would you get out?”
No right answer to that question, but preparation is the key to interview success.
Here are some other job interview tips from Andrews:
-Do your research about the company you are interviewing for. Know any recent big happenings in the company.
-Show up early.
-Keep you cell phone on silent and out of your hands.
-Ask a question at the end, possibly, “Can you describe your best employee for me?”
