New grads, especially those who began searching for jobs well before graduation, have been on the job hunt for awhile now. Many have managed to secure positions, while others are still struggling to find work. The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) recently released a survey on the hiring trends of 2012 undergraduate and post-graduate students. 
So what’s the general consensus? So far, 47 percent of the companies surveyed have hired a 2012 undergraduate and 31 percent have hired a 2012 postgraduate.
The type of organization most likely to hire a 2012 undergrad is a publicly owned for-profit (56%), whereas postgrads are most likely to be hired by nonprofit organizations (39%).
As for those who haven’t hired a new grad yet, 53 percent have no plans to.
Unfortunately, there are several factors stopping these companies from hiring a 2012 grad. The main reason can be blamed on the economy. Seventy five percent said they don’t plan to hire a new graduate because they have no openings available. However, 18 percent said that the 2012 graduates are underqualified and 17% said they are overqualified for the positions that are available.
What skills do new graduates need to improve upon in order to have a better chance of being hired for open positions? Here’s what the companies had to say:
- Written communication: 41%
- Critical thinking/problem solving: 38%
- Oral communication: 31%
- Lifelong learning/self direction: 28%
- Leadership: 26%
- Teamwork/collaboration: 15%
- Creativity/innovation: 10%
- Diversity: 9%
- Information technology application: 6%
Fortunately, some companies do think 2012 graduates have some advantages when compared to other job seekers currently on the job market. For example, many employers said they were more likely to be tech savvy, have more networking opportunities, are less likely to be overqualified, and are more likely to accept lower pay.
Check out the rest of the survey findings here.
Are you a 2012 graduate? Share your job search successes/struggles with us below!
