So you just graduated from university, you take a deep breath and come to the humbling conclusion that you must become a real person and get a job. Great. If you don’t have a job waiting for you this is where it can start to get a little tricky. Being the extremely resourceful person that you are, you immediately sit down at the computer (isn’t everything on the internet yet?) and begin searching for your very first meaningful job. You visit all the major sites and some of the lesser know ones too; monster, workopolisCampus, Eluta, craigslist, etc. If you have ever actually tried searching for a position on Monster or workopolis you know it can be a little harder than it seems. What you begin to realize is that there is no dedicated service that helps new grads find entry level roles. When searching with these huge job boards the sheer volume of jobs can become a hindrance rather than a help. There are literally thousands of amazing positions on those sites; the only problem is the other ten thousand no name companies pushing call center jobs at best, trying to scam you at worst. Often times when searching for opportunities for new graduates you end up inundated with a million listings most of which are either unacceptable because it requires a) too much experience or b) not enough education. Let me explain. It is our thinking that a university graduate, who has just spent upwards of $50,000 on their education, wants to be recognized and rewarded for that accomplishment. A new grad job is not a call center employee, it is not a waiter or waitress, it is not a street marketer; it is a career starting opportunity. It is a Staff Accountant position with BDO, it is a Financial Adviser role with SunLife, and, more than anything, it is an experience that will make you more valuable in the future.

That is why at TalentEgg we have made it our business to provide new grads and students with only meaningful entry level positions that will be true career building experiences. Unlike monster and workopolis we screen every company and every job posted on the site to ensure that it is valuable to our new grads and students. We also provide the employer with a space online to describe what its like to be a part of their company. In this way we try and be a little like an online career fair. Our employers understand that to attract the best new grads they have to recruit them. They have to illustrate to you why they are better to work for than the next guy. In the end employers end up with better employees and new grads end up with better jobs, sounds about right, no?

I just wrote an article in the learn section about how important timing can be in terms of finding the right job. Students look for jobs in April and employers are hiring in September, and as you can imagine, this creates a problem. The article is directed towards students, but there is a lesson to be learned by employers there as well. It is simply this: In order to communicate effectively with Gen Y, you must use Gen Y communication tools.

Career fairs are outdated. They are expensive and attract relatively few potential candidates. Career centers are rarely used to their full potential; students are too busy, especially in their final year, to devote hours of their time to an abstract concern like their employment status 10 months down the road. A school year is a long time to a student and not everyone is ready to search for a job in September. There are smart, passionate students all over the country who are simply unaware that most of the hiring takes place way before they actually leave school. What is the solution? It is the responsibility of HR staff across the country to help bridge this communication gap by using mediums that appeal to our generation. We are working hard to ensure that TalentEgg is on the leading edge of Gen Y communication tactics and that we are doing our part to bring together students and employers.