A New Hiring Playbook: How 2020 upended--and created opportunity--for college-to-career transitions

SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The unprecedented challenges caused by the COVID-19 outbreak dramatically accelerated the digital transformation for many aspects of life, including the job search and recruitment process for early talent. However, these changes are only the beginning of what is now a new hiring playbook for the year ahead. In order to take a closer look at the trends and insights shaping the current job landscape for early talent, today Handshake, the number one site for college students to find jobs and get hired, announced the release of its third annual Campus to Career Report.

According to the report, 8 in 10 students said they only met with employers virtually this past year, and over 90% of employers overcame challenges posed to their traditional recruitment methods to connect with students at virtual career fairs this fall. The pandemic has not only driven virtual events and career fairs to become the 'new normal,' but set a precedent for remote engagement. This year, Handshake hosted over 3,000 virtual career fairs for more than 700 institutions of higher education.

These virtual events enabled tens of thousands of employers to manage virtual recruiting for early talent, and opened virtual doors to great opportunities for students across the country. Students who attended virtual fairs found them very useful for learning about company culture and job roles and making personal connections through 1:1 sessions. A majority (76%) stated that they would definitely consider participating in virtual career fairs in the future.

"The past year was a catalyst for change and it has emphasized the impact this generation of students will have on the workforce through their willingness to adapt and be resilient during this time," said Christine Cruzvergara, VP of Higher Education and Student Success at Handshake. "Our report highlights how both higher education institutions and employers can become more creative about supporting and attracting early talent. Many of these innovations, including virtual career fairs and remote internships, will provide lasting improvements—untethering opportunities from geography, and allowing students to more easily access mentoring, networking and meaningful job opportunities."

A Changing Career Landscape
Reflecting the changing landscape of work, remote jobs posted on Handshake increased by 7x since the beginning of the year. The job search for early talent presented immense challenges, and only 39% of students surveyed by Handshake felt confident or extremely confident in finding a job or internship by summer 2021. Report findings indicate that students are paying close attention to socio-economic trends to help them figure out their next move. This has led to a growing interest in jobs in healthcare which saw a 6 point increase in popularity over the past three years, and in jobs in government and nonprofits, which both saw a 10 point increase in popularity during the same time period. On the other hand, industries like investment banking and management consulting have seen small declines in popularity.

The Factors Weighing on Students' Decisions
When asked to rank factors important to them in a job search, students surveyed by Handshake ranked pay, future opportunity and growth, satisfying work, benefits and perks, and location as the top five.

Popular Skills and Job Roles
To support their career goals and get the attention of employers, students are emphasizing leadership, organization, and communication as their top three soft skills. In addition, in order to demonstrate that they can thrive in remote work environments, early talent is increasingly bringing tele-empathy with them to work by listing skills like remote teamwork, and active, and direct communication.

Data from the Campus to Career Report also highlighted the job roles with the highest year over year interest amongst college students on Handshake, including—Computer and Information Research Scientists and Customer Success and Account Managers (Advertising, PR, and Marketing) which both saw a 10+ point YoY increase, followed by Computer and Information Systems Managers and Electrical Engineers, which saw a 3 point YoY increase. 

The third annual Campus to Career Report comes on the heels of Handshake's recent funding announcement and expansion into the United Kingdom, as well as community colleges and bootcamps. These initiatives have helped fuel Handshake's work towards realizing its mission of democratizing opportunity for students. For more information and to learn about the 2020 Campus to Career Report click here, and for additional information about Handshake visit https://www.joinhandshake.com/.

ABOUT HANDSHAKE
Handshake is the number one site for college students to find a job. Today, the Handshake community includes 17 million students and young alumni at over 1,000 colleges and universities — including 150+ minority-serving institutions. We connect up-and-coming talent across all 50 states with over 500,000 employers recruiting on Handshake—from every Fortune 500 company to thousands of small businesses, nonprofits, startups, and more. Handshake is democratizing opportunity and ensuring college students have the support they need to find a great job and kick-off a meaningful career regardless of where they go to school, what they choose as a major, and who they know. Handshake is headquartered in San Francisco and has offices in Denver and London, England.

METHODOLOGY
Handshake's third annual Campus to Career report is based on insights from the largest early talent network of over 7M+ active students from 1K+ partner schools nationwide. We leveraged our platform and supplemented survey data to uniquely pair what students are saying with how they're behaving, then assessing how those trends have changed over time.

SOURCE Handshake

Related Links

http://joinhandshake.com