The School-to-Work Transition
University-work transition
- Considering the rapidly changing world of work and employment, what are the most common challenges a young university graduate would have to face when integrating the labour market? Do you think that underemployment(over-education) phenomenon is still a challenge for young university graduates?
Yes, I think underemployment phenomenon will always be a challenge for young university graduates. Nevertheless, I think there is a practical solution for this. While a student is still at college, he must try to find a job aligned to the competences he is looking forward to getting at the end of his major studies. The sooner, the better. It is a good idea to start working in an organization where you can get better opportunities as you grow professionally. Students need to understand they must stop waiting for a degree to start looking for a job. Nowadays, most companies are more interested in the experience than the studies.
Thank you @Joel E. Guevara I am wondering if you mean internship/work-placement as a way of enhancing the chance to get hired? Do you consider this as a sustainable solution? Students/graduates are using apprenticeship, internship, volunteerism as tools to get in but at the end of time, they are not hired esp. in social science domains.
Sure. There is no harm in trying anything to get in. But I can see there is a tendency now, especially from high-level professionals and companies. They want to become visible on the web by using LinkedIn or even a personal web site in order to show their professional experience, work or studies. I mean, it seems logical. There is no excuse for a student to wait until being asked for his resume. We need to learn how to take advantage of technology these days. Developing communicative skills to be prepared for job interviews must be taken into account, too. Again, the sooner the better.