By Avéon Laine
Baltimore Watchdog Staff Writer
College graduates from the class of 2020 are having trouble putting their degrees to use as the workforce remains stagnated by COVID-19, according to interviews with recent graduates over the past week.
The grads who were interviewed said they had sent out dozens of applications or more, only to hear back from a handful of companies.
“I graduated four months ago, and was searching for jobs that involved reading, writing or editing,” said Albert Ivory, who just earned his bachelor’s degree in political science from Towson University. “I’m not sure the exact number, but I would say at least 20 applications and about three reached out for an interview.”
Since the pandemic peaked in mid-March, 22 million jobs were lost in the U.S., according to MarketWatch. The Maryland Department of Labor lists 225,295 of these jobs being in Maryland.
As each state has taken precautionary measures towards re-opening, individuals are gradually getting their jobs back. In Maryland, the unemployment rate has decreased from a pandemic-high 10.1% in April to 6.9% as of late August. The state has also gained 183,200 jobs in the past four months.
But for those who never got a chance to get their foot in the workforce door before the pandemic, the job search has proved more than difficult.
“I applied for around 70 jobs starting in December—it may have been more—and I’ve only heard back from about 20 jobs to interview,” said Mariah Pinder, who earned her bachelor’s degree in mass communication from Towson. “I am searching for jobs as a public relations assistant, and COVID-19 has definitely made applying for jobs tougher than I’d ever imagined.”
The pandemic has also brought on emotions that are affecting even the application process for graduates as well.
“I would say COVID-19 has impacted my search in the sense that I didn’t really have the motivation to job search for long periods of time due to stress,” said Dymond Hamlin, who has a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Towson. “Mainly, that came from external factors related to the pandemic.”
Sierra Green, who earned her bachelor’s degree in kinesiology from the University of Maryland, said graduating with a major in the healthcare field during the pandemic brought about different challenges in her job search.
“Being a graduate of a major within the healthcare field, COVID-19 has definitely impacted my job search,” Green said. “Since it would be considered ‘essential,’ I was hesitant to have a job that would require me to work hands on. Even telehealth options were not as encouraging since many jobs were still adjusting to new procedures.”
And in some cases, hiring those looking for jobs has been the last thing on employers’ minds.
“Because of the pandemic I no longer had a summer job option because a majority of my applications were for government jobs,” said Leah McClean, who just earned her bachelor’s degree in political science from Towson. “However, hiring wasn’t really a priority to them since the world was in such disarray.”
The pandemic, McClean said, helped her make the decision to attend Elon University School of Law in Greensboro, North Carolina.
While students like McClean have opted for further schooling after graduation, those still in need of jobs have turned to outside resources for help, such as the Career Center at Towson University.
Casey Miller, the associate director of Career Education at the Career Center, said she has noticed that alumni inquiries for help have changed during the pandemic.
“The first few months of the pandemic seem to have been a transformative experience for many of our alumni,” Miller told The Baltimore Watchdog. “We’re seeing a mix of people who are overwhelmed and anxious about how the pandemic is effecting their careers and people who are taking it as an opportunity to reevaluate.”
Miller said the power of networking has become even more important during a pandemic.
“It has always been incredibly important to use your networks,” Miller said. “About 80 percent of positions are found through networking, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. And that is still true during a pandemic.”
Miller said the Tiger Mentor Network is an online platform for students and graduates to connect with TU alumni for advice and information on anything related to career.
“Try not to get discouraged or think, ‘Well, there’s no point in trying because no one is hiring,’” Miller said. “There are many organizations still hiring. It may not be your dream job, but it can help you to get to your dream job.”
Kelley Bishop, the director of the University Career Center at the University of Maryland, College Park, noted that the current job market is filled with uncertainty.
“The entry-level job market for college grads is going to be rocky and uncertain through 2020,” Bishop said. “It may be necessary to pick up temporary or part-time work while continuing in the job search.”
Bishop also said that making contact with employers, despite current hiring processes, is still important.
“We are noticing that employers and alumni are happy to have conversations with students/recent grads even if their hiring is on hold,” Bishop said. “We recommend recent grads concentrate on networking to better position themselves at the front of the line when hiring resumes.”
Although COVID-19 has altered the workforce and workplace experience for new graduates, alumni and career professionals were glad to offer advice to those students who will soon be in their same positions.
“I would say take your time and try not to compare yourself to others, especially at a time like this,” Ivory said.
“Getting known by people working in your field of interest will give you an edge on the candidates that simply applied through the HR portal,” Bishop said.
Alia Morgan, who graduated from Morgan State University in 2020 with a bachelor’s degree in multimedia journalism and public relations, said she has learned that having multiple resumes is important.
“If you are looking for a remote job, make sure your resume reflects that you’re looking for that type of work,” Morgan said.
Pinder said it’s important that job candidates not blame themselves when they receive rejection letters – or hear nothing at all.
“This is a moment in time that everyone’s going through, and it’s not your fault. No one in recent times has gone job hunting in a pandemic; this was unpredictable,” Pinder said. “You just have to remember that.”
McClean said the Internet is helping some people get jobs.
“A lot of jobs are switching to online tactics so there are definitely opportunities out there that could be right for you that you wouldn’t have imagined,” McClean said. “It can be discouraging, but don’t stop trying.”