That is the advice that Mark Griffin, a veteran human resources professional, offers in his newly released book, titled College to Career: The Student Guide to Career and Life Navigation.
“I would have to say that college students and others have very little chance of making it though the filter to actually get an interview, let alone make it to the point of job offer,” Griffin told Diverse, citing the “hiring funnel” and data that show that only 25 out of every 100 résumés among applicants will be seen by a hiring manager, and just four to six of those will lead to an actual interview.
“Some of these vacancies receive thousands of applicants per posting,” Griffin said. “Therefore your chances are decreased dramatically.”
Griffin’s remarks come at a time of increased emphasis on a college education as the means to a good job. It also comes at a time of a proliferation of websites — some free and some paid — meant to connect college graduates to the marketplace.
Beyond well-known job posting and networking sites such as Monster.com and LinkedIn, there are web-based platforms geared specifically toward college students and recent college graduates, such as AfterCollege.com, CollegeGrad.com and ModernGuild.com.
“These kinds of networking communities have the potential to facilitate the college-to-work transition more effectively than many traditional university career services offices, which, in many cases, still devote a substantial portion of their energies to providing guidance on résumé writing and posting job listings,” observes Peter J. Stokes, a higher education consultant and author of the Higher Education and Employability: New Models for Integrating Study and Work.
