Many New Graduates Feel Entry-Level Jobs Demand Too Much Experience

Recent graduates are finding it tougher than ever to land their first jobs. A new report shows that 77% of them feel employers expect more experience than is reasonable for entry-level positions. This means many young people feel shut out of the job market just as they are starting their careers.

More than half of these graduates said they avoided applying to entry-level roles because they thought they didn’t have enough experience. Many also say there aren’t enough true entry-level jobs available, with 75% saying there are too few opportunities that don’t require years of prior work.

Internships and real-world experience seem to matter a lot. Among those who got hired, 81% had done internships, and over half said those experiences helped a lot in landing their jobs. Graduates even ranked internships or prior work experience as more important than having a college degree when it came to getting hired.

The report also highlights a gap in who should prepare graduates for work. Most employers think students themselves should be responsible for getting ready for the job market, while many graduates feel colleges should do more to help them secure jobs.

On the employer side, skills that match the job are the top priority, followed by actual work experience and relevant training or certificates. Still, many employers continue to require degrees for entry-level roles, believing they show professionalism and readiness.

This mismatch between what graduates expect, what employers want, and what education provides is making the first step into the workforce tricky for many young people. Graduates are taking extra courses and learning new skills on their own to keep up, but experts say employers and educators also need to work together to create clearer paths and more opportunities for hands-on learning before graduation.