What the Class of 2022 Wants in Today’s Job Market

Money, flexibility and specific assignments are important to those starting their careers—but so is a chance to come into an office

By Lindsay Ellis
May 22, 2022
Tap story

Grads are seeking more money and flexibility and more specifics about likely assignments than previous classes. After wrapping their education under pandemic conditions, they are highly adaptable yet hungry for face-to-face work, training and mentorship.

Seth Wenig/AP

About half of new grads who hadn’t decided on a job had gotten at least one offer without accepting, according to a March survey of more than 2,500 soon-to-be graduates by Chicago recruiting firm LaSalle Network.

Many big employers are either stepping up college recruiting or lowering entry-level job requirements to compete.

Here is a closer look at what these grads want—and what they are getting.

Liam Burke, 22, graduated early from Western Washington University and got three offers before accepting one.

Chona Kasinger for The Wall Street Journal

The position he took, he said, brought a salary higher than the first two offers—and came in above the range he shared during the interview process.

Mr. Burke said it was “nerve-racking” to wait for a best-fit job and let the other offers pass, but “you just have to have this quiet confidence that you’re going to do fine.”

Chona Kasinger for The Wall Street Journal

One senior who said she pays attention to a company’s demographics is Niha Sheikh, a 22-year-old at the University of Texas at Austin.

Kim Tadlock

She said she has connected with current and former employees to get an unfiltered view of a workplace’s culture.

Ms. Sheikh, a practicing Muslim, said she closes many job interviews by asking if she can have space and time in an office to conduct her daily prayers. She is looking for a role in human resources or in a school.

“I think the responses to questions like that are very telling to me about the company’s morals and values,” she said.

Eugene Thomas, a 22-year-old Yale University senior, said working on-site was a priority.

Christopher Capozziello for The Wall Street Journal

He accepted a product engineering job with farm-equipment giant Deere & Co. after a remote internship and will participate in a two-year rotation at the company.

“I don’t even think I entertained the option of remote work,” he said.

Remote school, he said, “felt like I was swimming in molasses or something—like I was just trying to push through. I felt a lack of motivation.”

Christopher Capozziello for The Wall Street Journal

Sanja Marinovic, 22, initially struck out last fall when she applied to jobs in food safety and quality assurance.

Wendy P. Osborne/SUNY ESF

But she read career advice on Reddit, where users suggested seeking informational interviews first. Those introductory conversations helped her know what certifications to cite as she applied for roles.

For the job she eventually accepted—a food-safety auditing post in Los Angeles—she did a phone screen on a Friday and then did a panel interview on the following Tuesday, getting the formal offer the next day.

Produced by Julia Munslow
Cover: Seth Wenig/AP
Credits: Andrea D'Aquino

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