With all the talk of degrees, debt, and no jobs, even freshmen are worried. In times of uncertainty, focusing on what you can control helps. In a competitive entry-level job market, employers say building real‑world project experience, soft skills, and a strong online presence matters more than a degree alone. The realization that college freshman need to start off with a plan has created a boom for early career coaches. It makes sense if you can afford it. Graduates in a Gallup survey on what might have better supported their success ranked career coaching first.
Finding ways to work on your professional and career development while you're a student matters. We're making it easier to follow through.
GradPlan is a professional and career development community for college students. As employers continue to redefine early career hiring amid AI disruption, our members strive to adapt by creating volunteer work and leadership projects that empower them to meet new expectations. The $15 monthly membership fee provides access to a full calendar of interactive Zoom meetups designed to help you set aside time to collaborate and work on processes for:
Employers value professional development communities and motivated employees who take initiative to grow their skills. Being a member sends a strong signal that you're a cultural fit.
70% of recruiters engage with candidates on social media daily and 89% say social media helps them understand a candidate's values. WorldMetrics.org
73% of hiring managers use social media to evaluate applicants, mainly to confirm cultural fit and verify application details. Resume Builder Survey
82% of hiring managers are more likely to choose a candidate with volunteer experience.
85% of hiring managers are more inclined to look past resume flaws when the candidate includes volunteer work, yet only 30% list it on their resumes.
92% of employers agree that volunteering improves leadership and professional skills.
92% of companies report that soft skills matter as much or more than hard skills in today’s business world. Deloitte Insights
Work with your high school or campus connections to create mentoring opportunities aimed at increasing student engagement and success. Inspire younger students by sharing stories about your own successes and failures.
Skills: communication, collaboration, empathy leadership, emotional intelligence, motivation, networking, interpersonal skills, work ethic, teamwork
Align class projects or form collaborations to improve organizations you are part of, support the work of education and workforce development leaders, or help any program better serve students.
Skills: communication, leadership, collaboration, problem solving, critical thinking, networking, teamwork, work ethic, interpersonal skills
Create your own internship or learn how to use tools, data, workforce development initiatives, or resume and interview strategies to become a stronger job candidate. Then create opportunities to help others do the same.
Skills: communication, leadership, adaptability, empathy leadership, teamwork, motivation, problem solving, critical thinking, interpersonal skills
Helping younger students avoid pitfalls and find success, especially those you share a connection with, is highly rewarding. It motivates you to continue working on projects that build evidence of soft and essential skills employers are seeking. It is an impactful and meaningful place to start adding projects to your LinkedIn or posts for your socials.
Increasing student engagement is one of our country's greatest challenges. The global cost of disengaged employees is $8.8 trillion annually. Adding projects to your resume that reflect engagement is one of your core values helps strengthen your brand. And projects that produce metrics about your impact will give your resume and interviews a boost.
Gaining experience and social capital by collaborating and volunteering helps you overcome the anxiety and self-doubt that comes with being a first-time job candidate. Creating your own volunteer work is also great practice for creating gig work. A degree matters, but experience, leadership, and initiative build confidence and set you apart.
You will recieve a sample GradPlan and resource list based on the questionaire you submit at sign up. Our community managers post a monthly schedule of their Zoom events. Each meetup is dedicated to discussing one of the 9 steps or 3 project launchers you can choose to work on and multiple time slots are available. Start working your plan and join Zoom meetups to help facilitate your progress or collaborate with others working on the same.
Meetups are interactive with chats, Q&A, polls, surveys, and breakout rooms. Links to resources open for discussion are listed on the events signup calendar. The goal is to help members set aside time to be productive. Even popping-in for a few minutes between classes helps. You can join another meetup or go to the past events calendar for links to the Zoom recording and transcript when you have more time. A content libray is always available.
Meetups connect students from different majors, backgrounds, and even campuses. Interacting is a way to practice skills like introducing yourself at a job fair or networking event. Forming groups and working in breakout rooms on things like interview practice or to collaborate on volunteer projects is encouraged. Signing up for the same meetup again before you leave makes finding a time to work together again easy.
We know applying for jobs isn't what you want to think about as you start college just like applying for college wasn't what you wanted to think about in 9th grade.
But if you were one of the students who started early and did just a little every month, you likely graduated with scholarship offers and are at your dream school. If you started late and fell short on extracurriculars, you were likely stressed and missed some big opportunities.
Make life easier by following the advice from hiring professionals sooner rather than later. Whether you have time to pace yourself, need to catch up, or must really hustle, we invite you to join our community so we can help you graduate with a job search advantage.
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