Finding a job fresh out of college can be a challenge, especially if your major doesn’t automatically link to a specific career pathway, or you’ve lost interest in the subjects you studied and can’t see yourself working in that field for the next 60 years.
Yes, you read that correctly. According to research conducted by the Stanford Center on Longevity (SCL), today’s children are expected to live past 100 years and increased life expectancy will become the norm by 2025.
With retirement age increasing around the globe, this means that working into your eighties is a likely reality.
Framework for the future
That said, securing an entry-level job that will pave the way for your future is a crucial stepping-stone. While it might not necessarily be indicative where your career will be in five or even 10 years time, it’s important to look for a role that will help you transition from student life and develop your professional skills.
One way to tackle this is to align yourself with a company or organization that not only supports junior staff members, but encourages them to grow and develop while also offering tangible benefits such as health insurance, a 401k or student loan repayments assistance.
This is infinitely more beneficial than getting bogged down in job titles, or wanting to work for a company that’s the subject of “Day in the Life”–style TikToks that offers little insight, apart from the selection of free snacks on offer.
Below, discover three companies that offer entry-level opportunities and graduate programs designed for those fresh out of college who want to excel and make their mark. And as always, you can also find many more openings on the Gradcafe Job Board.
Adobe
Adobe is committed to fostering the next generation of talent through its immersive university student programs and its dedicated Diversity Talent Acquisition team partners with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Hispanic-serving Institutions (HSIs) to recruit students to join the company.
Through its Adobe Career Academy, recent grads will develop their soft skills—essential for a successful career. Employees can also access funding for education and professional development through the Adobe Learning Fund, and recent university graduates are offered $10,000 to put towards their student loans.
Elsewhere, its Digital Academy offers immersive apprenticeships to candidates hoping to pivot to a career in tech or re-skill in a different area.
If this sounds like the kind of company you’d like to work for, you can explore all opportunities at Adobe here.
IBM
Not only does IBM construct its teams to include entry-level positions, specifically designed with recent graduates in mind, it also offers those without a degree the opportunity to reinvent their career via the IBM Apprenticeship Program.
IBM also offers its employees the opportunity to explore new paths with free courses that can be completed at their own pace.
For those who have almost completed their studies, the IBM Accelerate Early Talent Identification Program offers undergraduate students a virtual learning experience with live, weekly learning sessions over eight weeks during the summer.
It aims to give participants the key skills needed to boost employability—at IBM or elsewhere—and offers six learning paths to choose from including consulting, UX, hardware development, marketing and communications, software development, and client engineering and technical sales.
Find out more about how you can access a career with IBM and view all open roles here.
Microsoft
All college and MBA hires at Microsoft benefit from the Microsoft Aspire Experience, a customized two-year on-boarding process and development program aimed at equipping all new employees at the start of their career with the tools, knowledge and connections needed to thrive within the company.
The thinking behind the program is simple: by fostering an understanding of Microsoft’s core business, culture and values, employees will be able to accelerate their impact and enhance their professionalism while gaining a network of mentors to learn from.
Within the organization, those who want to work in HR can participate in the Microsoft HR Rotation Program, designed to put candidates on the path to a career in people management. Similarly, the Microsoft ACE Rotation Program helps marketing students and graduates find their footing by offering two one-year job rotations within different marketing groups.
You can access additional information about a career at Microsoft here, including open roles.
Secure your career today by visiting the GradCafe Job Board
Aoibhinn is a content writer for Jobbio. A lifestyle journalist and editor for over 10 years, Aoibhinn has written for titles in Dublin,
London, New York and Dubai.
