College grads can double their odds of finding a job by doing this

It’s true, work does beget work, according to a survey by job site ZipRecruiter.

Work experience can often predict whether a college graduate lands a job out of school, the survey showed. Working during college more than doubles graduates’ odds of landing a job (81% vs 40%), ZipRecruiter found after surveying, between January 30 and March 16, 1,500 students who graduated last year and 1,500 who will graduate this year.

In a slowing job market where the share of entry-level positions is shrinking, competition is fierce among graduates, the report said. Knowing what makes a graduate stand out to employers can make a difference in landing a job, it said.

“In a tougher market, outcomes are not random,” ZipRecruiter said. “More competition for entry-level roles means employers can be more selective about who they choose to fill them. Data shows that the single strongest predictor of post-graduation employment is whether a student worked in any capacity during college. It takes experience to make experience.”

Work experience not only helps graduates land a job, but it also speeds up the time it takes to get one, the survey said.

“The advantage of work experience compounds,” it said. “Working during school builds a résumé, but more importantly, it accelerates the entire job search timeline.”

When employers look to hire for entry-level positions, they expect they’ll have to do some training. So they’re looking at whether someone “can do a job and hold it down,” said Cory Stahle, senior economist at job site Indeed. “If you worked, showed up day after day and did a good job, businesses take that as a signal you’re potentially a good worker.”

Business operations skills were the most sought after, Indeed found after analyzing 3,000 job postings in the last three months of 2025. Customer service (37.1%) and administrative (35.8%) skills led among the most desired business operations skills companies wanted, it said.

So yes, a job checking IDs at the campus library, organizing and filing papers in an office, answering phones or working at the mall all count, Stahle said. “It’s the day-to-day to get a feel for how business works and a job works and getting that exposure and communicating it to an employer,” he said.

Kids who work during college also tend to begin their job search before graduation (73% vs. 43%) and are twice as likely (20% vs. 12%) to have a job lined up even before graduation ceremonies, ZipRecruiter said. Part of that is networking, the jobs platform said. Nearly 88% of employed recent grads said networking was important in securing their first job, the report said.

“For students currently enrolled, the message is simple: any professional involvement − whether a part-time job, active participation in a student organization with tangible results, or keeping up those industry connections − does double duty. It builds their network and kicks their career into gear sooner,” ZipRecruiter said.

Michigan State University senior Olivia Murray, on Thursday, April 11, 2024, at the MSU Career Services Network office where she works as a lead marketing and event intern. Murray had several internships during college but has struggled to find a full-time job in her field of interpersonal communications.

The type of degree you achieve can also matter when looking for a job. Liberal arts majors are likely to be the most disappointed with their job prospects, ZipRecruiter said. Many of them “wish they had pursued more scientific or quantitative fields,” the report said.

Almost 17% of English, literature, or journalism majors waited six months or more before landing a job, the survey showed. These graduates also accepted, on average, 30% less in pay than they had expected.

In contrast, nearly a third of nursing grads had secured a job before receiving their diploma, ZipRecruiter said. They also landed the highest median pay at $70,000, saying their earnings were 16.7% more than they had anticipated.

Nearly half (48.5%) of those about to graduate in 2026 and 56.3% of 2025 graduates are already considering more school as an alternative to a traditional job, ZipRecruiter said.

“Graduate school could be functioning as a hedge against a tough market as college grads look to buy more time before entering the traditional workforce,” the report said.

That decision, though, should be weighed carefully, some experts said. With the cost of school continuing to rise, people need to consider the long-term benefits against short-term costs.

“Ultimately, the goal or hope is over the long run, it (going back to school) can pay back over the course of decades,” Stahle said. “The best case scenario is you get a job and your employer pays for you to go back to learn other skills.”

Medora Lee is a money, markets, and personal finance reporter at USA TODAY. You can reach her at mjlee@usatoday.com and subscribe to our free Daily Money newsletter for personal finance tips and business news every Monday through Friday.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Here’s the single strongest predictor of post-grad employment