Class of 2022 college graduates entering the workforce can expect the overall hiring process—from interview to offer and offer to acceptance—to take approximately 40 days, according to a new report from the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE).
NACE’s 2021 Recruiting Benchmarks Survey Report revealed that, in 2021, employers made job offers an average of 24.5 days after the interview. Subsequently, students accepted offers an average of a little more than two weeks (15.7 days) after receiving an offer.
“These cycle times during the hiring process have remained steady in recent years and, despite the disruption caused by the pandemic and tight labor market, have not been impacted significantly by it,” explains Shawn VanDerziel, NACE executive director. “It’s also important to point out that the survey respondents are generally larger organizations, so these data represent cycle times from employers that tend to recruit greater numbers of candidates.”
NACE’s Recruiting Benchmarks Survey: Data from the 2021 Recruiting Benchmarks Survey Report were collected from June 7, 2021, until August 6, 2021. In all, 186 NACE members responded, representing 22.3% of all eligible member respondents.
In an earlier study, NACE found that college students hoping to catch the eye of recruiters for full-time jobs and internships should highlight problem-solving, analytical, and teamwork skills on their resumes.
According to NACE’s Job Outlook 2022 survey, employers are seeking evidence of problem-solving skills on the resumes of the students they are recruiting this year. Meanwhile, more than three-quarters are looking for proof of candidates’ analytical/quantitative and teamwork skills.
“These same three essential skills were the top three attributes employers looked for last year as well, signaling their consistent importance to employers,” says Shawn VanDerziel, NACE executive director.
On the other hand, the importance of several other resume attributes—particularly verbal communication skills—have tumbled down the list. Last year, nearly three-quarters of responding employers sought indications of strong verbal communication skills on resumes. This year, just 58.8% of employers are looking for evidence of them.
“At the same time, written communication skills remain highly important to employers,” VanDerziel notes. “Perhaps this is happening, in part, because of the growing prevalence of electronic communication and the increasing infrequency of in-person, face-to-face interactions in our current virtual environment.”
The Job Outlook survey is a forecast of the hiring intentions of employers as they relate to new college graduates. Data for the Job Outlook 2022 survey were collected from August 18, 2021, through October 1, 2021. Of the 157 total respondents, 116 were NACE employer members, representing 15.7 percent of eligible member respondents.
Established in 1956, the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) is the only professional association in the United States that connects more than 9,800 college career services professionals, more than 3,300 university relations and recruiting professionals, and more than 300 business solution providers that serve this community.
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