It is harder for graduates to get their first job now

Bagging that first job right out of university has become more difficult over the last two decades, according to a recent LinkedIn study, 'Life of Professionals'. More than a third of students and early professionals with less than a year of experience said it will/did take them one to three months to land their first job. In contrast, professionals with at least 15 years of experience said their first jobs were fairly easy to land - 38 per cent found a job within a month out of leaving university.

In India, students and early professionals cited internships (53 per cent) as a useful and an important step to increase the chances of getting a first job soon. Further, the same group also said that showcasing their university work (35 per cent) and building contacts through social media (28 per cent) were the other important things to do after finishing their education.

According to early professionals in India, the top three attributes of a dream job are happiness at work (39 per cent), money (39 per cent) and career progression (33 per cent). Surprisingly, job title, flexi time and benefits were some of the least considered attributes of a dream job.