Entry-level job requirements are getting more out of hand each year and many jobs shouldn’t be categorized as entry-level with the requirements that they are listing. 

As I get closer to graduation, I am dedicating a lot of time each week to networking and looking for job opportunities. Unfortunately, after reading job descriptions and requirements for various positions, I realized how extreme some of the requirements are. While an entry-level position is the first job someone starts at a company, besides being an intern, many entry-level jobs require five to six years of experience. It’s a never-ending cycle of trying to get professional experience as a young professional. The trend of needing more and more experience for beginning positions is a major issue and needs to be changed.

If a position requires five years of experience, most applicants will be in their late twenties, making it difficult for college graduates to enter a field. This standard defeats the purpose of having an entry-level position and could affect a company’s culture. It can create a work environment that is not diverse in experience and age, which could steer many applications away from jobs. By that metric, workplaces will continue to lose candidates who want to work their way up through a company. 

Hiring young professionals is important because they bring new ideas and different perspectives to the workplace. Young professionals are also very open to learning and trying new things. Having these traits in a company makes a difference and is something that shouldn’t be overlooked. While young workers learn from management, those same managers can also learn new perspectives from entry-level workers.

Additionally, salary is a prominent factor when job searching. All companies will have different salaries and ways they pay their employees, but in general, almost every company pays entry-level positions the least amount of money and CEOs the highest. Despite being a skilled worker with five or six years of experience, entry-level jobs may still pay in the lowest monetary bracket. After numerous years of experience, a worker should be moving forward in their career and be credited for their hard work. Instead, it is an excuse for companies to put workers at a lower level and pay a smaller salary. 

It is stressful enough in a saturated job market to look for your first or second position. Extreme requirements make it more complicated than it should be. I hope to see companies change entry-level job criteria since it is misleading and unfair to those seeking the positions.