Already facing a staffing crisis, the federal government is also struggling to attract recent graduates to fill job openings, according to a Qualtrics study.

Specifically, a slow recruiting process, unawareness of openings and outdated or nonessential requirements in job postings are limiting applications in light of the staffing crisis. On top of that, according to the survey, only 44% of recent graduates said they would consider working for the federal government.

For the inaugural study, conducted in April 2022, Qualtrics surveyed more than 1,100 students and recent graduates in post-secondary education programs and certificate programs.

Dr. Sydney Heimbrock, chief industry advisor for government at Qualtrics, noted that now was the right time to conduct the survey.

“I felt it was particularly important to do now in light of the extreme pressure that is on our own government to continue helping the country recover from COVID-19 and address the unexpected and emerging challenges that we see happening every day,” Heimbrock told Nextgov. “And at the same time, we are really in a talent crisis. I felt it was really important for us to help governments, government agencies understand who they need to recruit, understand them beyond the numbers and dig a little deeper into who these people are as human beings, and how best to tap into their spirit of service and excitement and energy and bring them into public service.”

While the study does not discuss particular types of...

Read Full Story: https://www.nextgov.com/policy/2022/08/recent-grads-often-dont-consider-feder...