While graduating seniors may benefit from the strong job market, Elton said it’s still important for students to complete internships, research opportunities and other hands-on experiences during their college years. He also stressed the importance of entering the job search prepared — perfecting résumés, writing cover letters and practicing interview skills, to name a few examples.

Shealy applied to nearly 50 jobs before receiving three offers. She said she wrote cover letters for the roles she was most interested in, and those were the roles for which she received interviews.

“For seniors that are entering the job search or are at a place where you’re actively seeking, go in with confidence, but also go in prepared,” Elton said. “To be confident means understanding what's important to you when it comes to work and the problems you want to solve and the skills you want to use. That's going to go a long way to connecting to the right opportunities. And remember that the University is here to support you through those efforts.”

In such a strong market, job-seekers are looking for more than just an offer with a good salary. Many students are looking for flexibility as well.

After spending the majority of their college experience in a pandemic, the class of 2022 also puts high importance on connection, company culture and gaining some of the social experiences they had to forego in college, according to a survey conducted by the LaSalle Network, a recruiting firm.

Grace Zhang, a senior finance, management information systems and marketing triple major, received seven offers for internships in the summer of 2021. Ultimately, she chose the internship — at Amazon Web Services — that offered a hybrid model instead of being fully remote. At the end of the summer, the tech giant offered her a full-time position as a business analyst with a flexible start time. Zhang will start at the end of August in order to take some time off to travel and relax after four years of constant school and work.

Zhang said she was thankful to receive a full-time offer before her senior year even started.

“I personally never liked the recruiting process. I think it's very stress inducing,” she said. “I definitely felt like there was a huge weight taken off my shoulders. I didn't have to worry about that. I could just focus on finishing out my last year of classes and doing my best.”

Tommy Beeby, a senior finance major and member of the men’s lacrosse team, received three full-time job offers. Being a part of a team is important to him, so he chose the role where he felt that connection — a job as a senior client service associate at J.P. Morgan Chase that he found through the UD men’s lacrosse alumni network.

“Being on the lacrosse team taught me things like mental toughness, time management and being able to create relationships,” he said. “I think the biggest thing is hard work day after day after day. There's never a day where you can just slack — you have to be on your A game every day. It also made me realize that I wanted to be a part of a team atmosphere, because I've always been a part of sports. I feel like I thrive in a team atmosphere, so I wanted to look for that type of experience in the professional world as well.”

R. Lynn Sydnor-Epps, director of career connections and experiences, said that while the job market is certainly strong now, UD students have been successful even during more challenging times.

“We have not lacked in having opportunities, resources and connections here, so it's really important for students to be mindful of that,” she said. “Granted, it's a great environment now for them, but even in the highs and the lows, there have always been opportunities for UD students.”