Towards the first employment through the door of job advertisements – but what if that door is closed? Analysis of the suitability of job advertisements for young educated job seekers

This study focuses on employment barriers faced by young job seekers, es­pecially highly educated individuals without work experience. Previous research shows that young people are looking for jobs that offer mentorship, opportuni­ties for additional education, flexibility, and promotion, all of which employers rarely highlight in their job advertisements. We carried out a content analysis of 60 job advertisements obtained from the MojeDelo.com portal, selected based on requirements for a sixth or seventh level of education. The content of the adver­tisements was analyzed using 10 criteria important to young job seekers. Results show that job advertisements rarely include information important to young job seekers, such as mentorship, flexible work, and a positive organizational culture. In their advertisements, employers often highlight the need for work experience, which is a barrier for young people with little to no experience when applying for jobs. The study highlights the need to improve job advertisements to more ef­fectively target young, educated individuals. Key recommendations for employers include designing job advertisements that highlight mentorship, the possibility of flexible work, and opportunities for promotion. Such adjustments could increase interest in posted job openings and improve alignment between candidate expec­tations and employer offerings.