Class of 2021: Four Ways to Help COVID-Era Grads Adapt to the Working World By Lindsey Pollak On 4/29/21 at 7:00 AM EDT Pandemic Grads Need You: Become a micro-mentor iStock Wearing a cap and gown. Listening to inspiring words from assorted luminaries. Hearing the dean of students read off your name—not in person, but from a Zoom screen. Such is the state of college graduations these days. But this isn't only about missing out on experiences most of us have enjoyed. The Class of 2021 is entering a challenging job market, perhaps like none other. While recent unemployment numbers have been encouraging, hiring for entry level, college grad positions has fallen 45 percent since the start of the pandemic, according to data from Burning Glass Technologies, a labor-market analytics firm.