I don't understand how this is possible? All I see on job forums are job descriptions for IT graduates? Has this changed since I last went job hunting?

I thought the same. I was surprised. I think the amount of jobs out there on jobs-boards is maybe a function of all the IT Recruitment consultants out there! :)

All of those ads you see on the job forums tend to be multiple/double postings for some of the same jobs, as companies often use two or three recruiting agencies at the same time, with them all competing against each other, for the same job.

Also, I don't know of a single company in my area that would hire a college graduate, except on an intern basis … which flies in the face of conventional knowledge, to be honest. Companies, especially when looking at IT positions, want a specific set of skills, to fit their situation. As each company is different, this set of required skills will be different.

The best candidates can do is try to broadly go after the most common technologies, and get versed in those as well as they can, while at their jobs. Seriously, it's a sad case where you have to push for newer technologies, so you'll still be employable when you leave your job and go elsewhere.

It may be like this in other fields, but nowhere near as bad as it is with IT.

IT has gone so off-kilter.

If I could compare IT to medicine, one person I am paraphrasing from dice.com (can't locate the link) said that IT is the equivalent of telling a doctor that he can't perform surgery with your practice, as all of his experience is with the ACME scalpel, and we only use the XYZ scalpel here.

Sad, but that is the state of IT: you have to have experience with the latest versions of the “hot” vendors if you hope to get a job. Knowing what you are doing doesn't mean as much, as does knowing how to do it with a specific tool!

Lame!

Thanks troilevw, that's a great insight into IT recruitment. Thanks
for reading and contributing.