Did job-seeking college students and recent grads make good use of their time during the pandemic?

I recently came across a survey that indicates that the vast majority of college students and recent graduates invested time in their personal development during the COVID-19 and, according to hiring managers, that time was well spent.

College Finance asked over 1,000 people who self-isolated or self-quarantined at some point in recent months about their educational pursuits during the pandemic. They also surveyed over 200 hiring managers to see how these new skills might look during their next job interview.

• 9 in 10 hiring managers would be more likely to hire someone who worked on professional development during COVID-19.
• 94% of respondents engaged in a personal educational pursuit and 55% engaged in a professional educational pursuit.
• The #1 most popular certification pursued during COVID-19 was in Information Technology and Computer Engineering. Finance and Accounting followed closely behind.
• 65% of people focused on learning something new turned to YouTube for an average of nearly 9 hours a week. YouTube wasn’t just the most popular platform as an educational outlet, it was also considered one of the most effective (88% overall).
• Among those currently unemployed as a result of the pandemic, 22% expected the knowledge acquired during lockdown to help land them a job in the future.