Internships – the more you get the better, university students are advised. Employers want to see work experience, and in the challenging job climate (13.9 percent youth unemployment) a resume needs all the extra oomph it can get.

The catch is that while nearly all employers think students should have one or two internships before graduating, half of the 225 employers surveyed haven’t actually hired an intern in the last six months.

The survey, published Monday by Millennial Branding, a Gen-Y research startup looks only at U.S. companies across a range of fields with most between 50 to 999 employees.

“(Employers) are expecting a lot but they’re not creating opportunities,” said Dan Schawbel, a Gen-Y expert and founder of Millennial Branding.

Expectations are changing, he said. “(The promise was that) if someone gives you an internship, you’d think that if you do a good job they’ll hire you. That promise is broken, and the promise that a degree will turn into a job is broken too.”

There are some positives from the study for the university and college grads heading into the workplace, if the trends here reflect those in the U.S.

Overall, 87 per cent of employers are going to hire more recent graduates this year.

And good news for anyone on the “useless major” list (spoiler, they are mostly arts degrees), employers say they prize soft skills more than years of experience. Attributes like communication skills (98 per cent), having a positive attitude (97 per cent) and teamwork skills (92 per cent) top the list of most important entry-level position requirements.

Hard skills can be taught but soft skills need to be developed over time says Schawbel. That’s why joining student organizations can be a valuable resume addition.

Employers say they are also very willing to invest time and money into their young grads, despite them usually leaving after just two years.

The study also offers some tips on the job hunt and interview process.

Despite the budding social network trends like Facebook app BranchOut, employers are less likely to use Facebook, Twitter or even LinkedIn to recruit their young talent. Only 16 per cent of employers recruit on social networks all of the time or most of the time, while 48 per cent use job boards and 44 per cent use employee referrals.

While keeping your social media presence classy is never a bad thing, the study also found only 35 per cent of employers use social networks to conduct background checks in the online hiring process. When they do, its mostly through LinkedIn or Facebook.

The much-hyped Gen-Y bad attitude is a turn off in the interview process for about 26 per cent of employers – much more common is the sin of being unprepared.

The standard interview process time for entry-level positions takes two months or less according to the study, with 62 per cent of employers using two interview rounds. 62 per cent also do interview in person or by phone, rather than by Skype.

The study notes a dearth of employers marketing to high school students – 78 per cent are not. There is a move in that direction if a recent speed-mentoring event to encourage high school students to pursue trades like welding, roofing and being a mechanic is any indication.

Top things for new grads to brag about in the hiring process

Relevant courses (69 per cent of managers said this is important)

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Referral from a previous boss or professor (65 per cent)

Leadership roles on campus (50 per cent)

Entrepreneurial experience (29 per cent)