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Even in the current politically charged climate, unemployment remains low. Since the recession, job seekers have been landing positions as quickly as employers have been creating them. In fact, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, as of May 2017, the unemployment rate stands at 4.7 percent. However, that also means there are, literally, millions of people in the US still looking for jobs.

So why is it still so difficult to find qualified applicants for your job vacancies? According to employment experts, the problem might be with your own hiring practices.

Collecting feedback from more than 2.5 million managers in 195 countries, a 2016 Gallup State of the American Manager study found sales increase by 20 percent when motivated employees are hired.

However, in a 2016-2017 Manpower Group Talent Shortage Survey, 19 percent of employers surveyed said applicants lack the skills and experience to excel. Of the more than 42,000 employers surveyed, a staggering 40 percent said they’ve experienced increased difficulty in filling roles in recent years.

Read on to discover why your job vacancies are going unfilled. Here’s how you can adjust job descriptions and hiring tactics to attract and place qualified applicants:

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Back-to-school means more than cooling temperatures and an end to beach days. For job seekers, the season signals an opportunity to revise and revamp your job search.

Contrary to what you may have heard about “slow” end-of-summer hiring, the fact is that employers actually seek to fill more positions during back-to-school time — in preparation for Fall and the new year to come.

According to a 2017 Manpower Employment Outlook Survey, 24 percent of employers predict an increase in end-of-summer hiring. Researchers surveyed more than 11,000 hiring managers in all 50 states to determine employment trends at their companies in the last three months of 2017, as compared to their hiring practices during the summer.

Employers in another study envisioned a 32 percent increase in their total workforce by the end of this year. The LinkedIn Global Talent Trends surveyed more than 33,000 hiring managers across the country. Of those, 93 percent of business executives said they planned to make sweeping updates and improvements to their workforce over the next two years. Most of those changes focus on increased efficiency and customer experience.

So what does all of this mean to you? At this time of year, it’s more important than ever to keep your job search momentum, and even take your search to the next level. Use these tips to stay focused and motivated during your back-to-school job search:

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Summer is officially here. All Alaina can think about is weekend barbecues, trips to the beach, camping with friends — and of course, her looming job search.

Alaina is a recent college graduate. Even though she spent much of the spring semester searching tirelessly for a job, she’s still hunting for the right fit.

Now summer is here, Alaina is finding it difficult to stay focused on her job search. She’s worried Labor Day will arrive and she will still be jobless.

Who can blame Alaina when the sunshine is so inviting, and almost everyone has summer vacation on the brain? No one wants to stay inside all day and search for jobs when the pool is calling.

Even though it’s easy to get distracted by the sunshine and warm weather, don’t let the dog days of summer slow down your job search. Use these job search tips to keep your job search hot all summer long:

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A meaningful vision of the future, sense of purpose, and great relationships.

These all seem like reasonable employee satisfaction expectations. And with all three met, there’s no doubt you’ll have a team full of engaged employees.

Unfortunately, according to Gallup’s State of the American Workplace report, only 33 percent of U.S. employees are engaged in their jobs. Even more surprising, an overwhelming 91 percent say the last time they switched jobs was to explore “greener grass.”

The same report also found slightly more than half (51 percent) of employees are actively looking for new jobs. This means it’s more crucial than ever to not only focus on employee satisfaction, but measure it to stay ahead of employees’ changing mindsets.

Here’s how you can measure employee satisfaction and stay ahead of their career expectations:

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College graduates’ futures are finally looking up.

After years of ominous outlooks and negative statistics, companies are growing and ready to bring grads on board. In fact, according to an annual CareerBuilder survey, 74 percent of employers say they plan to hire recent college graduates this year.

While it’s important to round up all the lessons from your courses and major classes in preparation for job searching, it’s also crucial to think outside of the box. You’ve learned just as much — or maybe more — about the real world outside of the classroom.

Now it’s time to take what you’ve learned and start applying it to find your dream job. Here are three unexpected lessons every college graduate needs to take into their job search: