noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no', noun
previously graduated; already graduated
Used in contexts like job hunting to describe someone who has already graduated from school, as opposed to a current student or new graduate. Often appears as 既卒者 or in the phrase 既卒・第二新卒.
This company also accepts applications from those who have already graduated.
I attended a job-hunting event for those who have already graduated and for second-time new graduates.
新卒 refers to someone who has just graduated and is entering the job market for the first time, while 既卒 refers to someone who graduated some time ago without landing a job as a new graduate.
former graduate; alumnus/alumna; graduate from an earlier year
Compound of 既 (already) and 卒 (graduate). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the word is a straightforward Sino-Japanese compound used in modern employment contexts.