Plan on Graduating Soon? Then Read This!

Here we are, knowledge in our brains, and no money in our pockets, at the mercy of the economy, hoping that once our four or five years of college is over, we can find a job to pay off our years of debt. Even more, we hope to find ourselves working in our field of study. Recently, graduating students across the country have been struggling to find jobs that pay better than the jobs they had in high school. Recent studies are showing that this years seniors may be in luck, as far as the job market goes. Recruiters, career counselors and students say that the recovering economy and retiring baby boomers may be a god-send to students clutching a new diploma. One of the biggest job booms is in accounting, and the like. This could be due to the wave of post-Enron regulations, according to the Associated Press. Eric Golden, a senior business major in Boston says he hasn’t been to class in three weeks because he’s been so busy with interviews for job prospects. According to a recent survey from the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), college hiring is expected to have increased thirteen percent by the end of this year. Michigan State’s College Employment Research Institute estimates that college hiring is up to twenty percent depending on the region, and will continue to rise over the next few years. Experts say that college hiring isn’t as high as it was in the late 1990’s. There has been a major boom in college admissions over the past few years, so competition is tight. Employers are hesitant to hire students right out of college, and opt to hire older applicants with more experience. Some employers disagree, saying they would rather hire college graduates because they can be paid less. At the University of Notre Dame in Indiana, interviews are up thirty percent. For the first time since the dotcom boom, there is a demand causing recruiters to out pressure on students to make immediate decisions. Accounting remains in highest demand for job-hunting seniors. PriceWaterhouseCoopers plans on hiring over 3,000 people from college campuses across the US in the next year, up almost twenty percent from last year. Ernst & Young, another major accounting firm, plans on increasing their staff by thirty percent, making room for over 4,000 new employees. Nursing skills are also in high demand, and any job seeker who is willing to relocate is at even more of an advantage. Carol Lyons, Dean of the career services department at Boston’s Northeastern University, says that computer science jobs are back on the rise, after a decrease in the need for computer technicians. According to the director of the career resource center at the University of Florida, Wayne Wallace, even liberal arts majors shouldn’t be in distress. “Any major” is in demand, he says. There are plenty of employers across the country that are willing to take in graduate students and teach them the trade. Indeed, a diploma is a diploma, and having one puts you at an advantage over a large percent of the population. According to a recent study by NACE, www.naceweb.org, employers are reporting the lowest turnover rate in twelve years. Surveys were mailed to 1,055 employers, and 285, or 28 percent, responded. Employers that responded to the 2004 Employee Benchmark Survey reported that 5.8 percent of college hires quit within one year of being hired. The same survey showed that employers also needed to conduct less interviews before finding someone to hire. On average, respondent employers needed to conduct 4.1 interviews, down from 4.5 interviews in 2000. Another study done in 2004 by NACE says that some employers feel that students aren’t equipped with the skills employers feel they need for success. Researchers from Michigan State University say that in today’s fast paced world, college graduates should have a “full complement of related knowledge and skills to become successful workers and citizens”. Most colleges focus on the traditional goals of acquiring technical and critical thinking skills for their major. The Michigan State study examined what employers feel is most important in comparison to what universities find important. College administrators reported that ethics, integrity, and knowledge were the most important factors of a successful college career. Employers reported that six qualities were extremely important; ethics and integrity, knowledge, leadership, interpersonal skills, adaptability and life skills, and perseverance. The ability to be hired is up, but the staying power is down. Could this be because students just can’t measure up after four years of partying, or are colleges and employers not seeing eye to eye on what is most important? While we can’t help the state of the economy, we can do little things to increase our chances of getting a job that we actually want. Be sure to get involved in as many activities as possible. Not only does this show how much you can do, you will learn infinite skills, while showing you can work well with other people. Writing for The Clock is a great way of showing how accomplished you are, as it is easy to build up an impressive portfolio, even if you aren’t a writing major. It also shows that you are willing to take a stance on something. Get involved with the radio station if you are interested in communications, or Pace, if you are interested in advertising. Whatever you chose, find something to expand your resume. The Bagley Center, home of International Programs, National Student Exchange, Internship Partners and Career Services, is the best place on campus to go if you are feeling stressed over finding a job.