Job Search for Grads
Despite the downturn in the economy, NACE (National Association for College and Employers) reports that hiring for entry-level positions for college graduates is expected to increase over last year, and CollegeGrad.com notes that entry level employers are increasing their hiring by 11.8% in 2008. MonsterTrak, however, reports a decrease, along with more companies being indecisive than last year in their plans for hiring grads, but says there are still plenty of opportunities for '08 graduates.
A recent CareerBuilder survey notes that hiring, in general, is expected to remain constant with increases expected in some industries. These reports are good news in a struggling economy.
Start your college job search early so you don't miss out on any opportunities. Employers are hiring now for positions that start after graduation. In some cases, you can even wait until after the summer to start work, if you need a break before starting a "real" job. Or consider an internship, if you're looking for more experience or aren't sure what you want to do yet. Also, take a look a One Day One Day Internship (and it's counterpart One Day One Job) for some interesting internship and entry level job opportunities.
Regardless of when you're ready to start work, the sooner you start your job search, the more job opportunities you will have to consider.
Entry Level Jobs
Image Copyright Shelly Perry
Comments
Alison:
This weekend I read something on a blog that really struck home with me about job search for grads:
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“If you’re looking for a job, you can’t NOT be in LinkedIn. It positively shocks me that every college and university is not making this clear to today’s graduating class. Monster is not where it’s at! There are only recruiters there. In LinkedIn, you can connect to the people in the trenches - people with a connection to you - who will care enough to answer a couple of questions over email, talk to you on the phone, or point you in the direction of someone who will help you in your search.”
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It made me wonder… how many colleges really are teaching graduating seniors about the current state of job search on the internet, in particular, the importance of social tools like LinkedIn and Facebook as networking tools, as well as the importance of not having anything potentially detrimental in your profile? And really, they should probably be talking to them about it as freshmen and sophomores, even, not waiting ’til they’re seniors. That would open up the door for better summer jobs and internships as well.