It looks better than a
slightly.
hot stick in the eye

By Jackie Headapohl

or this year's crop of graduating
college seniors, many of whom
started their post-secondary ca-
reers just as the real estate bubble
began exceeding maximum capac-
ity, there were at least a few years
to mentally prepare for the job
seeking slog that lied in wait.
Now that D-day has arrived, those
proud, freshly minted holders of a B.A. or
B.S. can find solace in that, overall, they
should have a slightly easier time landing
that first job than last year's grads — but
the search still won't be easy.
Not surprisingly, the recession — and a
subsequent "jobless" recovery — has been
especially tough on college grads. Unem-
ployment remains high among those under
24, double the rate for those ages 45-65.
Nationwide, only 38 percent of 2010
grads who applied for jobs received an of-
fer, according to the National Association
of Colleges and Employers, down from 66
percent before the recession; the number of
grads who couldn't find work, or ended up
in less-than-ideal retail or restaurant jobs,
grew by 70 percent over the last two years.
The NACE survey wasn't all doom-and-
gloom though: More than 53 percent of re-
spondents planned to increase their college
grad hiring, up from less than 50 percent
in 2010. More good news: If math was your
thing in college, know that this year's most
in-demand degree is in accounting.
Other attractive majors to employers this
year include finance, electrical engineering,
mechanical engineering, business adminis-
tration and management. A hot commodity
in the Midwest is a computer science degree.

I'LL TAKE "COLD COMFORT"
FOR 51,000, ALEX!
"It's a lot better than last year," said Dr.
Phil Gardner, director of the Collegiate
Employment Research Institute at Michi-
gan State University on job prospects for
this year's grads. "I think next year is when
you'll see it really turn around."
If this moment in time was an episode
of the game show Jeopardy!, "What is cold
comfort?" could likely be the question this
year's grads would most often answer with.
According to the MSU 2010-2011

MOST REQUESTED MAJORS

Major:.

% of
Employers
Seeking

All Majors

36%

Accounting

26%

All Business

26%

All Technical

25%

Marketing

23%

Finance

23%

Computer Science

19%

Communications

17%

Computer Information Systems

16%

MIS Computer Science

16%

Computer Programming

16%

All Liberal Arts

16%

MBAs

23%

(Source: MSU 2010-2011 Recruiting Trends)

www.redthreadmagazine.com

Recruiting Trends survey, employers do
plan to hire 13.5 percent more new grads
this year. The study indicated both large
corporations and small businesses feel
confident in the recovery; leading sectors
include manufacturing, professional and
scientific services, federal government and
large commercial banks.
And, if trite cliches are helpful, this latest
round of hiring is arguably the silver lining
in an otherwise dark cloud. It's the first
hiring expansion that has benefited the
bachelor's degree market in two years.
Nearly 40 percent of responding compa-
nies said they plan to look for candidates
across all majors. "All majors' is not a proxy
for liberal arts," Gardner said. "But it is a
signal that employers are seeking the best
talent regardless of major:'
On-campus recruiting, always a good
barometer of the job market for graduates,
also provides a shimmer of hope. The Uni-
versity of Michigan has seen an across-the-
board 47 percent increase in on-campus
recruiting since fall, according to Lynne
Sebille-White, U-M senior assistant direc-
tor of employer relations at the university.
We're back to 2007-2008 levels," she said.
"But not as good as we were in 2006."
At MSU, computer science and IT ma-
jors were aggressively recruited, according
to Gardner. "Demand for these grads cur-
rently outstrips supply," he said.

IF YOU'VE GOT A FANCY
CALCULATOR, YOU'RE IN
According to Martha Schanno at the So-
ciety of Automotive Engineers, recruiters at
the SAE World Congress Career Fair held
in Detroit in April were aggressively re-
cruiting engineering graduates in advanced
engineering, electronics, hybrids, batteries,
logistics, body controls and software.
At Lawrence Technological University in
Southfield, 150 employers have been on cam-
pus recruiting in engineering, IT and com-
puter science. 'We've seen larger companies
making a comeback as well as a lot of smaller
companies supplying diverse industries in-
cluding automotive, aerospace and industrial
manufacturing," said Jennifer Cunningham,
assistant director of career services.
Those number crunchers aren't fairing
too poorly either. Nationwide, account-
ing firms are actively recruiting this year.
According to representatives from Deloitte,
the accounting and consulting firm plans
to hire 8,500 graduates; Ernst Sr Young
says it is looking to hire 7,000 employees
from college campuses this year — 4,500
full-time and 2,500 interns.
"Business, accounting, finance and
marketing majors are being recruited; and
there's more activity for human resources,
communications, sales and advertising de-
grees," Gardner said. "Some majors will see
fewer opportunities, including construction,
education, law, publishing, nursing, social
services and health sciences in general."

PROSPECTS UP FOR 'HARVARD
ON THE HIGHWAY" GRADS - TOO
This summer also looks to be better
than last for community college gradu-
ates and certificate earners looking for a
job. According to Bob Penkala at Macomb
Community College Career Services, the

college is seeing an increase in the number
of employers contacting the school for job
candidates.
Last year between January and May, there
were 297 job postings on the college's Ma-
comb Career Link "This year," Penkala said,
"we were already at 446 postings by April.
"We're seeing a wide variety of orga-
nizations recruiting here — health care,
manufacturing and service industries."

WHERE YOU'LL WORK
AND WHAT YOU'LL EARN
According to the MSU survey, hiring is
being led by approximately 350-400 large
corporations looking to fill open positions.
Smaller, fast-growth companies with
between nine and 100 employees are
expected to boost their workforces by as
much as 19 percent this year.
Startups with fewer than eight employ-
ees plan to increase hiring across all degree
levels by two or three individuals per firm.
New grads would do well not to overlook
these types of companies as they plan their
job search, according to U-M's Sebille-
White. "Graduates can quickly make an
impact at these kinds of firms," she said,
adding that the number of job postings
from startups is on the rise at U-M.
Of course, spending tens of thousands of
dollars and at least four years earning your
degree means you'll be in the driver's seat
when it comes to salary, right? Short of the
delirium in salaries that exists in Google-
stan (the area between San Francisco and
Palo Alto, Calif.), most employers aren't
tendering huge offers or offering signing
bonuses. Advice for grads: Align salary
expectations to the "new" new reality.
According to the MSU survey, 80
percent of responding employers will not
raise salaries this year. Four percent of
companies plan to reduce salaries by nearly
10 percent. Only 17 percent of companies
reported that they plan to raise salaries —
and then, only by a modest 3 percent.
The average starting salary at the associ-
ate's degree level ranges from $32,500 to
$39,900, while those at the bachelor's de-
gree level can expect starting salaries from
$36,500 to $40,000, down about $10,000
from the same period in 2008-2009.
The big drop could be attributed to an
increase in the number of smaller com-
panies and nonprofits taking part in the
survey. Those types of organizations tend
to offer modest salaries. But — make no
mistake — salaries have been stagnating
for the past two years, Gardner said.
Salaries are holding steady for business
and engineering grads, while salaries in the
social sciences, communications, humani-
ties and sciences are slightly lower this year.

"YOU'RE HIRED!" OR "HEY, I JUST
FOUND A NEEDLE IN A HAYSTACK"
Although prospects for college grads are
improving, it's only the "first step out of a
deep hole," according to Gardner. "Many
organizations still are not in a position to
contribute positively to hiring," he said.
In other words, competition for jobs will
remain fierce. Grads who have an intern-
ship under their belt will have an easier
time finding a job. Employers are increas-
ingly looking at co-ops and internships in

addition to GPA and leadership skills, said
Cunningham from Lawrence Tech.
Larger companies are filling more of
their full-time positions with interns, adds
Sebille-White, who advises grads who don't
have a lot of experience in their fields to
consider summer internships.
"Finding a job takes a lot of hard work,"
she said. "It's more about an individual's abil-
ity and how they fit into that organization.
Grads with all majors should highlight their
communication and technology skills."
Incidentally, communication skills led
the list of top skills wanted by employers,
according to the NACE survey. Other skills
on the list include strong work ethic, initia-
tive, teamwork and analytical skills.
Flexibility is also key.
Many graduates returning home may
have to consider looking beyond Detroit
to find positions in their field, like Wayne
State University journalism grad Robert
Guttersohn, who is interviewing this month
for a position at a newsroom in Ohio.
"I'm willing to move or do what it takes
to find a job I want," said the 27-year-old.
"I'm nervous about the job search — I don't
know how long it will take to find one —
but I'm also excited about starting another
chapter in my life."
According to Gardner, the recovery in
the college grad market does not run deep,
and landing that first job won't be easy.
He advises new grads not only to research
growing businesses in the area they want
to live but to also contact a faculty mem-
ber at their school to see if there are any
recent grads who have started businesses
in their field. His message for students? "Be
focused, directed and connected!'
Penkala from Macomb Community
College reminds new grads that there are
jobs out there for all levels of education. So,
grads, set aside skepticism about trite advice
and embrace the words of wisdom: "Don't
get discouraged — and don't give up." RI-

Bachelor's Degree . _

verage Salary

All Majors

$36,866

Accounting

$41,841

Finance

$43,411

Marketing

$37,812

Supply Chain

$42,930

Human Resources

$38,924

Public Relations

$35,309

Advertising

$33,780

Computer Science

$47,176

Computer Programming

$49,229

Chemical Engineering

$53,269

Civil Engineering

$48,133

Electrical Engineering

$55,375

Mechanical Engineering

$53,964

Nursing

$43,938

Environmental Science

$39,010

Chemistry

$40,190

Mathematics

$41,806

Psychology

$34,264

Liberal Arts

$35,445

Agriculture

$37,946

(Source: MSU 2010-2011 Recruiting Trends)

11Th TIMID I

May 2011 19