Job market improving for grads

Jo Guthrie, an elementary education major, is graduating in May, but she is not worried about finding a job. She has researched where teaching positions are available all over the country.\n"I am going into teaching so I know a lot of places where there are positions open and I know a lot of places where positions aren't open," she said. \nMark Brostoff, associate director for undergraduate career services, recognizes that some seniors might not be as confident as Guthrie. \n"One of the things that I think is important for seniors to understand is that early in the career planning process, they need to widen their perspective on the market," he said. \nBrostoff said the job market is looking better compared to the last few years. \n"According to the National Agency of Colleges and Employers, there is an expectation that the employers will be hiring roughly 12.7 percent more graduates than they did last year," he said. \nCollege graduates of the past couple of years have felt the strain of the economy. \nThomas Heslin, a professor in the Kelley School of Business, understands the frustrations of these recent graduates. \n"A lot of them change their jobs frequently or are bound by a commitment to one company, (and) that company does not seem to be overly committed to them," he said. \nArlene Hill, who oversees internship opportunities at the Career Development Center, said it is not a bad thing for new graduates to take an internship if they don't immediately find a job.\n"Doing an internship is an excellent way for them to get their foot in the door and get hired on full-time," she said. "We do have a lot of students who are doing that." \nBrostoff recommends following four steps NACE released last month for finding a job.\nFirst, the student needs to start his or her job search early -- don't wait. Brostoff suggests seeing the CDC here on campus to find out how to conduct an effective job search. \nSecond, the student needs to research employers and job opportunities. By doing this, the student can find out what the employer is looking for. Also, by conducting this search the student will know more going into an interview, which might set him or her apart from the other candidates. \nThird, the student needs to use all of the resources available to him or her. NACE again refers students to the CDC to help individuals in a successful job search.\nFourth, NACE says students need to stay on top of what is going on in the job market. \nBecause of the economic recession, students are dealing with an employer's market, Hill said. She said an employer's market is when there are jobs available, but a student must be proactive to find them. \nDespite the hard times, students are finding a way to get jobs, Hill said.\n"What I know from last year and the senior survey that we did was that 77 percent of the students after graduation were basically doing what they wanted to do"