Job forecast up for December graduates

Already having secured a job, senior Libby Spille might have an advantage over most other December graduates, but IU Career Services representatives said other students graduating early shouldn't be too worried because they will enter a more receptive job market than in the past.\nThis year, employers expect to hire 17.4 percent more new college graduates than they hired from the 2005-06 graduate pool, according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers' Job Outlook 2007 Fall Preview survey.\nThis increase is just one of the opportunities December graduates can look forward to, IU career services representatives said. They said December graduates often benefit from having the extra time to complete internships and look for jobs.\nDecember graduates have an advantage over May graduates because fewer students graduate mid-year and there are post-graduate internships available, said IU School of Journalism Career Services Director Marcia Debnam.\nDebnam said the job market as a whole has improved, but the number of jobs in media never fluctuates too much because media companies hire on an as-needed basis.\n"They're not hiring as a response to expansion, and they don't hire cyclically like a big financial firm might hire," she said. "You can't start (job hunting) six months ahead because they can't wait for you (to graduate)."\nBecause job openings for media majors are so unpredictable, December graduates looking for jobs in that field are not at a disadvantage, she said.\nDebnam said she thinks they are at an advantage because they can do post-graduate internships, which build their resumes. Some public relations firms and advertising agencies won't even hire graduates at all if they don't first complete an internship with the company, Debnam said.\nWhile media majors might have to deal with unpredictable hiring patterns, Kelley School of Business graduates might have more job options for the next chapter of their lives.\n"The job market is pretty robust for business students," said Mark Brostoff, associate director of the Kelley School of Business Undergraduate Career Services. "Because the economy is growing, it's a good hiring season. It's been slightly stronger than previous years."\nHe said December graduates with accounting training tend to do especially well because accounting firms sometimes hire right before tax season. The sales and retail industries are also seeing increases in job opportunities. \nBrostoff said the business job market has "a healthy cyclical nature." \nSome companies only conduct training programs at the beginning of the summer right after May graduation, but companies are becoming more flexible, he said. Some are willing to accommodate students' schedules by either creating another training session or offering an internship before full-time employment and summer training.\nSpille, an apparel merchandising major, is going to work for one of these companies. After interning for Macy's West this summer in San Francisco, she was offered a full-time position for after graduation.\n"I found out the day classes started," Spille said. "The training program starts in February."\nShe said she'll attend executive training for store management and hopes to work her way up to regional merchandise manager. \nBrostoff said a small percentage of students participate in these post-graduate internships, but it's a growing trend because it's becoming more popular with companies that enjoy the interim period to observe the students' capabilities and work ethic.\nHe said other students study abroad or get internships.\nBut the most important thing for December graduates, Debnam said, is to stick to their dreams and not be discouraged by where they start.\n"Sometimes that first job isn't your dream job," Debnam said. "Your first job is just that: It's your first job"