An often-grim job search awaits many IU grads

Bryan Bloom, a 2008 IU graduate, worked as an advertising sales representative for manufacturing company GES International.

When stocks plummeted and businesses fell out of the market, GES had to cut back. Bloom was one of those cuts in late 2008.

“Basically, the company wasn’t making as much money as they used to be making, so they cut back a few people, and I was one of them,” Bloom said. “It was due to the economy, so it was out of my control.”

Bloom is one of many 2008 and probable 2009 graduates who will leave IU with a degree, but likely without a job.

The unemployment rate hit 8.1 percent in February and payroll employment fell by 2.6 million in the last four months, with 651,000 jobs lost in February alone, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Work is getting harder to find, and the jobless pool is beginning to fill with better-qualified and more experienced applicants than most college grads.

“The situation is tough these days,” Bloom said, who now runs a Web site about President Barack Obama. “I’m sending out my resume and going on interviews, but the problem is someone who is 27 years old who lost their job as well is also willing to take an entry-level job in the market, making the same salary as I would. Someone who has five years’ experience is a lot more appealing to a company than someone
who just got out of college.”

Wall Street’s woes can be seen in most schools and departments at IU as well.

Justin Grossman, associate director of information and technology systems for the College of Arts and Sciences, reported that employee participation in on-campus interviews and information sessions is down 25 percent from last school year, and full-time postings on IUcareers.com are down 20 percent in January and February compared to last year. Grossman also blogs for the College of Arts and Sciences
about how the economy is playing into student job searches.

“Our office continues to work with employers to convince them to consider and hire IU students,” Grossman said in an e-mail. “Students are encouraged to be patient and, if they haven’t yet began their job search, to get started immediately; a job search that took two to three months in the past can easily take six in the economic current conditions.”

Marcia Debnam, career services director for the School of Journalism, said she agreed.

Job searches for members of the journalism profession can easily take six months to a year under current economic strain, she said, and the best option for some students would be taking an internship, even unpaid, after graduation to get “a foot in the door.”

The Kelley School of Business reported lower job opportunities for 2008-2009, with a 20 percent decline in employers coming to campus and a fall of 15 percent in the field of interviews conducted on campus, according to School of Business Dean Dan Smith. Business school employment is still relatively strong, however, as the fall in interviews only brings the number of interviews per student to 8 from 9.5, he said.

Three schools that are doing well in the poor economy are the School of Public and Environmental Affairs, the School of Education and the School of Informatics. Due to increased need for government workers, the respective demand for education in poor economic times and the constant need for technological advancement and prowess keep these schools stable during crumbling markets.

According to a 2008 report from ACT, “In Indiana, five of the expected highest growth career fields will be education, management, health care, computer specialties and engineering.” Informatics and education are included in those categories.  

Still, jobs in the education sector have fallen by 4,200 in the past month while jobs in the government have increased by 9,000, and jobs in data processing, hosting and related services have fallen nationally by 2,000, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. But these declines are small when compared to declines in other private sector markets.

“The federal government is projected to hire approximately 193,000 workers in the next 5 years to offset retirements and job turnover,” said Career Services Director for SPEA Ray Clere in an e-mail. “This figure may increase in light of President Obama’s economic bailout and increased demands on particular federal agencies like the Treasury, EPA, Department of Energy, and Homeland Security.”

Jeremy Podany, director of career services for the School of Informatics, said he estimates job listings for the school have fallen by about 5 to 10 percent this year, considerably less than listings in other areas like the School of Business and the College of Arts and Sciences.

Jobs are available for students who are diligent and willing to look in places other than their desired field. Senior Kurt Anders said he will take a job at Edward Jones as a financial adviser. He wanted a job in management, but he said he sees any opportunity as a good one.

“The bottom line is, the market can’t be like this forever,” Anders said. “(Businesses) need to get people in when the times are tough ... A foot in the door is better than nothing.”