The Employment Outlook for 2011-2012 College Graduates

BE FOCUSED, BE DIRECTED &  BE CONNECTED

What can soon-to-be and recent college graduates expect to face in today's job market? What sectors are showing upward growth? What are employers' hiring priorities?  Where are employers' looking for talent? These and other questions are answered in the recently released  Recruiting Trends 2011-2012 published by Career Services and the Collegiate Employment Research Institute, Michigan State University.  Although conducted for academic institutions, the research has important insights for soon-to-be and recent college grads.

As the author states, this year's report is boring and boring is good.  In other words, employers are reporting  that while the economy remains sluggish there is a demand for talent.  Companies simply have to hire. They need to revitalize their skill base.  This is great news for college grads entering the job market. But that's not say that the  competition won't be fierce. Employer demand falls short of the supply of graduating students.

 Hire for attitude. Train for skills.

This is the More Than A Resumé  philosophy. And it appears to be one of the central themes of the research.  Employers are willing to look across academic majors for a good fit for their organization. Demonstrating that you are a good and right fit for an organization trumps your academic major and to some degree your talent.

Showing flexibility and adaptability could increase your attractiveness to employers.  The ability to manage multiple assignments and tasks, set priorities, and adapt to changing conditions and work assignments is essential in today's workplace.

Employers place value on a candidate's entrepreneurial spirit and creative thinking. Even at the entry level, employers look for leadership qualities. Self-starters who take on responsibility.  

Multiple pathways to connect with employers.

Employers'  report using a range of methods to connect with applicants, offering candidates multiple pathways to connect with employers.  For entry level positions, hiring from the intern pool is very effective, but other methods are identified as well that would be more readily available to soon-to-be grads.  Campus career fairs, social media, and alumni working for the company, are all recruiting tools. In fact, alumni within an organization is seen as an “… effective and important means for identifying and recruiting talent from their alma mater”. And, "social media will soon be the core  recruit­ing strategy as more organizations quickly adopt various media options."

 College juniors take note. Employers do hire their interns although to what degree varies by industry. Securing an internship is as competitive as finding full-time employment. You will  need to apply the same job search strategies to find an internship. 

When to start a job search.

For undergraduate degree students there is no official hiring season. Hiring is based on just in time, meaning that employers seek to fill positions quickly when there is a need.  Employers seeking graduate students look to have their hires wrapped up early in the academic year but do extend hiring into the spring or beyond.

What this means to you.

It is no longer enough to have a degree and experience.  You need to:

1. Articulate your value - strengths and qualities and how these relevant to the job and the company. It's about fit.
2. Adequately demonstrate the skills you have gained from your school work, internships, work experience and other activities you have participated in.  Your past behavior is the best predictor of how you will behave on the job.
3. Be ready to jump when you see the right opportunity.  An accomplishment-based and personality-rich resumé needs to be ready at the beginning of 2nd semester for seniors and those juniors seeking internships.
4. Target employers. Learn what you can about each employer and monitor the website for job postings.
5. Become a smart and effective networker. Join your alumni group and participate in activities to make yourself known to alumni who are in companies you want to work in.