![[For navigational tools, please refer to bottom of page]](images/hwbhunt.gif)
As thousands of graduating students throw up their mortarboards and prepare to don working stiffs' clothes, college counselors and economists say there is good news out there.
Boston College, Wellesley College and Framingham State College officials said the number of companies recruiting students has grown by 10 to 50 percent this year and that students are being hired with uncommonly high starting salaries.
In fact, far from the grim ratios of the early '90s, when six graduates were vying for every job opening, the ratio is now 1-1, said Paul Harrington, associate director of the Center for Labor Market Studies at Northeastern University.
But those students resting up from graduation festivities, or parents wondering when their full-grown children will start looking for a job, should take heed.
The job search requires more than an all-nighter. And students who did not start thinking about careers years ago may take a while to catch up.
''Firms are asking college kids to bring more to the table with occupational proficiencies and more experience,'' Harrington said. ''Students who don't have proficiencies will find themselves on the back of the job cue.''
According to a preliminary study by the US Department of Education, one- quarter of seniors in 1992 participated in an internship program, Harrington said. Although there are no statistics for 1995, Harrington said this has been a growing trend as the job market requires more skills and prefers young people who have had some experience.
The hot areas for employment are in the technical fields, computer sciences and medicine, but sales and manufacturing also are good, economists said. David Wyss, research director at DRI/McGraw-Hill, said the United States is in the midst of a four-year economic recovery, which has spawned the growing job market.
For actors, musicians and writers, however, the situation is as challenging as usual, Wyss said. Career counselors said that students are working harder and looking in more places to secure their first full-time jobs, scanning the Internet, calling alumni and spending 10 to 15 hours a week on the job search.
At Boston College, about half of the 1994 graduating class was still looking for work by commencement, while the other half had employment or plans to continue school.
College counselors also said that 75 to 85 percent of students have jobs six months after graduation. Manny Parasirakis, a 21-year-old Boston College graduate, was one of the industrious ones and will start a $41,000-a-year post next month at the Burlington offices of the software company, Sybase.
''Becoming an intern was definitely my best move,'' Parasirakis said. ''You have to look; you can't let anything go by.'' Parasirakis knew for years that he wanted to become a software developer.
Since his sophomore year, while living at home in Brighton, he worked part time in computer-related fields. Last summer, he took a job as an intern at Sybase, and this school year he worked for a small computer company. He also scouted for jobs at BC's career center, surfed the Internet and scanned newspapers for opportunities. He sent out 40 resumes and had 15 interviews.
Although Parasirakis may be near the top of the starting-salary ladder, BC recruiting manager Melissa Madder said she has been surprised by the number of graduates who have landed jobs paying in the high $30,000 to low $40,000 range. Campus recruiting increased this year by 32 percent, she said, from 328 companies to 434.
Jackie Sprout, director of career services at Framingham State College, said that on-campus recruiting more than doubled, from 10 companies in 1994 to 22 this year. Many students, she said, are choosing among positions in retail, insurance, banking and food service.
Marilyn Morgan, who has headed the BC Career Center for 15 years, said that she sees students thinking earlier about their careers and looking for work in more places. She said this is especially true with arts and science majors.
Boston College also has started holding meetings and sending mailings to sophomores, urging them to start thinking about their careers. ''I think students are sobered by it and feel thay can't wait until their senior year,'' Morgan said.
Nicole Tillyer, 22, said she spent the last two summers working in an insurance company.
But she was introduced to Liberty Mutual, her new employer, by a friend who works for the company. ''Networking is a really good way of obtaining a position,'' Tillyer said. ''It is so competitive nowadays; it is an important way to get your foot in the door.'' Urma Tryon, administrative director for Wellesley College's career center, said that just as recruiting has increased on campus, so has student interest in other fields, including nonprofit organizations, teaching and film.
But Karen Single, who runs the Wellesley College community service program, acknowledged that many interested students back away after realizing the financial limits of the field.
Robert E. Brinner, chief economist at DRI/McGraw-Hill, added that opportunities in the non-for-profit sector could decrease because of federal spending cuts.
He also warned that the strong job market will not last long. Brinner said that the economy is slowing and that employers who planned for extensive hiring will start cutting back in the fall.
''This spring was probably the best hiring period since the late 1980s, and that prime time is now behind us,'' Brinner said. ''The advice is, 'Do not be too choosy.' ''
But summer is here and some graduates -- like BC's Danielle Doherty -- are thinking of things other than work.
Doherty, 22, is heading to Europe for two months and then plans to teach skiing in Colorado and to help build low-income homes as a volunteer. Next year, she says, she will look for a job in financing. Doherty said she did many interviews during the first semester and realized she did not want to go right to work.
''I figure there is no rush, and you should take advantage when you can,'' Doherty said.
Sprout, from Framingham State, encouraged graduates without work to tell the world about their job search, from the coffee shop to the barber shop.
''The search for work is a noble quest; people should feel good about asking questions,'' Sprout said. ''Students have to give themselves a break. It is not only looking forward that can be stressful, but they are leaving something behind.''
Michelle Laffoley, 26, who graduates today from Framingham State, said she has no worries.
The Framingham resident starts work Tuesday in a management trainee position for Enterprise Rent-A-Car, following a year of interviews, sending resumes and networking. For her less-fortunate or late-to-start classmates, she urged them to be confident and start looking as soon as possible.
''If they want a job, they need to start right away,'' Laffoley said. ''Be aware, it is going to take a lot of work.''
Home �
Jobs �
Resumes �
The Hunt
Feedback �
About Help Wanted �
Back to Boston.Com
