College Graduates! Do You Know Who is Hiring? Or Who is Being Hired?
Don’t overlook the importance of proving your soft skills to employers when entering the job market for the first time. Everyone – regardless of your degree -- has to overcome employer bias against recent college graduates.
Employers want communication and team work skills but they believe that young people lack them. You will be better off in this flat job market, if you can demonstrate your team work experience and individual contributions from college classes, extracurricular experience, internships and “first jobs”.
According to the 2009 Job Outlook Survey from the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), the job market is flat. And it's more competitive. There are more job-seekers; recent graduates and job changers are pursing the same positions.
Engineers, accountants and computer scientists with "people smarts" will be very competitive in the 2009 job market.
The highest demand is for bachelor's degrees are in the following fields:
Accounting
Mechanical Engineering
Electrical Engineering
Computer Science
Business Administration/Management
Economics/Finance
Information Sciences & Systems
Computer Engineering
Management Information Systems
Marketing/Marketing Management
At the master's degree level, the highest demand is for:
M.B.A.
Electrical Engineering
Mechanical Engineering
Computer Science
Accounting
These hiring trends are likely to continue for awhile, so undergraduate students who are considering one of these majors will be well-advised to confirm that decision.
Where Should you Target your Job Search?
If you're a newly minted degree-holder in Accounting, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science and Business Administration/Management, the Federal Government is the best place to seek a job.
If you're an MBA, you will lead the pack at 60% of employers surveyed by NACE.
Who's Hiring by Employer Type
(Bachelor's Degree)
Accounting:
Accounting (public)
Financial Services
Utilities
Government (Federal)
Mechanical engineering
Government (Federal)
Chemicals & Allied Products
Food & Beverage Processing
Electrical engineering:
Government (Federal)
Electrical & electronic machinery & equipment manufacturers
Chemicals & allied products
Computer Science:
Computer software development& data processing services
Communication Services
Government (Federal)
Business Admin./Mgmt.:
Insurance
Financial Services
Food & Beverage Processing
Government (Federal)
Associate degree holders in business, engineering, drafting, design, and computer-aided design (CAD) are also in demand. Industries that are doing the most hiring for associate degrees are utility companies, research organizations, communications services, electrical/electronic machinery and equipment manufacturers.
High Demand "Soft" Skills
Employers want skills that they say recent college graduate lack; most importantly:
1. Communication skills, especially writing
2. Strong work ethic
3. Teamwork skills (works well with others)
4. Initiative
5. Analytical skills
6. Computer skills
7. Flexibility/adaptability
8. Interpersonal skills (relates well to others)
9. Problem-solving skills
10. Technical skills
High GPAs and Internships are Other Ways to Get Over the Hurdles
Over 50% of employers use a GPA cutoff of 3.0 to screen out candidates. Adding an internship or two in your field will show an employer that you’ve tested your new knowledge.
Even better, internships are a foot in the door. Employers often use them for try-outs; a talent pool for future employees. So, even if it's an unpaid internship, if it's with a desirable future employer, you should seriously consider it!
My mission is to empower youth with: - The knowledge about career possibilities, and the education and training needed to attain them - The creative-thinking and emotional skills that make for good career decisions and which employers prefer; - And the resilience needed to flourish in life.
