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Recruiting stays steady(Press-Enterprise, The (Riverside, CA) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Nov. 30--The sputtering economy and the uncertain job markets are not stopping potential employers from mining the talent at college campuses, but recruiters are keeping their options open. Some recruiters are also changing their tactics, using Internet postings more than on-campus visits, and are generally going to be more deliberate when looking for the next generation of employees, career counselors at Inland Southern California colleges say. Also, the companies that hire recent college grads say that while they are still recruiting, they could revise the anticipated demand for new workers and will revisit the subject monthly. The National Association of Colleges and Employers, a Bethlehem, Pa.-based organization that monitors recruitment of future graduates, reported that employers have already started to modify their predictions. When the association surveyed employers in August, about 6 percent said they plan to hire more entry-level grads than the previous year, said Andrea Koncz, employment information manager. But a month later, Koncz said, the employers had scaled back their estimates. It now looks like hiring among the class of 2009 will not be more than the previous year, but there won't be a noticeable decline, either. "We were encouraged by that," Koncz said. Almost three-quarters of the employers they talked to rated the job market for the class of 2009 as good or better. It's an encouraging survey, although not nearly the bullish predictions made for the classes of 2006 and 2007. In the first few years of this decade, graduates could pick among some solid entry-level job offers, some paying more than $50,000 a year. Koncz said that the most promising professions have not changed. Graduates with professional degrees in fields such as accounting, computer science and engineering still top the lists of those with the best chances to land a good job, she said. But with employers able to be pickier, applicants will have to do more to stand out. Lori Hatfield, interim director of career development at the University of Redlands, is putting together a recruiting schedule of employers. The articles she's read lately suggest the job market will be flat, and she urges students to consider the job search a homework assignment they shouldn't put off for later. "I encourage them to be the early birds," Hatfield said. "You can't come in a month before graduation and start thinking about where you're going to get a job. What you have to do is start networking now, and make sure you keep your contacts." Brian Gerard, who runs a Los-Angeles-based executive search firm that specializes in entry-level positions, said a lot of job-seekers are coming to him with degrees and very little more. That is not enough these days, he said. "Graduates who didn't get some sort of work experience while in school, either a job or an internship, are not being looked at," Gerard said. "Employers are looking for some sort of involvement." About seven in 10 of the graduates of Cal State San Bernardino stay in the Inland area, and the recruiting on the campus reflects that, said Pamela Abell, employer relations coordinator for the school. Recruitment is having a lull right now as students begin to concentrate on final exams, Abell said, but is likely to pick up in January. Abell said Riverside County gave tests for positions in the sheriffs and probation departments and "did some heavy recruiting." Screening for positions with San Bernardino County includes quarterly visits to counsel students on how to market themselves and target their resume writing. Of private employers, Target has worked through CSUSB to recruit managers for its new supercenter in Palm Desert. Skilled technicians such as camera and sound board operators are being recruited by Los Angeles-area companies, she said. But private employers are using the Internet to pre-screen job hopefuls through a site called Coyote Link ( www.career.csusb.edu). Almost 240 job leads are currently posted, Abell said. "That way they can test the market to see if there's interest before they send someone out here," Abell said. "It also allows small- or medium-size employers to post positions, so it's become a richer resource." CLASS DISTINCTION: In August and September, a panel of about 1,200 employers rated the chances of hiring more starter employees from the class of 2009: --Excellent: 2.6 percent --Very good: 26.9 percent --Good: 44.1 percent --Fair: 25.6 percent --Poor: 0.9 percent In 2006, 94 percent of employers said the chances of hiring more graduates were good or better. Source: National Association of Colleges and Employers. To see more of The Press-Enterprise, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.PE.com. Copyright (c) 2008, The Press-Enterprise, Riverside, Calif. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. |