Employment Prospects for College Graduates Rise as Corporations Seek Fresh Talent Right Out Of College

With the US economy showing signs of recovery but not being totally out of the doldrums, graduating students worry about employment as they leave the portals of their University in search of the first real job. But they have reasons to be optimistic about finding the job they long for.

The job market is showing signs of positive turnaround with hiring back in a big way on many college campuses. A survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) revealed that “2012 hiring is expected to climb 10.2 percent, above a previous estimate of 9.5 percent, with the strongest demand expected for computer science, business and engineering majors.”

Signs of recovery include the increase in the number of interviews of students by potential employers, first-time job seekers receiving multiple job offers and even students with low grades finding employment opportunities. Moreover, even such giants as Apple, General Electric, Amazon and Barclays Global were on the lookout for new workers.

At the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, the career service office has seen a “7.4 percent increase in the number of interviews of students by potential employers from last year and the number of companies seeking to recruit for full-time jobs is up 9.2 percent.”

Career experts in many US Schools reported an increase of 15 to 30 percent in the number of companies attending campus job-placement events. At the University of Florida, the fall career fair, attracted 15 percent more companies than the preceding year. J. Glover, Associate director of employer relations at the school said, “150 companies asked to conduct interviews versus about 100 in recent years.” In one school the rush was so great that the school had to use both the first and second floors of its basket ball facility for interviews.

“It’s kind of like a no-brainer,” says Kathy Sims, Director of Career Services at UCLA. “The economy is better and the college recruitment market is improving.”

Two companies have made it clear that they intend to upgrade their employment. General Electric wants to hire 5,000 interns this year whilst Chrysler has echoed similar desire to hire 400 interns this year. Steve Canale, head of global recruiting, said that the companies are saying, “we have an aging workforce, and we have to replenish the pipeline.’ GE has always done it, but this year a lot of other companies are also reloading their talent pool.”

College graduates’ earnings are also on the rebound and showing a significant increase. NACE says “the median wage for first-time job seekers after college for 2012 is up 4.5 percent higher than a year ago to $42,569.”

A recent report by the Collegiate Employment Research Institute of Michigan reported that “Employers are now more optimistic about the college labor market than at any time since 2007.” According to the research institute, salaries of recent college graduates average about $36,000 a year, varying by industry and major.