Job prospects look bright for May grads

While students finish their degree programs, placement directors teach them 'how to fish' for the best positions

By George Vlahakis

For many students graduating this spring from Indiana University Bloomington, the search for a first job was over by Christmas, particularly for those with degrees in computer science and business, according to campus placement directors.

Powell
Powell

Recruiters are extending job offers earlier than before, perhaps out of competitive desire to hire the best graduates. "The recruiting season has really moved out of the spring semester and into the fall semester," noted C. Randall Powell, director of placement and assistant dean of the Kelley School of Business. "We've had a 10 to 12 percent increase in the number of interviews conducted on campus during the fall semester."

McNabb
McNabb

Alan McNabb, director of the Arts and Sciences Placement Office at IUB, concurred. "I find the same is true for our computer science, mathematics and cognitive science graduates," he said. "The majority of our students in those fields were placed by the first of January.

"The outlook for the rest of our graduates is very positive," he continued. "We have more companies coming to campus than ever before, and we continue to see the majority of our recruiting in the spring semester for those graduating with a liberal arts degree."

From his perspective, Powell said that a degree in business "right now is the hottest thing in town, next to engineering." He attributed the surge in placement to the economy and a fundamental value shift in employment skills. "The economy is a big portion of it, but also there is a changing need for certain types of people -- in other words, young people who know how to deal with technology."

Computer information systems majors have been most popular at the Kelley School of Business, Powell said. "I don't know if we're going to have 20 percent of the class left to do any interviews during the spring semester. They're out of the market."

Similarly, very few seniors majoring in computer science through the College of Arts and Sciences (COAS) have not already found a job that will start after graduation. Many students in other COAS disciplines also are benefitting from this tremendous demand.

"A phenomenon we're finding often is with companies that are frustrated because they can't find enough students in computer science or other technical disciplines. Due to the limited number of these graduates," McNabb said, "the companies are turning to graduates from other majors that require an analytical mind, such as mathematics, physics, cognitive science, music and even some liberal arts disciplines, where the students are required to use quantitative abilities.

McNabb and Powell, who together have more than 60 years of experience in finding jobs for IU students, warn that those looking forward to graduation shouldn't become complacent about their grades and job experience right now. "Companies are still being highly selective," he said. "They want good people. They aren't just going out to hire numbers."

Starting salaries are up, on average 5 to 7 percent, which is a considerable change from just a few years ago when starting salaries increased at about the rate of inflation, closer to 3 percent.

Recent statistics on job placement for the Midwest, released by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), support McNabb and Powell's observations. The average starting salary for computer science undergraduates will be $40,417, and for those with computer information systems degrees, $38,200.

Starting salaries for those with a bachelor's degree in other fields, according to NACE, include: accounting, $32,407; environmental science, $27,533; physics, $39,743; allied health, $33,427; secondary education, $25,276; marketing, $28,000; social sciences, $26,944; sociology, $26,930; and psychology, $25,772. NACE reported that 69.5 percent of employers they surveyed planned to increase new graduate hiring, and 27.4 percent plan to maintain their hiring levels.

In recent years, both the the university and employers have needed to be more creative. The Business Placement Office has been successful in identifying job opportunities through the nation's largest on-line job listing services, Jobtrak. It and the COAS Placement Office offer potential employers access to student resumes through their Web sites.

While both placement offices offer many resources, special classes and access to recruiters, Powell said students are increasingly using E-mail and Web pages to explore career options.

"Practically any company of any size has a careers section on their Web site. Those sites will supplement what we do," Powell said. "Our role is to teach students how to fish. We are moving away from providing them a job at graduation."