The graduating class of 2011 may have something to look forward to this year despite the bad economy. While preliminary unemployment rates for November 2010 show an increase in the number of jobless claims in San Luis Obispo and across California, other experts predict that 2011 may be a better year than last to get a job as a graduating senior.
Despite a doubling of California’s unemployment rate since the recession began in 2007, one Cal Poly career counselor said there is hope for students who want to get a job after college. Carole Moore, career counselor for the College of Architecture and Environmental Design, has noticed an increase in the number of employers signing up to come to Cal Poly’s job fairs this academic year. The job fair in the fall and the upcoming fair in January have had employer attendance exceeding previous years.
“I keep thinking that we are (out of the recession), because our job fairs are filling up,” Moore said. “We are back in high demand as far as employers on this campus, but the news says otherwise.”
The National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) also anticipates an increase in the hiring of college graduates. The NACE’s Job Outlook Fall Preview 2011 said employers plan to hire 13.5 more college graduates compared to last year’s hiring.
Employers in certain industries may be in better shape to hire new graduates. Cal Poly economics professor, Michael Marlow, who previously worked as the senior financial economist for the U.S. Treasury Department, said he anticipates the health care and government arenas to grow in upcoming years.
To increase chances of finding work after college for upcoming graduating seniors who are not going into those industries, students have to get creative. Instead of getting a career-type job straight out of college, Moore said she noticed a lot of students going back home to save money or getting jobs they normally would not have gotten before the recession hit. During her counseling sessions with students, she encourages them to cast a wider net when searching for jobs and look at opportunities that they may not have looked at before.
Moore advises students to keep track of their progress while applying for jobs. Keep an excel spreadsheet of the people you have contacted and the dates you have sent resumes and cover letters, she said. Organization makes the process of finding a job less painful. “Celebrate the little steps” of turning in applications and hearing back from employers to keep up the optimism while searching for jobs, she said.
“When you keep track, you have more a sense of organization and you even get a little sense of empowerment in the process,” Moore said.
Marlow said the bad economy and high unemployment may lead students to stay in school longer.
Hannah Bauss, a psychology senior, said she plans to get her master’s degree after graduating and still finds herself nervous about getting a job after graduate school.
“I think and hope that going to grad school will increase my chances of getting a job once I’m done with school,” Bauss said.
Another way to get creative while job searching is to look out of state. Since students may get fewer job offers, they will look out of state more, Marlow said.
The Employee Development Department of California reported the state’s unemployment rate at 12.4 percent, making California the second highest state for unemployment. Just three years ago California’s unemployment rate was at 5.7 percent and has since doubled, Marlow said.
“The fiscal affairs of the state are in pretty dire circumstances,” Marlow said. “Not all states have the same economic growth. We just got hit this time as being one of the highest.”
Although San Luis Obispo County’s unemployment rate stands slightly above the national rate, it ranks as the sixth lowest percentage in California.
Though the recession has technically been over since June 2009, according to an economic panel from the National Bureau of Economic Research, the panel said the economy is still weak and lingering with high unemployment.
The Employee Development Department of California shows that San Luis Obispo County’s unemployment rates have risen half a percentage point, from 9.4 to 9.9, between October and November 2010, leaving 13,600 people without jobs. This puts San Luis Obispo slightly above the national unemployment rate, which stood at 9.8 percent in November 2010.
This year, economists say, will show a drop in unemployment rates.
“Most economists are forecasting a slight reduction,” Marlow said. “The prediction is that the unemployment rate across the United States is going to drop from 9.9 to 9.6.”