Prospects low but not hopeless for fall grads

Due to the recent economic downturn, Cal Poly fall graduates may need to work a little harder to obtain coveted jobs.

Projected national college recruiting for the class of 2009 has fallen to the lowest levels seen in the past six years, according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) Job Outlook 2009 Fall Preview Survey. The poll reflects responses from 146 employers.

“There will always be entry-level jobs for the students, but maybe we won’t do as many negotiating offers,” said Carol Moore, career services program coordinator and career counselor.

In the past, many students would come in with three job offers and contemplate which to take while considering perks such as free cars, benefits and free cell phones, Moore said.

“That is going to be over,” she said. “Students are going to be grateful to have a good job offer and it may take a little longer – instead of getting one before you graduate, it (the job) may come three months out.”

In August 2008, employers predicted an overall increase in hiring of 6.1 percent, for the ’09 class according to the survey. However as of October 2008, the hiring increase dropped to 1.3 percent. Also, more than half of the respondents plan to decrease their number of new college hires during the 2009 recruiting season than they hired from the ’08 class.

“We usually have many many more employers on board for recruiting, today compared to last year,” Moore said. “That doesn’t mean that at the end of the recruiting season that we wont have seen as many because we don’t know, but usually there is a big push (now).”

The decrease in recruitment may relate to companies “tightening their wallets as far as travel,” said Melinda McCann, career services employer relations and recruiting manager. “The numbers are down from last year.”

Rather than the usual college hiring increases in most employer types and geographic regions, recent economic events have decreased virtually all employers’ college hiring expectations during the 2008-2009 recruiting year, according to the survey. Also, employers will reassess their hiring needs more frequently.

But this doesn’t mean that students should alter their studies to cater to a successful market, said Brian Tietje, Orfalea College of Business associate dean of undergraduate programs and associate professor of marketing. Students need to be passionate about their field of study.

“Don’t try to predict where the demand is going to be and make yourself into that,” he said.

The economic recession will result in a more competitive job market, but Moore is confident that students will find jobs.

“It’s interesting because it can be so hard and it can be so simple,” she added. “If you just look professional, show up on time, respect your bosses, you know, those simple little rules that we learn growing up … You don’t have to be a genius. Make people feel good about themselves around you. All that time you younger professionals can learn and then you have so much more to take to the next place.”

Students sometimes lack the interviewing skills, resume skills and etiquette necessary to secure a premier job, said Tietje. Students use text-message lingo, fail to write thank you cards and come to interviews ill-prepared, he added.

“In this environment, instead of something that just counts against you, it may become a fatal flaw,” said Tietje. In past years that companies were aggressively hiring, companies may have taken a chance on that type of person, but now they are looking for “anything to eliminate you,” he added.

Dan Walsh, college of engineering senior associate dean of academic programs and administrations, said that many fall graduates have a job locked up by October and students are often involved with the company during their tenure at Cal Poly.

“The graduates are still getting multiple offers and it’s not just the very high GPA that are getting very high offers, it’s pretty much across the board,” he added.

Tietje shared a similar sentiment.

“It could be that the number of firms that come to Cal Poly and formally recruit, maybe that number drops a little bit,” he said. “I think the companies that come here consistently will still come here this year. Maybe instead of hiring four employees, they will come and hire two.”

Graduate school is a viable option that will better prepare students for challenging jobs, Walsh said.

“The more advanced degrees you have, the better your opportunities are because you have horizontal flexibility and vertical mobility; the more things you get exposed to, the better situation you have, he said. “This is particularly true in a time of scarcity. The more nimble, the more adaptable you are, the more probable it is that you will find a rewarding experience.”

Students will need to “cast a broader portfolio of activities,” Tietje said. Students may want to use the upcoming break to travel to locations where they want to work and participate in