A new survey done by MonsterTRAK has found that 76 percent of employers plan to hire 2007 graduates this summer, an increase of 72 percent over last year, according to an article in the New York Post. In addition, 89 percent of graduating seniors are expected to receive one job offer, while 74 percent of these students are expected to receive at least two job offers.
Almost 900 companies and more than 2,000 students and recent graduates took part in the survey, which was conducted in February and March of this year.
According to The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the total number of college-level job openings between 1998 and 2008 will nearly equal the number of college-educated entrants into the labor force, which is supposed to lower the college graduate unemployment rate from 14 percent to 7 percent.
In fact, many St. John’s seniors have received job opportunities. “I have two job offers that I have to choose between,” said Danielle Aknin. “I want to save money to go to law school, so that will help me make my decision.”
Student Lyndsey Zweig added, “I just received a job offer at the Attorney Generals office in Indiana, as a claims investigator which will pay around $65,000.”
While impending graduates are receiving more job opportunities than ever before, this doesn’t guarantee that they’ll get the jobs. The MonsterTRAK survey found that for each entry-level position available, there will be 73 applicants.
And, although many seniors have received job opportunities directly out of college, many have decided to pursue a higher degree, in addition to working.
“Along with getting my masters degree from St. John’s University, I will be going to teach an after school program at Harlem RBI,” said Malika Khalsa. “They teach inner city youth a combination of literacy skills and athletics”, she said.
Many of the graduating seniors at St. John’s have found out about these job opportunities from the Career Center, which offers lists of part-time jobs, internship opportunities, full time employment, and career and job search links.
“I found out about my summer job through the career center,” Khalsa said. “They have a book with a list of internships and jobs that they receive for each major.”
