Today’s Job Market for New College Grads

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In today’s media climate we hear constantly about how bad things are—the economy, global warming, the shrinking job market, and on and on and on. All of these things are true to some degree, but the good news for your son or daughter is that there are industries that are actually hurting for talent.

CU-Boulder has experienced such high corporate interest in our students that we have had to turn companies away from our career fairs for the last three years. We post an average of 300 new job opportunities and 130 internships per month. Many of these listings do not even draw applicants, much less get filled. Students who simply apply stand an excellent chance of being interviewed and then landing the job.

Career Services posts professional opportunities that require college degrees, and the internships we post must offer our students a certain level of orientation, training, supervision, and evaluation. A student who completes an internship is far more likely to land a job of their choosing upon graduation than a student with a high GPA and no internship experience.

Career Services offers On-Campus Interviewing for employers who want to conduct face-to-face interviews with students. Most of our employer guests this past year had interview openings that went unfilled.

This is a good time to be graduating from college and looking for a job. It is true that certain majors are much more in demand than others, like civil engineering, accounting, and computer science. However, we have seen more job postings for sociology, psychology, and other liberal arts degrees than we have seen in several years (in non-profit, government, and private sectors).

Many employers are learning that they can train arts and sciences majors to be good marketing and sales professionals.

Boulder County is a hotbed of small companies, and the “Just in Time” Career Fair that takes place every April attracts these entrepreneurial companies that tend to hire in smaller numbers. If you want to learn more about businesses in Boulder County, check out the Boulder County Business Report at www.bcbr.com.

We encourage students to take advantage of our services before graduation. The resources available to students while they are HERE on campus (career fairs, on-campus recruiting, job availability, access to employers) are extensive. While most of these services are available to alumni, college recruiters are seeking graduating seniors who are self-directed, have done their homework, and are using the resources available to them while they are students.

This is why it is so important for students (especially graduating seniors) to attend the Fall Career Fair (September 30, Coors Events and Conference Center). It is the largest fair of the year with approximately 160 employers attending. These companies are motivated to meet students this early in the academic year in the hopes of making offers by December or January. How exciting it would be if your student accepted a position and could finish school knowing that a job is waiting!

You may be saying to yourself, “But what if my kid doesn’t know what he or she wants to do?” Encourage your student to meet with a career counselor so that we can help him or her explore career interests, gain experience in an internship or volunteer position, learn how to translate experience into marketable skills, and help develop a job search plan. Freshman/sophomore year isn’t too early to get started!

In spite of the economic uncertainties of today, the outlook for entrylevel graduates is rosier than it seems. In fact, the most common complaint we hear from employers is, “There are not enough applicants.” Students who have paid attention, thought about their future, and completed an internship should have opportunities waiting for them in this job market. With a flexible, positive, can-do attitude, there are opportunities for almost every CU-Boulder graduate.

If you have questions about the current job market for entry-level graduates, contact Michael Deragisch, employer relations coordinator, at Michael.Deragisch@colorado.edu or (303) 492-4123. Contact Ann Herrmann, career counselor, if you have questions about your student’s career plans at Ann.Herrmann@colorado.edu or (303) 492-8020. Dr. Phil Gardner’s research focuses on labor market dynamics for college educated employees.

For more information, go to Career Services.

By Ann Herrmann, career counselor