OCS provides guidance, opportunities
By Konye Obaji Ori | Staff Writer
The recession is still biting; people are losing their jobs and employment is dwindling. Nonfarm payroll employment continued to decline in September (-263,000), and the unemployment rate (9.8 percent) continued to trend up, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday, Oct. 2.
Aware of the fears of prospective graduating students who are concerned about trends in the job market, the Office of Career Services at the University of Indianapolis is trying to convince current students and prospective graduates to recognize that though job hunting will be tough, there are opportunities out there for those who are prepared, assertive, resourceful, flexible and open-minded, connected and geographically mobile.
Paul Gabonay, director of the Office of Career Services, said organizations of all types are watching their bottom lines very closely and being very cautious about recruiting and hiring decisions.
“The job market is very tight, as anyone can see,” Gabonay said. “The headline of a Wall Street Journal article by Sudeep Reddy announced that ‘It Will Be Years Before Lost Jobs Return – and Many Never Will.’ IHS Global Insight, a forecasting firm referenced in the article, ‘predicts the total number of jobs in the U.S. won’t return to pre-recession levels until 2013.’”
Based on information reported in September’s Job Outlook 2010 Fall Preview, an annual publication of the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), “overall hiring for the Class of 2010 graduates is expected to decrease by approximately 7 percent.” However, the study goes on to say that the largest group of employers (43 percent) plan to maintain their college hiring levels. This report brings little or no relief to many graduating students.
“I am ready to graduate, but I am not very hopeful of finding a job with my degree, so I may continue to study, get a master’s degree and then hopefully the job market will be better by the time I am done,” senior Shiella Vish said, “but right now it’s hard.”
Fliers distrbuted by the Office of Career Services announced the following: ‘Careering in 2009-2010—Tough, Yes, but still very Doable!’ Yet many prospective graduating students understand that there are a lot of graduates already on the job market with extensive to limited experience, including members of the Class of 2009, waiting for employers to give them a call.
“I was very excited about the prospects of graduating and getting a job with my degree, but not anymore,” said senior Ravelo Dyon. “I get the sense that there are tons of people out there who have graduated and are still looking for jobs. There is just so much uncertainty now.”
Despite the current state of the job market, Gabonay urges graduating students to keep hope post-graduation in December 2009 or May 2010.
“Do not quit on your career plans or your job search just because times are tough,” Gabonay said. “There are positions out there for those who are willing to put in the preparation and time to find them. Of course, great patience is needed. The opportunity one is looking for will likely take a lot longer to land. I would advise prospective and new grads just to keep at it and not to get discouraged. There are a lot of job seekers on the streets, but companies are also very interested in bringing as many new, young, college-educated talent into their workforces as they can.”
The Office of Career Services will be hosting such establishments as Regions, CINTAS, Federated Insurance, Enterprise, Carrington Mortage Holdings, Westpoint Financial and Northwestern Mutual Financial Network to meet with prospective graduating students throughout the months of October and November.
“UIndy students can expect to improve their interviewing skills through their meetings with college recruiters, expand their understanding about what employers are looking for in new grads or interns, and learn about career paths in a variety of firms and fields,” Gabonay said. “In addition to the organizations that are coming to campus this month and next, there is the Multicultural Career Fair at IUPUI on Nov. 3, plus additional interviewing opportunities next semester in Schwitzer 206. Students must consider all options, dig deeper, get down to brass tacks and keep growing.”
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the estimated number of unemployed persons has increased by 7.6 million to 15.1 million, and the unemployment rate has doubled to 9.8 percent since the start of the recession in December 2007.
But the NACE 2009 report shows that there are “signs of promise in certain industrial sectors” such as trade, construction and the federal government. Geographically speaking, the Northwest and Midwest are considered bright or brighter spots.
