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`Students who will graduate this semester are walking to the commencement of their college education and the beginning of their career. Or so they hope.
The economy has not been too promising to the job-seeking graduates of Millersville University. Despite the hard work that may be awaiting, soon-to-be graduates, not all is lost.
Margo Sassaman, director of career services, has been working with students to help them become better prepared to seek the career that will do more than pay the bills.
“Students think that putting their resume on Monster or Career Builder is all they need to do,” Sassaman said. “There is so much more work involved in it.”
Sassaman and the rest of the staff don’t place students in jobs, but train them in how to search for themselves.
One of the events they use to help students is the Job Expo, held this year on April 7, where students attend in their best business garb to make an impression on a potential employer.
Last year 84 employers attended the event, but it has dropped to 56 and with nearly 300 students attending last year, the pickings are slim.
Profit groups have to pay a fee of $175, while non-profit groups pay $75. This fee has remained the same throughout the years, but Sassaman says it is the lack of available positions accounting for the drop in numbers.
“With the tight economy we’ve been, facing the companies just don’t have positions,” Sassaman said.
Companies like Enterprise Rent-a-Car have cut their budget by not attending as many events at local universities.
Other places, such as BAE Systems and Lancaster Laboratories are new to the job expo this year.
“Those companies want to have a relationship with the campus to become a place that students look for,” Sassaman said. “They’ve worked with alumni from Millersville and have set their sights on the university.”
Graduating students, like Zach Gring, who double majors in psychology and sociology and plans to become an animal keeper, have mixed feelings about finding a job post graduation.
“The animal behavior field, especially the research aspect, isn’t being hurt as bad as other careers due to the economy,” Gring said. “I might have an issue getting something that is full-time and that gives me benefits, but I’m not worried because I may end up going back to school.”
Gring hasn’t begun applying for a job yet, but has done some networking with different individuals when he has the time to research.
He plans to attend the job expo in hopes that it will present him with opportunities to move his career along.
Mike Heesen, who graduated December 2008 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a double minor in management and marketing, hoped to find a career in human resources, advertising or some type of corporate management.
He took on an internship during his final semester at a local advertising firm in hopes that he would gain a job.
“I learned a lot, but the organization was in the middle of layoffs so there were no employment opportunities available,” Heesen said.
After making several visits to career service Heesen found some help in improving his resume and writing cover letters. He moved his search to company websites and found an internship at Lancaster General Medical Group in their human resource department, where he has been working since graduation and plans to apply for a full-time position within the company.
“The job market is very tight and companies are looking for applicants who have more than just a college degree, but actual work experience,” Heesen said. “I’ve seen firsthand from working in the human resources department that very often someone with only a high school diploma, but one to two years experience, will get hired over a college graduate with no experience.”
His one concern about using career services is that they don’t have all the jobs out there available to students.
“If you just walk into the office it’s somewhat limited,” Heesen said. But he believes they helped him fine tune his skills to find his second internship.
The companies that will be attending the job expo range from starting positions at Secret Sneaker to Lancaster Laboratories.
Some jobs can be applied for without the student having completed their degree, and many of the companies offer internships for undergraduates.
“It’s really beneficial for students that have never held a job before and need a starting point,” Sassaman said. “They can develop skills that set them in growing companies, and smaller to medium size companies are where the jobs are.”
Students can also view the employer database set up by career services or make appointments with staff members to uncover the secrets of the job market.
The turn of the economy has made graduation an unstable situation for many students.
With student loans, apartment leases and a rocky economy, it’s no wonder students are anxious about entering the world outside of campus.