Job Search Challenges & Opportunities
Recently, a student writing a blog for their journalism class, asked me some questions via email, about job searching. Below are the questions and my responses, which I thought were relevant to this career blog. Disclaimer: I'm not an economist [far from it]. I'm a senior career counselor at a huge university who reads a lot, talks with employers, sit in a lot of meetings, have worked in career services for 13+ years, and talk extensively with students and alumni in all arenas, about their work, job searches and careers. Back in my WWU undergraduate years [mid 90s], I took two intro to micro and macro economics classes. I was not an honors student. Read on for links to insights from experts in economic analysis. Cheers!
Are graduating UW students having difficulty finding employment?
Yes, some students are. Job searches often stall when students use passive search strategies, like only responding to ads on Craigslist or Monster, and when students don't network or customize/focus their resumes & cover letters. There are plenty of great part, full and internship opportunities out there, students just need to be proactive and market themselves well in resumes, cover letters and via interviews. It's unfortunate that in a down-economy like this, employers who conduct on-campus interviews, often see their interviewing schedules unfilled, as for some odd reason, students 'assume' employers aren't hiring, thus, students don't apply for consideration.
Every day I talk with students [who have offers or are close to offers] who have been active on campus, participated in internships and/or research, follow-up with employers after career events & info sessions, and who network with alumni and professional contacts. Most students need to go after what they want, vs waiting for employers to come to them. UW students and alumni are smart if they use our extensive [online] job & internship database [HuskyJobs], plus network via the UW Alumni Association's Husky Career Network. Job searching is a process, even in a booming economy, so avoid the 'wait and see' attitude, be patient yet persistent, and go for it. Hiding from the job market in grad school isn't the best move. Grad school is a huge investment of time, energy & money. Pursue a variety of options, dream big, establish back-up plans, embrace & market your strengths, and believe your job or internship search will turn out well. Attitude is everything. Let the Career Center know how we can support you.
If so, what fields seem to be the most difficult to break into and why do you think that is?
It's no secret the finance industry has been hit really hard. Students are experiencing stiff competition for internships & jobs related to finance ... investment banking, securities, entry level roles. Many econ and business majors interested in finance, are now also expanding their searches beyond the big name firms and going after consulting jobs, and financial analyst positions with employers like Microsoft, T-Mobile, Boeing & the WA ST Auditors Office. The global and national economic conditions are hurting many industries [financial services, auto industry, real estate, pharmaceuticals, etc.] and budgets [State of Washington, King County, City of Seattle], so some employers [including UW] are reducing their workforces and many people are out of work. The rising cost of living is hurting pocketbooks around the country. That being said, markets rebound and college hiring persists. Plenty of articles and blog posts on the economy and job market on the Career Center website. Check out the excellent faculty panels on the economic crisis via UWTV. I'm encouraged by our campus recruiting program, busy career fairs, huge Career Discovery Week program in January '09, and very encouraged by the variety of listings in our popular HuskyJobs database -check it out!
