College Graduates Working Hard to Find Work
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Union University senior Thomas Willis will graduate this Saturday, and he will not be unemployed. “I actually do have a job lined-up for when I graduate,” said Willis, who is studying business marketing and broadcast journalism at Union. Willis is not alone. The job market is the best it has been in years for new graduates. According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers, employers expect to hire 10 percent more new college graduates from the Class of 2012 than they did from the Class of 2011. That number is good news for the graduating class that entered college in the midst of the recession in 2008. “As a business major, I was maybe a little bit more aware than some people were about the unemployment numbers,” said Willis. “I was appreciative that I was in school when I was. I didn’t want to come out any earlier.” But the double-major student said it was not just timing or luck that landed him a post-grad job. He started his search in November and used resources at Union’s Vocatio Center for Life Calling and Career. “I think it’s another thing, which as a student, you really do have to pursue yourself, still,” said Willis. “I think sometimes as college students we focus too much on our classes or on the campus activities and such and don’t think about the future enough. It’s another resource that’s available to you.” The Vocatio Center is a resource that has seen growing numbers. “The numbers are increasing for one-on-one counseling meetings, job search strategies, mock interviewing, salary negotiating – all of that has increased by a great number, said Vocatio Center associate director, Renee Jones. “But we’re also seeing an increase of students getting hired.” Willis said he has felt that upward trend. “Generally, it’s still a cautiously optimistic feel, and I guess we’re still hopeful and trying to be assured as we can be in our future,” said Willis. The job market for new graduates has not completely recovered to its pre-recession state, but Willis said many of his friends who have not found a job plan to “wait-it-out” and go to graduate school.
