Senior Carrie Kise, a marketing major who plans to graduate in August, said despite the quality education she has received at UW-Eau Claire, the job market for graduates may seem daunting.
Kise, who hopes to work in San Diego, said many of her friends are vying for the same positions – creating a very contentious job market.
“We’re out there trying to find jobs and it’s really competitive,” she said. “A lot of my friends are actually competing for the same jobs.”
But there may be some relief for Kise and other Eau Claire graduates, according to a press release from collegegrad.com. The release boasts a 13.6 percent increase in college graduate hiring among its top 500 entry level employers for 2005.
According to its Web site, collegegrad.com is an online job search service based out of Cedarburg that concentrates on connecting college students and recent graduates with job opportunities. The database also maintains connections with more than 6,000 universities.
The service assesses college graduate hiring rates of a variety of companies and government organizations with entry-level positions available, said collegegrad.com spokeswoman Heidi Hanisko.
Jeanne Skoug, director of Career Services, said in addition to collegegrad.com’s statistics, 42 percent of companies registered with the National Association of Colleges and Employers plan to increase college graduate hiring.
These increases are creating opportunities students should take advantage of, she said.
“I think it’s excellent news,” Skoug said. “We have employers calling (Career Services) everyday.”
Skoug said Eau Claire did not suffer the same decrease in hiring many universities across the nation have over the past few years because of employer loyalty. The recent increase, however, still has a positive impact on the job outlook for Eau Claire graduates, she said.
“We as a staff have really noticed an increase in employers,” she said. “It’s a wonderful time for college students.”
One of the ways students can take advantage of job opportunities, Skoug said, is to register with the Blugold Career Link.
The service is $25 and provides online communication between students and potential employers by posting job opportunities and circulating students’ rsums, she said.
The Web site currently has 4,000 positions posted for students to peruse and consider applying for.
Career Services also offers rsum revisions and career counseling, she said.
She also emphasized the importance of internships because many employers are hiring interns as full-time employees after graduation.
