Senior year of college isn't all fun and games. In addition to nostalgia, fond memories and a healthy amount of senioritis, soon-to-graduate Jumbos must also face the stress-inducing search for a job, apartment and general life pathway as they leave the Hill.
But according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers' (NACE) Job Outlook Spring 2007 Report, this year's graduating class may be able to relax a bit more than usual. The report found that "employers plan to hire nearly 20 percent more new college graduates in 2006-07 than they did in 2005-06," according to a NACE press release.
The report attributed the projected increase in job opportunities to a number of factors, such as business expansion and a changing job market, as many aging employees retire and need to be replaced.
Several employment experts had similar assessments.
"Most of our employers said that their companies are growing and expanding, partially as a result of the retirement of the baby boomers, which creates a lot of openings for recent college graduates," said Andrea Konkz, employee information manager at Jobweb.com.
Such a nationwide trend should assist many students applying for jobs straight out of college, regardless of their field of expertise.
"The prospects for next year are looking great: Both students and employers are confident [in the job market]," said Tara Murray, public relations manager for Monster.com. "This year's graduates will be expecting at least one job offer, on average, upon graduation."
Although virtually all job sectors are expected to offer greater opportunities this year, some fields are specifically looking to hire more college graduates than they have in the past.
"The most recent survey we did of our employer members revealed that accounting was the field with the most openings for college graduates, with engineering and computer science following closely behind," Konkz said.
At Tufts, graduating seniors recognized the high employment opportunities in their specific fields.
"My field of chemical engineering naturally has a lot of job prospects for recent college graduates, although that's not necessarily why I chose [to enter such field]," senior Steve Banik said.
According to the College Employment Research Institute, the academic majors projected to be in the highest demand for next year include all business majors, accounting, marketing, finance, engineering, computer services and nursing.
Tufts graduates in particular will likely reap the same, and perhaps greater, benefits of the trend. "It makes sense that [Tufts'] statistics will reflect - if not, exceed - the national hiring projections," Director of Career Services Jean Papalia said in an e-mail to the Daily.
Even aside from this year's projected expansion, last year's graduates have already set the bar high.
"Of the 55 percent of the Class of 2006 who said they planned to work after graduation, nearly 40 percent were offered positions by commencement when the data was gathered," Papalia said.
Papalia said that Career Services offers assistance to students that may also bolster students' prospects of attaining a career directly out of college. The department holds job fairs, information sessions and recruiting programs in order to match students with potential employers in their field of study.
As a result, Papalia said, proof of job market expansion can be seen both numerically and anecdotally at Tufts' Career Services center.
"We see affirmation of increased hiring, as seniors come in to discuss multiple offers, salary negotiation, and in some cases, to simply say 'thanks' for the support they received in their job searches," Papalia said.
Although many students use the Career Services center at Tufts, few cite it as their sole resource in their job searches.
"I've used Tufts' Career Services, I've gone to career fairs, and I've also been going to an off-campus recruiter," said senior Stacey Ecott, who is currently in the midst of her own job search.
Although many job-locating services aimed at college students tout "starting early" as one of the main tips in beginning a job search, many college students don't even begin contemplating post-graduation life until senior year.
"When I was initially interested in teaching, I started my job search in November. Since then, I have decided to switch career paths, which I started looking into in March," Ecott said. "It seems like a lot of people are either just starting their job searches now, or have already had a job for a couple of months."
Between interviews, r?©sum?©-building and job research, the search for a profession can often be extremely time-consuming.
"My biggest suggestion for upcoming seniors is to get all of your classes out of the way while you still can," Ecott said. "Because during your job search in the spring semester of senior year, [it] will essentially be like taking another class, so you have to make time for it."
