Grads face troubling employment rates

Students graduating from college this year may find obtaining employment in an oversaturated job market to be extremely difficult.

Companies that responded to a 2009 National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) Job Outlook survey expect to hire 22 percent fewer college graduates from this year's graduating class than in 2008.

This drop ends an unbroken progression of increases in expected hiring that began in 2004, according to the association. The companies responding reported an "unparalleled level of uncertainty" with regards to fall recruiting plans.

Mark Presnell, director of the Career Center, emphasized that the survey only presented projections of changes in hiring and might not reflect actual numbers.

He said that the University will not have data for graduate employment until the spring, when class survey data has been collected and analyzed.

The most recent post-graduate data available is for the class of 2007. 76 percent (726 graduates) of the class responded to the survey. Forty-five percent of the surveyed were employed full-time six months after graduation and 45 percent were enrolled at a graduate or professional school. The last 10 percent were either participating in volunteer work, actively job searching or applying to graduate or professional school.

According to Presnell, survey data for the class of 2008 will be released in two to three weeks. He could not provide definitive numbers, but he said that so far, they appear "very similar" to the 2007 results. He expects that the numbers for the class of 2009's post-graduate survey will be similar to the most recent survey as well.

Presnell felt that while employment would become more competitive, most Hopkins students would still be able to find jobs, especially for humanities majors who have numerous applications in the job market.

"For the Writing Seminars, film and all liberal arts majors, it's important to think about what goal they want and to articulate that to an employer," Presnell said. "That's what the Career Center helps you do."

According to Presnell, there has been a decrease in recruiting by some companies on campus.

"A company that came three times to campus, now, might only come once. That's budget," he said.

Presnell noted that students interested in finance might have to be flexible when searching for a job, given the current economic conditions.

"A finance student may look at the Department of Treasury, rather than a Wall Street bank," he said.

Presnell said that the Career Center has added additional appointments for students to come meet with counselors.

"By the end of this week, we'll [have seen] more students than we did last year," he said.

Presnell said that the job search would be most fruitful for students willing to be flexible and to pursue employment despite those who assert that it will be harder to come by.

"I'm most worried about students who put less time in their job search because of what they read in the newspaper," he said.

Leslie Kendrick is a senior lecturer and internship coordinator for the Center for Leadership Education (CLE). She also works with Hopkins students to help them secure internships.

Kendrick urged students searching for jobs or internships to apply early.

Kendrick noted that despite the economic climate, the number of internships in Baltimore has not decreased, although fewer internships are offering students money.

Kendrick said that the number of students participating in internships for credit that are sponsored by the CLE has dropped. From 2006-2007, 41 students participated, while only 28 participated in 2007-2008.

Many Hopkins seniors are pessimistic about the current job market.

"I wish I had graduated three years ago," senior Esther Bell, an international relations major, said. "Three years ago would have meant that I would have enough job security to not get fired today, and three years from now people will actually be hiring. It's been frustrating to go to career fairs and realize that these companies don't actually have jobs to offer."

Senior film and media studies major Christen Cromwell, who aspires to be a professional actress, is also concerned about her ability to find a job in the increasingly difficult times.

"I am feeling really low," she said. "Theaters are closing, and the opera, oh no! I almost regret not applying to grad school."

In the end, Presnell has confidence in the Hopkins graduate's ability to seek and obtain gainful employment, and so do Cromwell and Bell.

"That's the benefit of Hopkins. It prepares students for the job world," Presnell said.

"Even if you don't feel like you have a plan that makes sense to anyone else, it's better to fulfill your dreams as much as possible now when you're a 20-something, than to look back as a 30-something with a family and a sea of responsibilities," Cromwell said.

She intends to pursue her goal of becoming a professional actress despite the economic hardships. "I think the economy will retard my job search and make it more difficult for me to move up the corporate ladder, but only in the short term," Bell said. "I know that with hard work and a Hopkins degree, I'll eventually get where I want to be."