As spring commencement approaches, graduates can enter the job market with confidence. A recent report by the National Association of Colleges and Employers indicates that U.S. employers plan to hire over 19 percent more college graduates in 2011 than they did last year.

According to the document, “The picture painted by this report shows that overall college hiring continues to be encouraging for Class of 2011 graduates.”

But the unemployment rate for Kansas as of March was 6.8 percent compared to the national rate, 8.8 percent, according to statistics from the Bureau of Labor.

The career center on campus conducts an annual survey of students who graduated the previous year. June Coleman-Hull, director of Career Services, said the statistics for the past two years have not yet been processed, but according to the 2008-2009 results, 55 percent of graduates from the school of business were employed and the average salary was $36,000.

Additionally, 50 percent of graduates from the liberal arts and sciences college were employed an earned an average salary of $34,000. Graduates from the teacher’s college also earned $34,000 and 48 percent were employed.

Graduates from the school of library and information management are not included in this article due to insufficient data.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the employment rate for people aged 20-24 in 2010 was around 60 percent. The unemployment rate for people 25 or over with a bachelor’s degree or higher was 4.7 percent.

“A university has two obligations,” said June Coleman-Hull, director of Career Services. “One is to give students knowledge and training in their field and the second is to help them find employment after they graduate.”

Coleman-Hull said Career Services offers career counseling, opportunities for internships, resume and cover letter development and aids in job search or graduate school application along with preparing students for interviews and salary negotiations. Students and alumni can access the benefits free of charge.

Coleman-Hull said most career centers in the U.S. started sometime around the late 1970s to early 1980s and began as simply placement centers for graduating students.

“Now, fortunately, over the years it’s become a comprehensive full range of services,” Coleman-Hull said. “We figured out a lot of student were getting into student teaching and hated it.”

Coleman-Hull said the goal of ESU’s Career Services has “evolved” to start counseling students for career choices earlier on in their education.

Another advantage the university offers is the tight-knit community among faculty and students, Coleman-Hull said.

“That’s a huge advantage over what KU can provide or another huge university because you just can’t have great letters of reference or great connections with employers,” Coleman-Hull said.

Coleman-Hull said the job market has improved for graduates nationally, and that employers are slowly beginning to post jobs openings again.

“One-third of the Midwestern employers fall into the employer categories with the strongest overall hiring projections,” according to NACE report. “Results suggest that oil/gas extraction, chemical (pharmaceutical) manufacturers, computer/electronics manufacturers, and employers in the finance, insurance, and real estate group are among the best bets for Class of 2011 graduates.

“For the Class of 2012, Fall 2011 recruiting expectation suggests the job market for new college graduates will continue to be stable,” according to the NACE report.

Kenzie Templeton

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Emporia State has recently been taking efforts to increase the quality of first-year students’ experience by forming a committee specifically established to create new programs for first-year experience development.

“There are a couple of big initiatives going on right now, they are all a part of the university’s strategic plan,” said Gary Wyatt, professor of sociology, anthropology and crime and delinquency studies. “They focus on our need to provide brand-new students with an experience that helps prepare them for life on campus. To orient them to campus life, help socialize them, to adjust them to life here, and, second, to give them skills that will help them be successful.”

The committee for first-year experience development has already helped implement some introductory classes in various departments and plans to begin a new class specifically for freshmen with undeclared majors.

“It will be based on first-year students and their transition to college,” said June Coleman-Hull, director of career services. “It will include time management, study skills, social issues, like how to make friends, how to live, how to communicate properly, and there will be a whole section on career planning.”

The class will begin with a trial run next spring and will be taught by Stacey Braun, assistant director of the Center for Student Involvement, and Carol Blade, complex coordinator for the Twin Towers.

“Our goal this year is to come up with a streamlined, comprehensive first-year experience for undecided students,” Coleman-Hull said. “It’s really to develop programs to help those undecided students both adjust to college and understand what career options are good fits for them.”

The 13 committee members, all faculty and staff, were appointed by Tes Mehring, provost, vice president of academic affairs and member of the Strategic Planning Committee and it was created as a part of ESU’s Strategic Plan.

Although it was taken down on Sep. 24, there was a “wiki” online where ESU community members could share their ideas for projects. Mehring said the action is a part of the Red Balloon Project, a movement to keep four-year institutions at their best.

“Several students, faculty and staff submitted ideas for innovation on our campus,” Mehring said. “The ESU Ideas were submitted to AASCU (American Association of State Colleges and Universities) about a week ago – first year learning experience for undeclared majors and additional professional development for faculty in technological applications for teaching were the top two ideas submitted.”

The committee that established this program is hoping to increase retention of first-year students with these ideas.

“We want freshmen to be successful,” Wyatt said. “If we do a good job in providing a first-year experience, in terms of course work, programs and those sorts of things, that more freshmen will stay. A lot of them are, don’t get me wrong, but we want to retain more.”

Alex Pederson

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This Thursday, Career Services will host the annual ESU Career Fair from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Webb Lecture Hall.

“I hope students use this to get on the job hunt right now,” said June Coleman-Hull, director of Career Services. “Right now the market is very competitive, and they should try to make those job connections early.

There are 51 employers registered, including many accounting firms and businesses from other areas of interest, according to the university Web site. It is the largest Career Fair of the year, with two other career fairs specifically for teachers being held in November and March, Coleman-Hull said.

“It’s a rough job market for everyone,” said Jason Baker, business graduate student and chair of the Career Fair Planning Committee. “I’ve had great success with the Career Fair since the job I’ll be starting here soon was found through the last career fair.”

Some of the employers scheduled for this year’s career fair include the Emporia Police Department, BNSF Railways, The Buckle, Target and Edward Jones.

“This provides face to face connections between employers and students,” Coleman-Hull said. “It also gives employees the chance to learn about quality programs that we have here on campus.”

Career Services advises students in every level of their education to take advantage of the Career Fair.

“Even sophomores and juniors that are not looking for a job right this second should come out,” Baker said. “They can talk to companies about internships, not just jobs.”

Coleman-Hull advises students participating in the career fair to dress professionally, bring extra resumes, not to travel in groups and to send thank you notes after any interviews.

“I encourage students to research the employers before coming to the fair,” Coleman-Hull said. “The better researched you are, the better any interviews will go.”

There will be some companies interviewing the same day as the Career Fair, and students may sign up for interviews the morning of the fair.

“I hope students will take the time to come out and show employers what ESU has to offer,” Baker said. “We are a very educational institution, but if we don’t show the employers that then they will lose interest and just stop coming.”

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