Good news for graduating seniors: According to a recent Wall Street Journal article, the job market is solid this year and seniors shouldn't worry if they haven't secured a job just yet.
The article reported that there is high demand for jobs in consulting firms, banks, government agencies and educational organizations. Employers are coming to campuses to recruit graduates but many companies do not hire far in advance, and there are still jobs out there.
Christine Lam, the acting director of the Career Center, said AU appeals to a wide variety of potential employers.
"Our on-campus recruiting program tends to attract employers looking to fill recurring positions, including teachers, management training, accountants, analysts - and the range of employers include government agencies such as the State Department to large consulting firms like BearingPoint," she said.
Lam said the Career Center offers a variety of tools for seniors to find jobs, such as AU CareerWeb and the Job and Internship Fair, which is held twice a year. She said the career fair can be very useful to seniors and other students looking for employment.
"Our Job and Internship Fair, held once per semester, is perhaps the single best recruiting event on campus," Lam said. "This spring, 170 organizations recruited at the fair, and they come from a wide variety of disciplines looking for all majors."
Lam said employers who come to the fair also post jobs on the Career Center Web site. The Career Center also tries to recruit typically under-represented employers to the fair.
AU CareerWeb lists internship and full-time/part-time job postings and is a resource to find openings that were specifically posted by employers to recruit AU students.
Last fall, the first Networking Reception for the Sciences brought 14 alumni back onto campus and several employer representatives from local bio-tech and scientific firms, including Cisco Systems, MedImmune and CSC, Lam said.
Seniors who are looking for employment after graduation said networking is the key to finding a job.
"I'm not sure what I'm doing after graduation," said Andy Beaulieu, a senior broadcast journalism major in the School of Communication. "I'm asking friends and family about opportunities and trying to get my foot in the door."
Another senior, who went only by Julia B. and is majoring in international studies, said she went on an interview after going to an information session hosted by the Career Center.
"I applied for a job on the Career Center Web site after going to a session dealing with government agencies," she said. "I applied with an agency dealing with defense intelligence but won't hear back from them for a while."
Lam said employers think highly of AU grads and think they have a great chance of finding a job.
"Employers believe AU has a good reputation and strong academic programs," Lam said. "Additionally, AU's location allows students to gain great practical intern and work experience prior to graduation. They often look to hire AU grads because of a positive experience with an AU intern or grad in the past"
