Get ready to jump into the employment pool

April will eventually be upon us, and along with the melting of the snow will come the joy… April will eventually be upon us, and along with the melting of the snow will come the joy of graduation. Seniors, do you know what you’ll be doing come July? Too many graduates leave universities every year without having secured a job. And while statistics point to a gradually improving job market for graduates — because of the retirement of the generation of baby boomers — if students fail to take a proactive look at their employment options while in college, many of the same unemployment trends will continue.

Year after year upon graduating, thousands of Americans are thrust out into unemployment or underemployment. I’m sure all of us know at least one college graduate managing the local McDonald’s or selling clothes at The Gap.

According to Susan Terry, director of the Center for Career Services at the University of Washington in Seattle, “A year ago, college graduates could walk into a position. But now many companies are cutting back on hiring.” This is even prompting many graduates to look for or continue current internships after graduation, just so they can obtain the necessary experience to compete for a job in a tight market. And there is still the multitude of graduates that are unemployed.

According to Robert B. Reich, former secretary of labor and professor of social and economic policy at Brandeis University, 33.1 percent of graduates were unemployed in 2004. That translates into thousands of individuals when you consider that one in four students in every graduating class across this country will be jobless.

Not to mention that at the age of 22, or upon graduation from college, most insurance policies no longer recognize these graduates; this leaves thousands who are unemployed uninsured every year.

Students need to become proactive about procuring employment after graduation. Stop by Career Services on your day off and get help with your resume. Begin networking now! Intern and do everything in your power to make yourself a more attractive applicant.

Understand that nowadays, applying for jobs is similar to applying for college. Corporations are increasingly beginning to look at extracurricular activities and community service when analyzing potential candidates for employment.

Companies understand that the world is diversifying and they must change with it. In doing so, graduates who prove they are multifaceted in areas such as business and English, or computer science and philosophy, are becoming the most sought-after applicants by these companies. In addition to related areas of concentration, foreign languages also help job applicants stand out. The emergence of this new “global village” that we live in requires businesses to employ workers from all over the world and a background in international studies or foreign languages quickly becomes invaluable.

For those graduating in April, according to blackcollegion.com, representatives from information services, administrative services and public health felt less optimistic about labor conditions for 2005.

The site goes on to say that sales and marketing positions are in demand this year. In addition to marketing and general business majors, majors that develop strong interpersonal skills and teamwork — key attributes in sales positions — are hot! This includes communications majors as well as many social science and humanities majors. And I remember people actually had the nerve to laugh at me when I announced I was switching my major to communications.

So as you’re walking through the Union today, go check out what the good folks down at the Career Services center have to offer. And if you’re one of those many new youngins still trying to figure out what it is you want to do with your life, remember: Diversifying your portfolio isn’t just good for stocks and bonds, it’s great for life!