Job-hunting advice for Class of 2001

Job-hunting advice for Class of 2001
BY TOM CAMERON
Special to The Herald

The recent terrorist attack on America has only worsened the nation's already deteriorating employment picture. This could be a serious blow to the crop of recruits coming out of this year's graduating class of college seniors. A new Harris Poll reveals the Class of 2001 as a very career-minded group.

The latest poll shows that six of 10 plan to enter the workforce immediately upon graduation. In fact, most either already have prepared a résumé, begun a job search, or both.

Compared to earlier graduates, this is one of the first groups to use the Internet extensively as part of the job search process. A majority has visited the career website monster.com. A significant number also have checked in at sites like myjobs.com, jobdi
rect.com and headhunt
er.com to jump-start their careers.

More than half of the Class of 2001 students say it's likely they'll someday work for themselves or start their own businesses. Among these budding entrepreneurs, being founder of a start-up company gets nearly twice as many votes as other options for a ``dream'' job, winning out over movie actor, CEO of a Fortune 100 company, professional athlete, and president of the United States.

With a penchant for working on their own, it's not surprising that 2001 grads put lots of responsibility, independence, creativity and flexible working hours high on their list of job requirements.

Doing work that allows them to have an impact on the world also is a key preference, even outranking job prestige and a high salary. Most of these workforce entrants think their first job out of college will be in their chosen fields.

What are the hottest jobs for this group? The No. 1 career for men is business and marketing. For women, it's teaching. Other top-rated fields: engineering, computers and law. Medicine also ranks high, although medical school did not play out in the cards of as many seniors as the freshman class of 2001 anticipated.

Overall, the Class of 2001 is optimistic about what the future holds. A full 98 percent think they'll get to where they want to be in life. And three-quarters think they eventually will be able to afford the kind of lifestyle in which they were raised.

But Generation 2001 students are far from naive. A solid majority thinks they'll have to sacrifice family time to advance a career. And, as a group, they have very modest income expectations. Most anticipate starting salaries of $40,000 or under and a third expect to be in the $20,000 to $30,000 range.

So, how can these neophyte professionals get their careers rolling within this current job climate? According to University of Pennsylvania Career Services, there are several things job seekers can do to help land that first position:


Don't give up. Hiring cycles can vary by industry and position, so you can't always predict when opportunities will become available.

Know your skills and how to present them. Be prepared to say what you can do and how well you can do it. Also, be aware of the skills you'd like to develop. Employers are often interested in candidates who want to grow professionally. Plus, in today's environment, the more versatile you are, the more employable you become.

Set up practice sessions with friends or family to become more comfortable with the interview process. Keep in mind that you're not necessarily a bad interviewee if you've had several first interviews and no follow-ups. Instead, it could mean that you're looking for a position that's not a good fit for you.

Target your résumé to the position you're applying for. You'll probably need several versions.

Network, network, network. You never know who might be able to assist you in your job hunt. Virtually everyone you know or meet could be a source of leads. So don't be afraid to discuss your employment goals or to ask for names of people who might be useful in your search.

Learn where and how to find information about your chosen field and prospective employers. Generation 2001 already is pretty adept at maneuvering through the mountains of information available over the Internet and in libraries. Still, its value shouldn't be taken lightly. Staying in touch with trends and changes in your area of interest will help with interviews and networking.
One last word: Based on the survey results, you can expect the Class of 2001 to bring a good balance of confidence and concern to the workplace. And that's great news for the rest of us, considering these students are the future of our business.