The hunt is about to begin.
It’s approaching that time when graduating students should begin looking for jobs.
May commencement is just a little over seven months away, and according to the BGSU Career Center, students should begin looking for jobs at least five to seven months before graduation.
By beginning the job search early, students will have more employment options to consider.
Fortunately for students, employers expect to increase their 2005-06 college hiring by 14.5 percent over last year, according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers.
There is not, however, an endless amount of jobs out there for college graduates, said JoAnn Kroll, director of the Career Center.
“Students have the mental perception that jobs are plentiful,” Kroll said.
There are over a million other college students graduating this school year, and the job market is extremely competitive, Kroll said.
To help students find an occupation in today’s cutthroat job market, the career center is hosting the EXPO Career Fair 2005 tomorrow from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Perry Field House.
“It’s the super market of career opportunities,” Kroll said. “It’s a giant networking bonanza.”
At the EXPO students will have the opportunity to meet with hundreds of recruiters from over 140 different organizations, including several Fortune 500 companies. Around half of these organizations will be staying on Wednesday to conduct interviews.
Students can pick up the EXPO newspaper around campus to get more information about the fair, including important tips regarding attire, resumes and interviews. The paper also includes detailed information about the companies that will be present at the EXPO.
Kroll started the EXPO Career Fair 21 years ago to help students get a head start on finding a job.
Students need to be serious about finding a job and not procrastinate, Kroll said.
“Job hunting isn’t an afterthought in your senior year,” she said.
Senior Sheena Leslie echoes Kroll’s views.
“I think it is necessary to begin looking for a job as early as possible,” said Leslie, a special education major who began job hunting a couple months ago.
Many of Leslie’s friends procrastinated and had trouble finding jobs right after graduation, and she didn’t want to have the same problem.
“I am optimistic about finding a job,” said Leslie, “but I am also trying to prepare for the worst, which would be moving back home and living with my parents.”
Students who plan ahead have a better chance of finding a job, while procrastination only “exacerbates and elongates” the search process, said Kroll.
Another problem Kroll said students have is that they often don’t actually know what they want to do.
Students think that all they have to do is pick a major, but many of them don’t know exactly what kind of job they want, said Kroll.
“The jobs go to people who want them the most,” said Kroll. “At some point you have to figure out what you want to do.”
Like many students, Amber Wahpepah is worried because she doesn’t know what she wants to do with her fine arts major after she graduates in May.
“I am terrified I won’t find a job,” she said.
Nonetheless, Wahpepah is doing her best to secure an after-graduation job, even though it may not be a job she really wants.
“I have to pay the bills,” said Wahpepah, who has been working with an advisor at the career center to determine what she wants to do with her degree.
The career center offers many tools to help students plan their careers, including personalized job search assistance.
They also publish a career search guide, which gives detailed information on all aspects of job hunting. The guide is free and can be picked up at the career center office in 360 Saddlemire.
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