By Shomial Ahmad, KERA News
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/kera/local-kera-900699.mp3
Dallas, TX – There's some good news for the thousands of metroplex college seniors who will graduate this month. One recent survey says more grads are being hired this year than last. But there are still fewer jobs for new graduates than there were a couple years ago. In today's economy segment KERA's Shomial Ahmad takes a look at home some job seeking graduates are improving their chances.
A couple dozen students mingle with employers at a casual networking session at the University of North Texas.
"John, how are you doing I'm Joe with Universal Endeavors?"
"Hey, Nice to meet you, Joe. So what do you do?"
At more than six feet tall, John Hopkins stands out in the crowd of business casual students. He wears a pin-striped suit and a red-striped tie. Hopkins graduates this May with a degree in finance. He's been trying to land a job since the beginning of the semester.
John Hopkins: "I mean it's not as easy as I thought that it was going to be. Everybody I've talked to says that I'm graduating at the exact wrong time. They said a year or two ago it was a whole lot better, a lot easier to find jobs. But right now, it's not looking so hot."
This year there may be more available jobs than last year when they hit rock bottom. But there still aren't as many jobs for new graduates as there were in 2008. Texas Christian University career services says a typical job search is taking longer than it did a couple of years ago. Now, it lasts three months. A couple years back, it took one month.
Cheri Butler directs career services at the University of Texas at Arlington.
She tells students to look for jobs in sectors that are hiring.
Cheri Butler: "Whether you want a job in human resources, or construction, or accounting, or whatever. Those sectors in our economy that are hiring need all those things as well."
Butler says areas with healthy job prospects include government, education and health care. And a key to landing a job is networking. Butler says many students aren't effectively using online networking tools, like LinkedIn, and she says that's a mistake.
Butler: "Through LinkedIn, you could search for people who are both UTA alumns and work at Bell Helicopter. And check the people that they're connected with to see if you have any common connections."
According to Butler a vast majority of jobs are obtained through networking, and you shouldn't limit yourself to just your professional network.
Butler: "Use your personal network as well: family, friends those people that you know that are naturally good networkers."
At the UNT event the atmosphere is casual. It's not in a big hall and employers aren't standing behind tables. April Kuykendall, the associate director of UNT's career center, wants students to network as much as they can.
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Kuykendall: "Really the purpose is them in a more relaxed environment to be able to network and mix and mingle with potential employers who are either looking to hire, or at least looking to build relationships and get there name out there."
Kuykendall says they've doubled the amount of small, industry-specific career fairs.
Scott Quinlan is looking to hire more than a dozen new grads for a payroll and human resources company. He says he's more likely to hire a student from an informal networking session than a huge career fair.
Quinlan: "They're a lot more social, they're a little more laid back, and not as uptight not as robotic. You know, when I was there it was this is what we do, this is what we need this is what we require, end of conversation."
Sabrina Haun is graduating with a marketing degree, and hoping to make a job connection at the UNT event.
She's tried a lot of things that haven't worked.
"I literally get in my car in the morning and I drive around and I find, you know, 10 or 15 companies that look interesting. "
Now Haun is taking the networking strategy to heart. That means checking in at the university career center; applying her skills to industries that are hiring; attending more informal career sessions and actively using her LinkedIn network.
She's already landed several interviews that way, and one offer through LinkedIn.
For more information on job market for graduates go to KERA.org/economy