Dig inside the jobs forecast for college grads

By Flickr user Kevin Dooley

With college seniors beginning the last lap before graduation, students and their parents will snap up a jobs package aimed at them.

Many members of the Class of 2010 may have lined up employment already, at least for the summer.  But with millions of seasoned veterans out of work, it’s a tough climate for beginners.

Overall forecasts are helpful, but try to zero in on a few different niche stories, too.  What are resume trends?  Are multimedia CVs too frivolous for today’s tough time, in favor of black ink on creamy 20-lb bond?  Relaxed dress codes, funky auditions – like showing up in costume to a Google hiring event, and so on – are they in or out this year?

Many companies are using computers to do the first resume screening – ask recruiters and hiring managers how grads can stand out in a cyber-screening.  And check the temp vs. full-time market; a short-term gig often can evolve into long-term tenure, and temp hiring tends to be a leading indicator.

You can frame your story with survey results, such as this one from Michigan State University, which casts this year’s job-hunting season in rather a gloomy light.  It forecasts that 2010 hiring will dip below the dismal rates of 2009, which were the worst in decades.

The National Association of Colleges and Employers offers a number of 2010 reports including a monthly hiring activity index; you’ll have to go through the press office for the full data set.  They note that while full-time hiring may be off, many of the companies they survey indicate that internship programs will still be in force – a likely toe in the door for many job-seekers.  Average starting salaries are off 2 percent, to $48,351 – and the NACE also offers a “Top-paying jobs” report.

The outplacement firm Challenger, Gray and Christmas is due to release its 2010 outlook within weeks, said spokeswoman Colleen Madden; keep an eye on the company’s Web site for details.  Challenger’s 2009 Spring Grad report noted that many corporations had cancelled on-campus recruiting and other traditional events; that would be something to check into this year through college and university placement offices and the HR departments of major local employers.

The federal Bureau of Labor Statistics doesn’t produce any college-student specific reports but its monthly Job Openings and Labor Turnover study can give a general picture of available jobs in various industry sectors.

I’m a big fan of case studies and readers love them, too.  Stories I’d jump on this season include:

The career makeover. Select three or four graduating seniors and arrange pro-bono consultations with placement firms, career coaches, HR executives and other professionals.  The object wouldn’t be to broker a job for the student but rather to assess his or her readiness for the market in terms of credentials, interview skills, job-search strategy, resume, networking and other elements of the hunt.  Be sure the resulting story features candid advice and action items that readers can adapt to their own circumstances.

Shadow the hunter. Set up a blog, forum or standing weekly feature in which a handful of grads report on their progress in finding a job.  If you can get them to share nitty-gritty financial and survival techniques, so much the better.  Turn it into an audio/video laced multimedia package to amp up the human interest.

Better yet, keep the blog going when these candidates do get hired; a “first year on the job” chronicle will be an eye opener for thousands of your readers, and their families, who will be in the same boat before they know it.

Grad schools. In recent years, many would-be workers have opted instead for graduate school.  The national Council of Graduate Schools reported that 2008 enrollment by U.S. students grew by nearly 5 percent — the most since 2002.  Historically, the group said, enrollment does grow during recessions.

Most first-time grad students in 2008 – about 85 percent – were aiming for a master’s degree, with nearly half studying business, education and health sciences.

Check to see if the trend is continuing in your region.