Spring Break
Network assists in job hunt
Career Center helps grads battle tight market
By: Macie Rushing
Issue date: 6/4/09 Section: News
Employers place a high value on a Texas A&M education, Wilson said.
"[Employers] regularly compliment us on the quality, integrity and work ethic of Aggies," Wilson said.
Maintaining a pipeline for talent also remains a priority for many employers.
"Many companies and organizations learned from the last economic downturn in 2000 to 2002 that ceasing to hire new talent makes it difficult to stay on top of emerging trends and technologies," Wilson said.
The national unemployment rate reached 8.9 percent in April 2009, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor. The Texas state unemployment rate was 6.7 percent, climbing 2.1 percent from April 2008.
Although Texas is faring well economically compared to other states, the Career Center did see a decline in interviews for the spring semester, Turner said.
"The current downturn in the economy began relatively late in the fall semester as most recruiting companies and students reported 'business as usual' until late November," Turner said.
Fall interviews remained consistent with fall 2007, at a total of 10,945 interviews, according to Turner.
For the spring semester, interviews decreased by 20 percent, for a total of 6,026 interviews, Turner said, but the Career Center continued to experience demand by new companies that had not previously recruited through its office.
Several employers told the Career Center that the business outlook for their companies is improving. However, based on national economic data, Turner said it is likely the economy will not significantly improve until 2010, or until the nation experiences at least two solid quarters of economic growth.
The Career Center has seen fewer jobs being offered in investment banking, business consulting and for computer software and hardware companies, Turner said. However, there are still job possibilities within each of these industries.
Engineering consulting firms and some computer hardware and software companies have continued to recruit out of the Career Center as well, Turner said.
Despite the economic downturn, several industries are faring relatively well including utilities and many other energy firms, environmentally-related organizations, staffing agencies, insurance companies, accounting firms, the federal government and firms that contract for the federal government, Turner said.
Current students and recent graduates should make use of all resources available, including the Aggie Network, Wilson said.
"Aggies should follow up regularly with all of their networking contacts as well as any specific recruiting contacts they have made," Wilson said. "It is important to maintain a presence among those who can help you in this process."
"[Employers] regularly compliment us on the quality, integrity and work ethic of Aggies," Wilson said.
Maintaining a pipeline for talent also remains a priority for many employers.
"Many companies and organizations learned from the last economic downturn in 2000 to 2002 that ceasing to hire new talent makes it difficult to stay on top of emerging trends and technologies," Wilson said.
The national unemployment rate reached 8.9 percent in April 2009, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor. The Texas state unemployment rate was 6.7 percent, climbing 2.1 percent from April 2008.
Although Texas is faring well economically compared to other states, the Career Center did see a decline in interviews for the spring semester, Turner said.
"The current downturn in the economy began relatively late in the fall semester as most recruiting companies and students reported 'business as usual' until late November," Turner said.
Fall interviews remained consistent with fall 2007, at a total of 10,945 interviews, according to Turner.
For the spring semester, interviews decreased by 20 percent, for a total of 6,026 interviews, Turner said, but the Career Center continued to experience demand by new companies that had not previously recruited through its office.
Several employers told the Career Center that the business outlook for their companies is improving. However, based on national economic data, Turner said it is likely the economy will not significantly improve until 2010, or until the nation experiences at least two solid quarters of economic growth.
The Career Center has seen fewer jobs being offered in investment banking, business consulting and for computer software and hardware companies, Turner said. However, there are still job possibilities within each of these industries.
Engineering consulting firms and some computer hardware and software companies have continued to recruit out of the Career Center as well, Turner said.
Despite the economic downturn, several industries are faring relatively well including utilities and many other energy firms, environmentally-related organizations, staffing agencies, insurance companies, accounting firms, the federal government and firms that contract for the federal government, Turner said.
Current students and recent graduates should make use of all resources available, including the Aggie Network, Wilson said.
"Aggies should follow up regularly with all of their networking contacts as well as any specific recruiting contacts they have made," Wilson said. "It is important to maintain a presence among those who can help you in this process."
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