CHICAGO, April 23, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- As graduation
season approaches, soon-to-be college alumni will have more to
celebrate than just the end of term papers and final exams: Ample
job prospects and higher-than-usual starting salaries. According to
a new survey from CareerBuilder, 65 percent of employers say they
plan to hire recent college graduates this year, up from 57 last
year and the highest outlook since 2007. One third will offer
higher pay than last year, and 1 in 4 will pay $50,000 or more.
"New college graduates have better prospects this year than in
years' past – both in terms of opportunities and salary offers,"
said Rosemary Haefner, Chief Human
Resources Officer of CareerBuilder. "They still face challenges,
however. One in five employers feel colleges do not adequately
prepare students with crucial workplace competencies, including
soft skills and real-world experience that might be gained through
things like internships. Job seekers with a good mix of both
technical and soft skills will have the best prospects right out of
college."
The national survey was conducted online by Harris Poll on
behalf of CareerBuilder from February 11 to
March 6, 2015, and included a representative sample of 2,175
hiring managers and human resource professionals across industries
and company sizes
Where do new graduates fall short?
While prospects are better, some employers are concerned that
new college grads may not be ready for the real world. Twenty-one
percent do not feel academic institutions are adequately preparing
students for roles needed within their organizations. When asked
where academic institutions fall short, these employers cited the
following concerns:
- Too much emphasis on book learning instead of real world
learning: 46 percent
- I need workers with a blend of technical skills and soft skills
gained from liberal arts: 38 percent
- Entry-level roles within my organization are more complex
today: 22 percent
- Not enough focus on internships: 15 percent
- Technology is changing too quickly for academics to keep up: 14
percent
- Not enough students are graduating with the degrees my company
needs: 10 percent
When asked to name which skills they think recent college
graduates lack for the workplace, most of these employers cited
interpersonal or problem-solving skills:
- Interpersonal or people skills: 52 percent
- Problem-solving skills: 46 percent
- Oral communication: 41 percent
- Leadership: 40 percent
- Written communication: 38 percent
- Teamwork: 37 percent
- Creative thinking: 36 percent
- Project management: 26 percent
- Research and analysis: 16 percent
- Math: 15 percent
- Computer and Technical: 13 percent
Major buzz: The most in-demand college majors
Demand for students with business and technical majors has
typically been high among employers, and this year is no exception,
with 38 percent of employers naming business as the most
sought-after major. Other in-demand majors include:
- Computer and Information Sciences – 27 percent
- Engineering – 18 percent
- Math and Statistics – 14 percent
- Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences – 14
percent
- Communications Technologies – 12 percent
- Engineering Technologies – 12 percent
- Communication and Journalism – 10 percent
- Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities – 9
percent
- Science Technologies – 8 percent
- Education – 7 percent
Information technology (30 percent) and customer service jobs
(28 percent) top the list of position types hiring managers are
primarily looking to fill. Opportunities also abound in
finance/accounting (22 percent), sales (21 percent) and business
development (19 percent).
Payday prospects: What can new grads expect to earn?
Job opportunities aren't the only things on the upswing: One
third (33 percent) of employers who plan to hire recent college
graduates will offer higher starting salaries they did last
year. Fifty-seven percent expect no change in salary offers,
and 1 in 10 (10 percent) expect a decrease in starting
salaries.
Nearly half of employers (48 percent) say they will make offers
to students before they graduate. Expected starting salaries for
recent graduates break down as follows:
- Under $30,000: 26 percent
- $30,000 to less than $40,000: 28 percent
- $40,000 to less than $50,000: 20 percent
- $50,000 and higher: 26
percent
These numbers, however, are not set in stone: The majority of
employers (65 percent) say they are willing to negotiate salary
offers.
Top Job Search Tips for Recent Graduates:
Finals may be over, but many new college graduates are facing
their biggest challenge yet: Looking for a job. The following are
tips to help graduates get the most out of their job search.
Search early, search often: The majority of employers who
plan to hire recent graduates (54 percent) begin recruiting college
students in their senior year, but more than 1 in 4 (27 percent)
start courting students as juniors, sophomores and even freshmen.
Start researching companies you're interested in as early as
possible and don't be afraid to reach out to inquire about
part-time jobs or internship opportunities, which are some of the
best ways to get your foot in the door.
Play up your "real world" experience: Of the employers
who believe colleges fail to adequately prepare students for the
roles needed at their firms, nearly half (46 percent) say colleges
do not put enough emphasis on real-world learning. Be ready to
showcase your street smarts by playing up relevant experience from
classwork, volunteering and extra-curricular activities, in
addition to previous jobs and internships.
Update your status: A lot of employers check candidates'
social networking profiles when considering them for a job, so make
sure your online presence is 'employer-friendly'- either by
changing your privacy settings or using your social media profiles
to highlight your skills, creativity and relevant interests.
Think big picture: When considering a job offer, focus on
the whole compensation package, not just the paycheck. The salary
offer might not meet your expectations, but there could be great
learning and advancement opportunities, benefits and other perks
that make accepting the job worthwhile.
Survey Methodology
This survey was conducted online
within the U.S. by Harris Poll on behalf of CareerBuilder among
2,175 hiring and human resource managers ages 18 and over (employed
full-time, not self-employed, non-government) between February 11 and March 6, 2015
(percentages for some questions are based on a subset, based on
their responses to certain questions). With a pure probability
sample of 2,175, one could say with a 95 percent probability that
the overall results have a sampling error of +/- 2.10 percentage
points. Sampling error for data from sub-samples is higher and
varies.
About CareerBuilder®
CareerBuilder is the global
leader in human capital solutions, helping companies target and
attract great talent. Its online career site, CareerBuilder.com®,
is the largest in the United
States with more than 24 million unique visitors and 1
million jobs. CareerBuilder works with the world's top employers,
providing everything from labor market intelligence to talent
management software and other recruitment solutions. Owned by
Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE:GCI), Tribune Company and The McClatchy
Company (NYSE:MNI), CareerBuilder and its subsidiaries operate in
the United States, Europe, South
America, Canada and
Asia. For more information, visit
www.careerbuilder.com.
Media Contact
Mary
Lorenz
773-527-3613
mary.lorenz@careerbuilder.com
http://www.twitter.com/CareerBuilderPR
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SOURCE CareerBuilder