DEAR JOYCE: My daughter will graduate from a small liberal arts college in the Northeast this year but hopes to work in her home state of Arizona. So far she has done virtually nothing about finding a job. I hoped she might spend her spring break looking toward her future, but instead she is going with a friend to the Bahamas to stay at a free time-share condo. Speak to her, please. -- D.D.
The numbers forecast a cold summer for new college graduates:
-- As a result of the deteriorating economic situation, employers expect to hire 22 percent fewer new grads from the college Class of 2009 than they hired from the Class of 2008, according to an updated study by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (naceweb.org), the influential organization to which most college career centers belong. This year's sharp decline ends a winning streak that new grads have enjoyed since 2004.
-- Graduating seniors can't count on campus recruiters scouting them out this year. The NACE survey reports that 66 percent of responding employers plan to reduce or eliminate spring hiring. (Yikes!)
-- This fall will be noted more for autumn leaves than a hiring uptick. More than 46 percent of NACE-surveyed employers say they're unsure about their fall 2009 hiring plans, and 17 percent expect to further trim their college hiring.
I sympathize with your concern for your student's future, especially if there's substantial student loan debt involved. Whether college seniors view this spring break as the last big fling of college life, or haven't yet gotten the memo about the challenges they face, isn't as important as what they do next.
PRACTICAL TIPS. Speaking to the college senior: You may well be able to Twitter your way into a good perch in the college afterlife with strategic networking efforts. But your very first stop should be your college career center, where you'll find resources and specific advice for your major.
Yes, I realize that career centers may be overloaded with service requests this year, and that some counselors are more helpful than others, but do what you can to make your center's specialists invest in your success, even if it means bringing home-baked cookies. Additionally, ask favorite professors for job leads and written recommendations.
Next, focus on the fundamentals of a fruitful job search:
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