Once the graduation parties end, the new class of University alumni will be facing the highest unemployment rate in 25 years. The good news is even though the U.S. economy is still licking its wounds, several industries have survived the recession and are looking to increase their hiring numbers for 2009.
In Oregon and across the U.S., health care companies are looking for new recruits. Employers are specifically interested in graduates from two-year technical programs, for whom hiring is expected to expand by 9.5 percent nationwide.
Professional services, such as engineers, computer systems technicians and consultants are in high demand as new technologies require the best and brightest. According to CareerBuilder.com, a leading career services Web site, hiring is expected to increase to 31 percent from 2008.
The federal government may be bailing out a number of industries, especially financial services, but within its own ranks there is a large number of federal employees set to retire this year. More than 48,000 openings in various government agencies – including the State Department, DEA, border patrol and public health – offer new graduates great training and experience. Nathan Salazar, a forensic chemist in the DEA, is promoting seven open positions at the DEA office in San Diego. To find out more information on government jobs, go to USAjobs.gov or specific department Web sites.
A different yet still financially viable path is community public service. Programs such as Peace Corps and Teach for America are paid and are in constant need of candidates. Teach for America reported a 42-percent increase in applicants from last year, with the Peace Corps reporting a 16-percent increase nationwide. At the New York City regional office for Peace Corps, 47 percent more applicants applied this year.
Even in a catastrophic recession there are opportunities to pursue your dreams. Deb Chereck, the director at the University Career Center, has access to all the tools young graduates and undergraduates need to find job,s even when they are equivalent to needles in a haystack. UO Job Link, an online program used to locate jobs for students, is a valuable source of information. The Career Center offers its services to recent graduates for up to 6 months past their graduation day. Services such as the career assessment program are discounted for graduates, and free for students.
“Jobs are getting found because people are out there talking to people,” says Chereck. “The answer is not just using the Internet; students need to balance their approach to the job search by using multiple methods of networking.”
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