What SU Students Are Doing to Combat Today’s Economy?

1. What SU Students Are Doing to Combat Today’s Economy? • Steps They Take to Help Themselves With Their Job Search Success

2. Today’s Objectives • Facts about the economic state in the U.S. • How this affects SU students and others seeking employment • Steps to help SU students and others with a job search • Once you get the job- how do you keep it • Keep dreaming!

3. The Economic State-Facts • Employment figures remain weak but job growth has increased • The unemployment rate was at 7.6% as of January 2009-Now it is 9.6% as of June 2010 • Bachelor’s degree or higher: 4.5% unemployed-High school graduate, no college: 10.1% 2010 BLS • The U.S. economy created 290,000 jobs in April, 2010, the most in any month in the past four years • Eight of the top ten entry-level employers have either maintained or increased their projected number of entry-level hires compared to 2009. CollegeGrad.com • Companies hiring

4. More of The Economic State-2010 Facts • Results from NACE’s 2010 Student Survey suggest that the Class of 2010 was less engaged in the job search than were their predecessors-one way many 2010 grads responded to the depressed job market was to avoid it.  • Approximately 46 percent of seniors taking part in the survey who reported they were looking for a full-time job said they had actually applied for a position at the time of the survey (April 2010-NACE) • What are they doing? Part-time job, living at home, graduate school, traveling, taking recreational jobs • Hiring outlook for the college Class of 2011 is positive in all regions of the country-(NACE Job Outlook 2011 Fall Preview survey)

5. The Economic Effects of Employment-What do employers do in a weak economy? More Facts!! • Many employers instill a hiring freeze • Companies implement employee lay offs or the allow employees to retire without hiring replacements • Some employers may hire younger, lower paid employees • Nonetheless, experts say job seekers should pay attention to current economic conditions and expect that the job-search process may be more difficult and even take longer

6. Employment Snapshot • Health and education continue to add jobs at a healthy clip. Construction is still falling, which makes sense because the housing market is still in free fall. Retail and business services are having the swiftest rebound, which also makes sense since retail is cheap to hire and businesses are having a nice 2010 -- despite or because of thin hiring. • Graph-red-2010/blue 2009 • Click here for fastest growing occupations

7. My Thoughts On What SU Students Should do to Find a Job • Do Internships-60% of students who do one are asked if they want a job-NACE • Volunteering-get to know people • Network-think of anyone who can help • Use eRecruitingin Career Services • Use the Mentor Network in Career Services • Use the Career Services website • Dress professionally a talk professionally • Talk to professors • Look at all options-don’t put all your eggs in one basket • Have a PERFECT resume and cover letter • Going to job fairs • Doing on-campus interviews • Use social media-LinkedIn • What is you Network? Write down all the people that could help you!

8. Steps SU Students Are Using to Increase Job Search Success • Identify what their skills are • Start job search sooner • Look at second and third options • Interview with a variety of employers • Excellent documentation • Great references • “Hands-on” experience • Volunteer • Access Career Services resources

9. Additional SU Steps to Increase Job Search Success • Distribute their resume to as many people and/or places as possible • Utilize the traditional methods, such as attending job fairs and posting your resume on job boards. • Create a target list of companies where they would like to work & review their web sites/submit resume • Create “30- second Commercial” • Find Human Resources contact information in job ads • Resend resumes every 3 to 6 months

10. 30-Second Commercial General Script (Example): GREETING: Hello, my name is ____________. EXPERIENCE: I am a ____ studying ____at ____ . INTEREST/PASSION: I am mainly interested in ______. STRENGTHS: My Strengths include _____and _____. BRIEF EXAMPLE: Last Summer, I worked at _____ and was able to ______. GOAL: I am looking to gain further experience in ________. **You do one! We will practice in class.

11. Where to Search for Jobs • Heavy job losses in construction, manufacturing and financial services, along with cutbacks in retailing, education and leisure/ hospitality have been the recent trend. Government hiring. Click here for top 10 hiring co. Click here for occupation information. • When interviewing with a company who is making an offer of employment, be sure to research their hiring/lay-off trends.

12. Networking for Employment Take Advantage of Networking Opportunities: • Networking is the process of talking to people in order to get additional contacts or information about possible hiring opportunities • Studies show that as much as 60% of the jobs available are filled through this process • Always keep a professional demeanor • The more people you speak with, the more opportunities that may arise • Discuss what your degree is in, what your career goals are, and the opportunities that you are seeking

13. SU Keys to Job Search Success Keep a Positive Attitude: • Keep your spirits high. Don’t let the process overwhelm you or weigh you down • Make an effort dailyand do one thing each day like emailing a new contact or attending a networking event that moves your job search forward • Set weekly and monthly goals for the # of resumes to send & the number of interviews you want to attend- make sure you keep on track!

14. Retaining Your Job • Show the employer that you are worth your weight in gold! • Prove that you are eager to learn more than what's expected • Ask to be involved in special projects • Be sure to follow rules and do what’s expected • Ask for guidance when you are unsure about what’s expected • Be humble-don’t be a know-it-all • There are others who are just as qualified who would love to have your job!

15. QUESTIONS?