Campus News

May 5, 2011

Commencement 2011

Emory seniors find job market improving


By Corey Broman-Fulks

Knowing he would soon be in the market for a job, Emory College senior David Poliner watched his friends as they struggled to find work in 2010. But a lot has changed in a year: Poliner got multiple interviews and three job offers.

"My first offer wasn't necessarily my first choice of positions, but it was incredible knowing I had something on the table. When the second and third came in, that was awesome," says the history and economics major.

The job market has improved dramatically for job-seeking seniors.

Among business school students entering the workforce, about 60 percent of them already have jobs lined up. Since 2009, that number has steadily increased, says Andy Rabitoy, BBA Career Management Center director for Goizueta Business School.

"We are seeing more employers in the mood for hiring. They're looking at increasing their hiring goals, which is very positive," he says.

Rabitoy expects about 90 percent of job-seeking BBA students to find work by the end of the summer, a nearly 10 percent increase from last year.

And, the positive outlook is spreading throughout Emory College of Arts and Sciences. They've seen more companies coming to career fairs, including Google, Microsoft and Apple.

About 60 percent of all Emory College seniors head to graduate school, internships, the military or gap-year opportunities after graduation. For the 40 percent seeking jobs, Brittany Fields has already seen a 10 percent increase in on-campus interviews. Fields is associate director of alumni and employer relations for the Emory Career Center.

While official numbers won't be out until summer, she expects about half of seniors entering the workforce to have jobs by graduation, up from 46 percent in 2009.  These facts are alleviating stress for students, Fields says.

"They're actually very pessimistic, sometimes more than they need to be," Fields says. "There are jobs out there. It's a matter of finding them and networking."

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