Release date: March 31, 2008
Contact: Beverly Cox Clark at 404-712-8780 or beverly.clark@emory.edu

Job Market Looks Good for Class of 2008

Despite dismal reports about the national economy, Emory seniors are finding a strong job market and opportunities to use their hard-earned degrees and skills in the workforce. Emory's Career Center reports that recruitment is up in all sectors, including government, financial services, consulting and nonprofits, and the Goizueta Business School's BBA Career Management Center also is seeing strong hiring.

"This was one of our strongest recruiting seasons ever. It seems contrary to what we're reading, but our students are getting hired," says Kori Neville, associate director of the Career Center. Over the past two years, there has been a 60 percent increase in the number of companies coming to campus to recruit students, a combination of proactive work by Emory staff and increased interest in Emory graduates.

Although employers are not sure how the credit crunch will play out, they are still hiring this year. "They don't want to make the mistake of freezing all hiring as they did after 9-11, and thus limiting talent from Emory and other schools from their pipeline," Neville says.

The biggest single employer remains Teach for America, which has hired 31 soon-to-be graduates. "They are very happy with the talent here, and the program remains very popular with students. As a result, it has become extremely competitive to make the cut," Neville says.

Government hiring is especially strong, due in part to current and impending baby-boomer retirements. "Government agencies need to be able to develop employees and fill the leadership ranks that will be vacated soon," Neville says.

Internships Can Lead to Jobs

For Goizueta students about to graduate, the class "is doing better than you would expect. The current economic factors may have more of an impact on next year's class, but our focus and stance is that the job market is always competitive so we take a proactive approach to initiate and cultivate more opportunities for our students," says Kim Molee, associate director of the BBA Career Management Center.

Goizueta is highly focused on students gaining internships, which often lead directly to jobs, with a goal of 100 percent participation. A majority of students have internships lined up for this summer, which will help them next year when they graduate, Molee says.

Liberal arts majors are in demand as well; more than 90 percent of the companies that recruit on Emory's campus are looking for all majors.

Networking Is Key for Students

For biology major Nicole Miller, a passionate interest in biostatics has led to a job in Washington, D.C., with consulting firm Ernst and Young. She used the Career Center's Eagle Opportunities Network to find the job posting, then took advantage of the center's mock interview training and resume consulting to prepare herself. Phone calls to alumni working with the firm also helped her get her foot in the door.

"My proactive work really made a difference. It was very competitive," Miller says.

Miller is one of many students who are taking the right steps to land jobs with their liberal arts background, Neville says. "The biggest difficulty for a liberal arts major is figuring out what they want to do with their degree. With their education and the critical thinking skills they have gained, they can work in environments across the business world and other industries. The challenge for them is figuring out how to focus and tailor their talents for a particular industry or field."

Emory's formal and informal alumni networks are an important factor in getting students placed. "Alumni networking is vital in helping students prepare themselves for the job market," Molee says.

"Emory alums are doing a lot of great work in making sure the Emory brand remains strong in the marketplace," Neville says. "If they do well, companies take notice and want to hire more Emory grads. Alumni are being proactive as well in making sure their companies recruit here, while also supporting new Emory graduates in negotiating their job searches."

Emory University (www.emory.edu) is one of the nation’s leading private research universities and a member of the Association of American Universities. Known for its demanding academics, outstanding undergraduate college of arts and sciences, highly ranked professional schools and state-of-the-art research facilities, Emory is ranked as one of the country's top 20 national universities by U.S. News & World Report. In addition to its nine schools, the university encompasses The Carter Center, Yerkes National Primate Research Center and Emory Healthcare, the state's largest and most comprehensive health care system.

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