May graduates are expected to land jobs easier than December graduates as economy recovers

Students graduating in December will have a tougher time landing jobs than those who graduate in May, campus career experts and economists said.

Hiring has been weak this year.

Though between 1,500 and 2,000 students interviewed with prospective employers who visited campus this fall, the recruiters offered fewer positions than in past years, said Bill Ruggirello, assistant director of Career Services.

This semester, 110 companies sent recruiters to campus.

"We've been in a period for the past year in which the economy has not been creating a lot of jobs," said Marshall Vest, UA director of economic and business research. "In the Tucson and Phoenix markets, the job base has been declining."

Although Vest said the job market has not recovered from the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and 1990s over-investment in technology due to fear of technological problems associated with the year 2000, he expects to see a better economic picture for May graduates.

"By midyear, we will see hiring again," Vest said. "The job picture is going to brighten."

He said that by 2004, the job market will be healthy again but will not equal the levels it reached a few years ago when high-tech companies offered graduates jobs, signing bonuses and new cars.

This year, a growing number of UA students ÷ including soon-to-be graduates ÷ are exploring their options using Career Services' Wildcat JobLink Web page, campus interviewing and the center's many other services.

More than 10,000 students have used Career Service's Web site and the Wildcat JobLink pages, which are open to UA students from the time they register to a year after they graduate, said Marie Rozenblit, director of career services.

The JobLink Web page posts job listings in all fields all over the world, for entry-level jobs, advanced positions and internships.

The Career Services Center offers help to all students, including the Discover program, which offers tests that help indicate students' interests for choosing majors or careers, walk-in job counseling and resumŽ critiques, as well as interviewing workshops.

"It's like a home base for (students) to go to help assure them with their futures," said molecular and cellular biology junior Iram N. Ahmad, who uses Career Services. "It's a good support for students graduating and looking for jobs, and with the economy today, it's important."

Although Career Services is a useful tool to assist students in finding jobs, the program requires students to do a lot of their own work in searching for a job, said Susan Miller, Career Services marketing and special events coordinator.

"Everyone who wants a job will have to work for it," Miller said. "We have resources, but we won't find a job for you."

More information about career services can be viewed at http://www.career.arizona.edu.