Bright Hall

College Seniors Leaving Jobs to Search for Employment

Joshua Sharp — 2009-04-12T22:06:00+00:00

Filed under: Small Campus, Big Story, Featured Stories, USC, The Economy, Recession on Campus

Bright Hall explores the far-reaching effects of the financial crisis on the youth and campuses of America. Click here for the full series.

In an e-mail to fellow student workers in a university office, my colleague penned a letter which was at once both sad and terrifically ironic.

"I'm having a much harder time finding a full-time job after graduation than I anticipated," my friend, a senior majoring in print journalism, wrote.

"Unfortunately, I am going to have to cut back on my hours ... in order to dedicate more time to the job search," she said, asking if anyone could pick up her Friday shift for the rest of the semester.

The mood among campus seniors hinges on whether one has plans for after graduation. With final exams approaching and graduation ceremonies only a few weeks away, a sense of anxiety is increasingly apparent -- and it's not just the print journalism majors who are struggling.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 13.9 percent of adults between the ages of 20 and 24 were unemployed last month, well over the national average of 9 percent. Adults ages 25-34 face similar odds, with 10 percent unemployed.

The New York Times today rightly points out that even though older Americans have lower unemployment rates, they face longer periods of unemployment and are paid substantially less in new jobs.

But breaking into the job market is proving to be an especially difficult task in the current economic climate. Many college seniors have already completed one or more unpaid internships, and the idea of beginning another -- a common piece of advice -- is both unappealing and often financially impossible.

My friend's on-campus job is her third part-time position this semester, in addition to a full class schedule. With her apartment lease ending, she's searching for a new apartment, in which city she knows not, and faces dauntingly high security deposits upon reaching a decision.

Perhaps sleeping on the parents' couch in the interim isn't such a bad idea. But for graduates of an elite institution, the prospect of temporary unemployment despite a hard-earned four-year degree is only now fathomable in the incredulous minds of students.

And so, some seniors are cutting hours at their campus jobs ... to spend more time searching for employment.

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College Grads Look to Public Service as Option

Megan Baker — 2009-03-09T20:40:00+00:00

Filed under: Politics, The Economy, Recession on Campus, Microtrends on Campus

When Barack Obama was running for president he urged young people to consider community service when making post graduation plans. An article in USA Today shows that many college graduates (myself included) have taken him up on that advice.

With a combination of a poor job market and a desire to do something good for the country, college graduates are turning to programs such as AmeriCorps, Peace Corps and Teach for America rather than scoping out the job listings in Craig's List.

According to the USA Today article, online applications are coming in three times faster than a year ago at AmeriCorps and Peace Corps applications have gone up by 16%. And why not? The stimulus package includes $200 million to support these government-funded service programs in hopes of expanding the scope that these programs offer to Americans in need.

I was recently accepted into City Year, which is an AmeriCorps program that focuses on tutoring and mentoring children in schools. Myself and 40 other young people from all across the country will relocate to San Jose, California without knowing anybody or having a place to live (we really need to work on that one...) to take a year and make a difference as the City Year motto says.

But it's not just young people getting into the spirit of service. There is legislation in the works that may offer incentives to Americans for rolling up their sleeves and helping out others.The Kennedy-Hatch Serve America Act hopes to increase the amount of community service performed by both youth and adults by offering benefits such as tax incentives for employers who allow workers to take time off to partake in community service and to help fund volunteer drives for non-profits.

"As our nation confronts the most severe economic downturn since the Great Depression, an enhanced commitment to local and community service is needed now more than ever," White House budget director Peter Orszag wrote to Kennedy on March 6, encouraging the committee he heads to approve the legislation.

While the bill is definitely for a good cause (and as a future AmeriCorps member, of course I think these programs deserve more funding) do we really have the money to throw at these programs? It seems every time we turn around another sector (including the porn industry) is asking for millions of dollars. So what I'm asking you is, where will it end?

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2009 College Grads: We're the Lucky Ones

Joshua Sharp — 2009-03-09T10:26:00+00:00

Filed under: USC, The Economy, Recession on Campus

Bright Hall explores the far-reaching effects of the financial crisis on the youth and campuses of America. Click here for the full series.

Popular opinion suggests that the collegiate Class of 2009 picked the wrong year to enter the job market. My classmates and I joke that we are the luckiest graduates in recent history, happening to chance upon the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.

But optimism has its benefits, and there are a few rays of hope which have been mostly overlooked in mainstream coverage of the economic crisis. (Full disclosure: As a graduating senior, it's hard for me to be objective on this.)

1. We have a unique skill set. Our understanding of emerging technologies and new media networks is a terrific advantage compounded by a lack of reliance on traditional industry formulas. From public relations to online publishing, many companies are looking for innovative new ways to attract attention, retain customers and improve revenue models.

One unemployed 55-year-old -- who, until recently, was a magazine editor with a six-figure salary -- is now taking an unpaid internship to learn Internet marketing techniques. Our generation has been raised in a high-tech environment, and our endless online activity may finally pay off.

2. We're cheap. Most college graduates expect little more than entry-level pay and an overwhelming workload, "commensurate upon experience" clauses notwithstanding. Conveniently enough, the companies which are firing high-salary employees typically end up with more work than the remaining staff can handle. Enter, cheap labor.

Some companies are resorting to unpaid internships to help manage the excess work. But for those employers choosing between an eager, inexpensive amateur and a budget-breaking veteran, I'm willing to bet this job market leans toward the cheap rookie with potential.

3. Searching is easier than ever. The job-hunt toolbox now includes a number of new resources driven by technologies which were previously unavailable or underdeveloped. We can search through comprehensive job sites (CareerBuilder, Monster.com), a wide array of niche sites (MediaBistro, Idealist.org), or subscribe to a handful of semi-exclusive e-mail lists built on personal networking connections. New resume creation sites offer flexible multimedia capabilities, though these have yet to gain significant traction (VisualCV, ResumeBear).

Another idea is to create a custom website, which introduces both opportunities and risks (Six Rules for Personal Resume Web Sites). Excited by this platform's potential, I recently bought a domain to aid my own job search. The site hosts my resume along with a few writing samples and multimedia clips, but its actual impact on employment prospects, if any, is difficult to quantify.

* * *

Searching for a job in our current economic climate is certainly stressful, especially for college seniors looking at full-time positions. But with new tools, a fresh message and competitive value, we may be better equipped than most to traverse this rocky terrain.

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2009 College Graduates are F*�!�$

Megan Baker — 2009-03-03T18:45:00+00:00

Filed under: St. John Fisher College, Recession on Campus, Microtrends on Campus

I'm not going to sugar coat this for you college seniors out there, this is not a great time for us to be graduating. The U.S. economy is steadily getting worse and the job market seems to be shrinking along with it. But we can't sit around feeling sorry for ourselves; it's time to get proactive. We didn't go to college to go back home to our crappy summer jobs, now did we?

To get myself pointed in the right direction, I headed to the one place I should have gone to a long time ago...my college career center. I met with the Director of Career Services, Betsy McDermott to get some advice on what we as college seniors should be doing to crack into a seemingly impossible job market.

The only problem is, a lot of us still don't know what we want to do (or can do) with our majors.

"You'd be amazed at how many seniors still don't know what they want to do at this point," McDermott said. "I definitely think students should sit down and have a talk with a career counselor to figure out what it is you want to do. It helps put the focus somewhere."

Here are some of the highlights of the discussion I had with Betsy:

Q: How can students start the job search process?

A: It is a three step process:

1. Identify what skills and interests you have

2. Narrow down your interests, and start to do research on fields and specific organizations you are interested in working for.

3. Target your audience and start sending out resumes.

Q: Is it okay to apply to a company that isn't hiring?

A: It really only works when you desperately want to work for one particular organization. In your cover letter you can say 'I know you're not hiring right now, but I really love your organization and would like to ask you to keep my name on file in case something pops up in the future.' Maybe when there is a job opening, they will be curious about finding out more about you and will give you a call. Everyone likes to hear that they are someone's first choice."

Q: How early should graduates start applying?

A: If you are looking for a job as a teacher, you should start sending out cover letters and resumes now. If you are looking to work in marketing, accounting or sales, you don't need to send out resumes until a couple months before graduation. If someone is interested in you but you are not able to start working until after graduation, offer to work part time or even intern, whatever it takes to keep them excited about hiring you.

Q: How many resumes should graduates plan on sending out?

A: It used to be common for people to send out 5,000 resumes and they would only hear back from about three places. The success rate is really low for cold targeting, and it's not really worth the time and effort unless you are trying to get a job you absolutely love.

While the job search process is daunting, McDermott made me feel a little bit better.

"Why are we so upset? The process is the same. Companies are always looking for people with initiative, strong people skills and professionals. There is movement out there in the word world, you just need to communicate to a company out there who needs your skills."

According to McDermott, it takes about three months to get a full time job, so seniors, get started! Some of the more common job search engines are Monster, Career Builder, Yahoo! HotJobs and Craig's List. These sites should give you a general idea of what is out there and what is expected of you as a potential employee.

Need resume advice? Check out this website or do what I did, meet with a career counselor at your college's Career Services Office.

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College Seniors Facing Tough Decisions

Joshua Sharp — 2009-02-07T17:48:00+00:00

Filed under: Small Campus, Big Story, Featured Stories, USC, The Economy, Recession on Campus

Bright Hall explores the far-reaching effects of the financial crisis on the youth and campuses of America. Click here for the full series.

A line of 50 students, dressed in business attire and clutching thin binders with carefully-prepared résumés, wove beyond the line of tiny booths at USC's annual career fair Thursday and stretched onto an adjacent cement walkway.

The students were waiting to talk with a single company. I didn't recognize the company's name, but it looked like a consulting or engineering firm. The scene was indicative of the overall mood among graduating seniors at the fair, which included roughly 115 companies (down from nearly 200 last year) and students of all majors. Appropriately, the normal Southern California sunshine temporarily gave way to looming dark clouds and strong winds, though rain didn't fall until later that night.

With the economy in swift decline and jobs disappearing at a disturbing rate, many college seniors -- myself included -- are casting as wide a net as possible in our job-hunting efforts.

And while college career fairs can often be nerve-wracking, with prospective employers scrutinizing every detail and anxious students over-analyzing every aspect of the event, there seemed to be a particular sense of urgency this year. Many of the employers had no positions available, instead recommending unpaid internships to get a foot in the door.

Surprisingly, some recruiters didn't have students lining up. They just stood in front of their booth, waiting. The busiest booths were for engineering, corporate consulting and information technology, though that could be partially attributable to USC's highly competitive students in each of those degree programs.

I visited a small handful of booths searching for openings in communication/press offices, but it was admittedly a slow grind. With job offers being retracted in some parts of the country, the only option is to blanket the planet with a catchy appeal and forget about being picky.

Stay tuned for more campus updates throughout the spring semester.

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University Stops Accepting Applications... Three Weeks Early

Joshua Sharp — 2009-01-17T04:08:00+00:00

Filed under: Small Campus, Big Story, USC, News, Local, Recession on Campus

Budget constraints in California have caused Fresno State University to close its freshman application period -- three weeks earlier than the posted deadline. Per the NYT:

"The first I heard of it was an e-mail yesterday morning, when we got back from vacation," said Ron Howard, a college counselor at Redwood High School in Visalia, Calif., where about a quarter of the senior class applies to Fresno State. ...

"... [W]e hustled, hustled, hustled to get kids to file," said Diana Rodriguez, a counselor at Sunnyside High School in Fresno. "I really feel that if we'd known this Jan. 9 thing was coming, we could have saved more souls of kids who are falling through the cracks, but our district was on break until the 12th, and we had no idea this final slam-bang deadline was coming."

Vivian Franco, director of admissions at Fresno State, defends the unwelcome surprise by citing a disclaimer on the university's website that the application date was subject to change. She says most applicants submit by the priority deadline of Nov. 30.

But Franco's casual and dismissive comments completely disregard what her university means for thousands of young adults in California's Central Valley, where I lived for all of my life before attending college.

Fresno State is the most popular four-year university in the socioeconomically depressed valley, which relies on migrant labor to harvest a wide variety of crops. Overwhelmed guidance counselors in struggling public schools are limited in how much support they can offer individual students. Many high school students in the Valley don't consider a four-year university within their reach, and most don't apply to any type of college outside the region.

Those who do apply to a four-year school, usually apply to Fresno State. For many, the university is a real shot at "making it" in the world.

Fresno State just slammed the door in their faces.

I understand the California State University system is under pressure to help close a colossal budget deficit. I understand that those applicants who ignored the early deadline might not all be top-tier candidates.

But some of the would-be applicants may have been qualified students with real potential, and to cut them off without more reasonable advance notice is to deny thousands of students a chance at higher education. Many students are often intimidated, due to a lack of money and lack of support, to apply to colleges outside their region. If Fresno State doesn't take their application, some students just won't apply to a four-year school this year. It is not easy to move away, and minimum-wage jobs are tempting in today's economy.

I know why Fresno State did what it did. But they are sending the worst possible message to underprivileged graduating seniors: "Don't even apply."

Give those kids a chance.

See also:
- Fresno State's Cinderella run brings hope to local youth

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With New Semester Underway, Bad News for Student Newspapers

Sam Guzik — 2009-01-07T09:44:00+00:00

Filed under: Featured Stories, Washington University, Media, The Economy, Recession on Campus

Continuing a trend of dour news for media outlets around the country, a growing number of student papers are cutting issues, cutting staff salaries and pushing more content online.

This week alone, the Georgia Southern University student paper, the George-Anne, and the University of Minnesota student newspaper, the Minnesota Daily, announced plans for serious changes moving into second semester. At Georgia Southern University, the cuts are primarily being attributed to a desire to restructure the paper; The George Anne, which has seen dropping grades and staff counts, eventually plans to resume publication five days a week when that is again sustainable.

The Minnesota Daily, however, attributes its cuts directly to the economy and the fact that the paper's revenues were headed 30 to 35 percent below budget for the year if no changes were made.

Cutting Fridays--the least-read and least-advertised day--will save about $10,000 a month in printing costs, co-publisher John Scholz told the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. "This was our way of thinking for the future and the sustainability of the Daily as a news organization, moving it online," the paper's editor in chief Vadim Lavrusik told the Star-Tribune.

The Minnesota Daily, like many of the papers facing difficulties, will continue to publish its Friday issue online reflecting an awareness that the future of journalism is on the internet.

Earlier this year, the Daily Californian at the University of California at Berkeley and the Daily Orange at Syracuse University each announced a similar decision to cut publication from five to four days.

Despite the depressing news, students seem no less likely to express a desire to go into journalism. According to the Albany Times-Union, a record number of undergraduates are studying journalism at the national level right now--nearly 200,000 undergraduates as of 2007, up from 130,000 in 1995.

"I go to meetings and all I hear is, 'Oh my God, they just keep coming and coming,' " Judy VanSlyke Turk, president of the Association of Schools of Journalism and Mass Communication, told the Times-Union. She added, "I'm really not sure they understand how competitive the job market is."

Bright Hall explores the far-reaching effects of the financial crisis on the youth and campuses of America. Click here for the full series.

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Roller Coaster in Latest Bailout Plan

Joshua Sharp — 2009-01-03T16:46:00+00:00

Filed under: USC, The Economy, Recession on Campus

Like most folks, my financial situation isn't looking too pretty right about now. I'll soon be looking for a job to help tackle that student loan debt, and Obama is warning me that unemployment could hit 10%.

But not to worry! Like five Democratic governors, my solution to budgetary shortfalls is to ask the federal government to loan me some more Monopoly money (as if the feds have any less debt than the rest of us; more than $10 trillion last time I checked). Even some newspapers have a chance at a bailout, if one Connecticut lawmaker has his way.

In light of this ill-advised pork spending spree, I'd like to request my own personal bailout. But don't worry, it's for the sake of the economy:

Rent - Renting my one-bedroom apartment near the USC campus runs about $1450 per month plus utilities, split with one roommate. The housing sector has been hurt enough already, and at 144 lbs., I'm too big to fail. Could the U.S. government cover me for just, say, one semester?

Groceries - Have you seen the price of groceries lately? I don't live near the Pennslyvania store chain promising a prize freeze on 2400 items, and Congress likes to give undeserved subsidies to rich farmers in pork-laden Farm Bills. Plus, broccoli is good for me, so I need a few hundred dollars a month to bail me out and help buy my veggies.

Car - I haven't had a car since coming to college, instead relying on my bicycle, the L.A. Metro system and friends' generosity. But it would be nice to help the auto industry by buying one (or two!) of those cars nobody wants to buy. I would need some gas money, too, and probably a "rainy day" fund for when the car breaks down. I wouldn't just be helping rich auto executives, either. Buying an American-made car would also validate union workers' pay and benefits.

Roller Coaster - This one is a bit out of the box, I know. But the construction of a roller coaster would create jobs and revitalize South Central. Los Angeles doesn't have a lot of available space, but there's a really ugly house next door that I would love to get rid of. We can put it there. Can I get free rides?

Submit your own personal bailout -- er, "rescue plan" -- in the Comments section below. Happy New Year!

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