1.8 Million 2013 Four-Year College Grads Entering Improving Job Market

John Challenger of Challenger, Gray & Christmas

With college seniors around the nation returning to their respective campuses following spring break recess, many will undoubtedly turn their attention to their impending graduation and the search for their first post-collegiate job.  A new analysis of the entry-level job market estimates that while the job market continues to strengthen for college graduates, the environment remains highly competitive, which may force some to pursue unexpected career paths.

In its annual college graduate job-market outlook, global outplacement consultancy Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc. says this year’s crop of 1.8 million bachelor’s degree recipients will be able to take advantage of the 36 consecutive months of private-sector employment growth that has occurred since the jobs recovery began in earnest in March 2010.

“Job creation has been slow, but it has been steady.  Over the past 14 months, private payrolls have grown by an average of 190,000 new workers per month.  There are a growing number of opportunities for job seekers, but the search definitely requires an aggressive approach.  This is especially true for new graduates, who are likely to have less real-world experience to point to in job interviews,” said John A. Challenger, chief executive officer of Challenger, Gray & Christmas. Continue Reading

U.S. Department of State Launches Mobile Career App

Students who want to work for a large, stable employer often choose to work for one of the hundreds of departments agencies within the U.S. federal government. The lead foreign affairs agency responsible for formulating and implementing U.S. foreign policy overseas is the U.S. Department of State.

Most of the Department’s civil service employees work in the Washington, D.C., or other cities throughout the United States on everything from improving trade opportunities for U.S. businesses, to helping American couples adopt children from overseas, to monitoring human rights issues. Others work overseas in embassies, consulates, and other locations. These Foreign Service employees are hard to recruit because the hiring standards are high, the hurdles many, and the competition fierce. Continue Reading

69% of Students Highly or Very Highly Stressed by College Admissions

Stressed student photo courtesy of Shutterstock

This is a very stressful time of the year for high school seniors and others who are waiting to hear back from the admissions offices of colleges and universities. Although some top students received “you’ve been accepted” letters months ago from schools with rolling admissions policies, most students are still waiting to hear from most schools. And the wait can be agonizing.

According to The Princeton Review’s 2013 “College Hopes & Worries Survey” – an annual poll of college applicants and parents of applicants – stress levels are high and worries about college costs are higher than ever.  Eighty-nine percent of survey respondents this year say financial aid will be “very” necessary to pay for college and within that cohort 66 percent say “extremely” necessary (a five percent increase over 2012).  Nonetheless, 100 percent of the respondents believe college will be “worth it” and 51 percent see a “potentially better job / higher income” as the main benefit of the diploma. Other findings were: Continue Reading

CollegeRecruiter.com Continues Its Active Support of the CandE’s Effort to Improve the Candidate Experience

Talent Board, a non-profit organization focused on the promotion and elevation of the candidate experience, today announced details of the Candidate Experience Council, comprised of some of the leading voices in HR and talent acquisition.

As the organization behind the Candidate Experience Awards (CandEs), the Talent Board’s goal is to facilitate the evolution of the employment candidate experience. In just two years, the CandEs have grown considerably (rising from 57 participating organizations and seven sponsors in 2011 to 90 companies and 18 sponsors in 2012 in North America, and expanding the program to the U.K.) as more organizations recognize the bottom line and branding benefits of keeping job seekers engaged and informed about their candidate status.

The Council was created to help steer the future of the CandEs awards and benchmarking program by drawing on the expertise and knowledge of the HR community’s thought leaders. The Council ensures the Talent Board has access to the latest information and a wide variety of ideas that can enhance the program and ensure its continued success as it enters its third year. Through various committees, the members of the Council will be involved in numerous support initiatives by creating deeper awareness of the program, conducting sponsorship outreach, conducting employer and candidate surveys and sharing ideas to various reports and presentations based on the CandEs.

The Candidate Experience Council currently consists of 24 recruiting industry experts, including: Continue Reading

Moneyball for Recruiters: How Data-Driven Analytics Are Revolutionizing Corporate Hiring

Sarah White, Principal & CEO of Sarah White & Associates, LLC

Interesting discussion today at HuffPost Live about how the same data-driven analytics that revolutionized talent evaluation in pro sports are now being applied to the broader marketplace. Will the evolution away from traditional sourcing techniques, resumes, assessments, and other traditional hiring practices and toward new technology help or hurt?

The consensus — as well stated by my friend, Sarah White — was that the new techniques will help employers and candidates alike as the new technology will help the two connect even if they’re not aware of each other.In addition, the new technology is enabling employers to move away from flawed personnel selection tools such as Myers-Briggs and other personality tools.

Some of the most interesting aspects of the discussion to me were: Continue Reading

Dream College for a Student Often Different From That Parents

A recent survey asked prospective students and their parents to name their dream colleges. Some of the schools on the list were the same — Stanford was first on both lists — but some were quite different.

The colleges students most named as their “dream college” were: Continue Reading

41% of Employers Suffering Loss of Productivity Due to Difficulty Hiring for I.T., Sales, Engineering, Other Positions

Matt Ferguson, CEO of Careerbuilder

The growing deficit of skilled labor needed to fill in-demand jobs is causing a drag on employers across the globe. A significant number of employers in the ten largest world economies said that extended job vacancies have resulted in lower revenue and productivity and the inability to grow their businesses. Employers in China were the most likely to report having open positions they cannot fill and corresponding negative effects on their company performance. Russia houses the largest percentage of employers reporting a revenue shortfall tied to extended job vacancies while the U.S. is among those most likely to report a productivity loss. Japan ranked high among those who said the inability to find skilled talent has impeded expansion of their businesses.

The global CareerBuilder survey, conducted online by Harris Interactive^© from November 1 to November 30, 2012, included more than 6,000 hiring managers and human resource professionals in countries with the largest gross domestic product.

“The inability to fill high skill jobs can have an adverse ripple effect, hindering the creation of lower-skilled positions, company performance and economic expansion,” said Matt Ferguson, CEO of CareerBuilder. “Major world economies are feeling the effects of this in technology, healthcare, production and other key areas. The study underlines how critical it is for the government, private sector and educational institutions to work together to prepare and reskill workers for opportunities that can help move the needle on employment and economic growth.” Continue Reading

Job Boards Aren’t Dead. They’re Evolving.

Mark Mehler and Gerry Crispin of CareerXroads

Mark Mehler and Gerry Crispin of CareerXroads just released their Annual Sources of Hire (SOH) Study, which is one of the most referenced and authoritative snapshots of how large, highly-competitive, high-profile firms define and measure the talent supply chain.

The SOH report is a glimpse of where employees – actual hires – were found. This data is important to organizations as they look to find and hire new employees. It is equally important to job candidates as they seek the most effective channels to a new job.

Interesting findings from this year’s study include: Continue Reading

Video: How to Get a Job After College Graduation

I recently was interviewed via Skype by Jordie Kern of 1 Degree Hire, which is a resource for first-time job seekers. More specifically, 1 Degree Hire is a 21-day step-by-step program designed to make recent graduates more marketable, better understand what employers want, and give those grads an edge over others who are competing for the same jobs.

The 1 Degree Hire system includes 21 days of intense preparation through a series of eBooks and MP3 audio downloads. Members also enjoy a personal consultation, resume and portfolio critique, e-mail support, and weekly webinars. In addition, they get insider access to an extensive video library of interviews with some of the nation’s most powerful CEOs and human resource professionals, who reveal what they look for in a candidate and what key questions they typically ask in an interview.

Jordie and I talked about CollegeRecruiter.com and what recent college graduates should do in order to increase their chances of being hired. Listen in: Continue Reading

Sequestration Far Worse Than March Madness for Job Numbers

U.S. House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner

With the first round of the 2013 NCAA Division 1 men’s basketball championship tournament set to tip off next week, the nation’s employers should be readying themselves for the inevitable drop in productivity that coincides.  One new survey found that nearly one-third of workers spend at least three hours per day following the Tournament during work hours.

In the annual “study” hated by working basketball fans everywhere, global outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc., estimates that March Madness will cost American companies at least $134 million in “lost wages” over the first two days of the Tournament, as an estimated 3.0 million employees spend one to three hours following the basketball games instead of working.

“At the end of the day, March Madness will not even register as a blip in the overall economy.  Sequestration is going to have a far bigger impact.  Will March Madness even have an effect on a company’s bottom line?  Not at all,” said John A. Challenger, chief executive officer of Challenger, Gray & Christmas. Continue Reading