{"id":2081,"date":"2013-04-26T19:04:52","date_gmt":"2013-04-26T19:04:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sites.jsums.edu\/jsuflash\/?p=2081"},"modified":"2013-04-26T19:04:52","modified_gmt":"2013-04-26T19:04:52","slug":"graduates-chances-are-good-for-snagging-a-j-o-b","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.jsums.edu\/theflash\/index.php\/2013\/04\/26\/graduates-chances-are-good-for-snagging-a-j-o-b\/","title":{"rendered":"Graduates\u2019 chances are good for snagging a J-O-B"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
JSU student talks to employer during job fair.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Kachelle Pratcher<\/strong>
\nBlue & White Flash \/ Staff Writer<\/strong><\/p>\n

The semester is coming to an end and with the pressure of being cleared for the graduation list, final exams, and ordering graduation material, seniors\u2019 minds are all over the place. While handling everything else on the list, students must remember the ultimate goal is to receive an awesome job offer in ther career field.<\/p>\n

\u200bRecently the National Association of College and Employers (NACE) released the Job Outlook 2013 survey\u00a0 and it states that the Class of 2013 should have a better chance of finding jobs than classes before them. In the report, half of the hiring managers\u00a0 surveyed indicate that they plan to hire new graduates this year, a 47.5 percent increase.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt this day in time, any field in computer technology and\/or business tends to always have a high demand for new graduates, and that was proven in this year\u2019s outlook survey,\u201d said Lashanda Jordan, director of the Jackson State University Career Services Center.<\/p>\n

According to the Job Outlook report, the top undergraduate degrees in demand are business, engineering, computer information, sciences, communications, liberal arts, agriculture and natural resources. Business led with 85.7 percent and engineering with 74 percent of employers that look to hire.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith the ratings in the Outlook, it\u2019s definitely not too late to look for opportunities. It\u2019s always good to start early but explore all additional options which will help land that great job opportunity,\u201d said Jordan.<\/p>\n

Nearly 49 percent of employers rate the overall job market for the Class of 2013 graduates as \u201cgood.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe biggest challenges this year when looking at jobs will be in the federal and state agencies. They will have a slow down in hiring because of financial difficulties in Washington and that will be one area in the industry that we will see a down turn in,\u201d said Jordan.<\/p>\n

The NACE 2013 outlook also states\u00a0 that 78.3 percent of employers will screen candidates GPA. The cutoff used by 63.5 percent of respondents is 3.0. Also employers look to see what skills and attributes a potential candidate has.<\/p>\n

Well-rounded undergraduate participation, including campus involvement in academic honor societies, student government and social\/networking groups can stand out on resumes.<\/p>\n

Leadership positions held, major, high GPA, being involved in extracurricular activities, the school attended, volunteer work, and being fluent in another language also stand out on resumes.\u00a0 On a 5 point scale, the NACE listed the above components as having a major influence in getting the job.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeing able to multi-task shows that you are a good candidate for a job, and it has a high influence on your application,\u201d stated Jordan.<\/p>\n

She added: \u201cThe Outlook also expresses that employers are going to recruit differently, using all forms of technology and social media.\u00a0 Students should create a LinkedIn account, a professional social media outlet. Employers will move to this method to discover what social networking presence you may have.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another way to snag that perfect J-O-B\u00a0 is to wow your interviewers and display proper etiquette during the interview. After submitting your resume to future employers, it is time to stand out during all aspects of the interview process.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn addition to always being prepared for an interview, students need to bring a portfolio and bring extra copies of their resumes,\u201d said Jordan.\u00a0 \u201cOn campus recruitment methods start in the fall and students can explore the multiple opportunities that we have available and some employers extend job offers.\u201d<\/p>\n

With the help of the JSU Career Services Center,\u00a0 students can be prepared for any interview.<\/p>\n

According to the JSU Career Service Center online career guide, interviews allow employers to access you as a complete person, rather than just your qualifications on a printed page. Employers want to gauge whether or not you would be a good fit for their organization.<\/p>\n

\u201cStudents should know about the employer they are interviewing with, that way they can ask the appropriate questions and show knowledge about the company they are hoping to work for,\u201d said Jordan.<\/p>\n

Keep in mind that employers look for several factors when determining the perfect candidate, which includes self-confidence, the ability to communicate, good work ethic, teamwork, and leadership.<\/p>\n

\u201cCompanies can change their outlook within a year, based on industry employment changes.\u00a0 This seems to be a good year for new graduates,\u201d said Jordan.<\/p>\n

The DOs:
\n\u2022 Arrive 10-15 minutes early
\n\u2022 Maintain eye contact with the interviewer
\n\u2022 Use a firm and professional handshake
\n\u2022 Listen carefully to the interviewer\u2019s\u00a0 question
\n\u2022 Be aware of your body language, maintain good posture while appearing relaxed and not fidgety
\n\u2022 Show confidence, courtesy, and honesty
\n\u2022 Keep a positive attitude about former employers, supervisors, and co-workers; be tactful, and do not criticize former employers even if discussing an unpleasant situation
\n\u2022 Maintain a professional image, don\u2019t let the employer\u2019s casual approach fool you
\n\u2022 At the close of the interview, establish a date for your next communication
\n\u2022 Always remember to thank the interviewer for his\/her time.<\/p>\n

The DON\u2019Ts:
\n\u2022 Give terse or rambling answers to questions, find a balance
\n\u2022 Be too casual with language or use non-words (saying words like, umm, uh)
\n\u2022 Address the interviewer by his\/her first name unless invited to do so
\n\u2022 Dominate the interview or appear arrogant; do not interrupt the interviewer when he\/she is speaking
\n\u2022 Criticize yourself or your former employers
\n\u2022 Discuss your personal problems<\/p>\n

While remembering these do\u2019s and don\u2019ts, also remember to dress for success because looking professional is an important part of landing a position.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the past there have been students that weren\u2019t properly dressed for interviews.\u00a0 We want them to use it as a learning experience. Students\u00a0 can pick up a career guide from our office which explains the dos and don\u2019ts for business professional attire,\u201d said Jordan.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Kachelle Pratcher Blue & White Flash \/ Staff Writer The semester is coming to an end and with the pressure of being cleared for the graduation list, final exams, and ordering graduation material, seniors\u2019 minds are all over the place. While handling everything else on the list, students must remember the ultimate goal is to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-2081","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-campus-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.jsums.edu\/theflash\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2081","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.jsums.edu\/theflash\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.jsums.edu\/theflash\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.jsums.edu\/theflash\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.jsums.edu\/theflash\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2081"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sites.jsums.edu\/theflash\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2081\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.jsums.edu\/theflash\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2081"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.jsums.edu\/theflash\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2081"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.jsums.edu\/theflash\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2081"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}