News Highlights

Recession doesn't worry most student job-seekers

Redoubling search efforts

The Career Development Center is more important than ever to students.

2008-11-18
By Betsey Gessell, KEYC-TV, Mankato, MN [broadcast 11/12/2008]

As the state's unemployment rate rises, concerns about new college grads finding jobs rise as well.

But as news 12's Betsy Gessell explains, the outlook is not so grim.

As a new crop of college graduates prepare for the workforce, recent unemployment rates enter into their minds, but it doesn't weigh them down.

Mitch Kasten, MSU senior, says: ''It did concern me at first, but I haven't really noticed at all, and there are a lot of companies that are still hiring.''

Mitch Kasten graduates MSU in December; he says having a good work history and an internship under his belt put him in a good position to find a job.

Mitch Kasten says: ''I've also been marketing myself this entire semester knowing that I'm going to graduate in December.''

Pam Weller Dengel, MSU's Career Development director, says: ''It's harder to predict than it ever has been for new college graduates; however, what we have seen is interesting.''

A recent survey of the job market for new college grads by St. Cloud State University shows that 6.5 percent of employers plan to reduce hiring -- more than double that of last year.

But for every employer planning to decrease hiring, there are nearly six planning to increase.

Brandon Ross says: ''For me it's trying to take a lot of different variables into account and figure out what I want to do.''

Brandon Ross will also graduate MSU this December. The job market outlook has him considering continuing his education.

Pam Weller Dengel says: ''We have seen a number of students who get it and are planning far in advance of when they would have planned, perhaps, if it were looking different.''

Dengel says it's that preparation, paired with simple networking, that will put those students ahead of the curve and into a job after graduation.

In Mankato, Betsy Gessell News 12.
 

For the KEYC-TV broadcast clip, go to http://keyc.tv/node/13228

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