• E-mail
• Print
• Comment
• Font Size
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Discuss article

Nearly 70 Percent of College Seniors Believe They Will Find a Job Within Three Months of Graduation, According to New 2006 Yahoo! HotJobs Survey; Almost Half of Respondents Expect a Starting Salary of $50,000 or More

Posted on: Tuesday, 9 May 2006, 09:02 CDT

New data from a questionnaire fielded by Yahoo! HotJobs (Nasdaq:YHOO) at colleges and universities across the country reveals wide-spread confidence in the job market. More than two-thirds of those surveyed (69 percent) believe they will have a full-time job within three months of graduation, up from about half (52 percent) last year. And, more than two-thirds of those people are optimistic they will find that full-time job in their desired field of interest. That optimism is also expressed in their salary expectations, where greater than half believe they will earn more than $50,000 their first year.

"The unemployment rate has dropped over the last several years, and based on the survey results, it appears that college graduates are more confident they will find the jobs they want," said Susan Vobejda, Yahoo! HotJobs vice president of marketing and career expert. "Graduates sense they can benefit from the labor crunch to negotiate better starting salaries. Employers who take the time to understand the graduates' perspectives will benefit the most as they prepare to attract the best and brightest from the class of 2006."

Company Reputation is #1 Driver for College Graduates; Strong Starting Salary a Close Second

Only 28 percent of those surveyed said that a good work-life balance is at the top of their list when searching for a job. The majority (60 percent) ranked their desire to work for a reputable company as one of the top three motivational drivers. Other factors included:

-- A strong starting salary (58 percent)

-- A well-defined career path (56 percent)

-- Location (46 percent)

For those who are unable to find full-time work in their chosen field as quickly as they expected, more than half (53 percent) said they would either take a temporary job or would accept a full-time position in a different field. Only ten percent would hold out for a full-time position in their first choice field, and the remainder of respondents would volunteer, intern or were unsure about next steps.

The survey also found that finance, communications (marketing/advertising/ public relations), and healthcare are the hottest fields being pursued by soon-to-be-graduates this year and that interest may be waning in retail and sales positions.

Whether they are working in their chosen industry or not, most college seniors understand they have to earn their way up the corporate ladder. More than two-thirds (68 percent) think they will have to start at the bottom in terms of responsibility and then work their way up, while 28 percent believed they would be working on the company's most important projects right away.

About the Yahoo! HotJobs College Survey

Data was collected from more than 700 college seniors and MBA candidates via a questionnaire that Yahoo! HotJobs fielded at college campuses in California, New York, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Chicago and Washington, D.C. between April 15 and April 30, 2006. Forty three percent of the respondents were male and fifty-seven percent were female. The results reflect only the opinions of the students in these cities that chose to participate.

About Yahoo! HotJobs

As a leader in the online recruiting industry, Yahoo! HotJobs (www.hotjobs.com) has revolutionized the way people manage their careers and the way companies hire talent. Yahoo! HotJobs' tools and advice put job seekers in control of their careers and make it easier and more cost-effective for employers and staffing firms to find qualified candidates. In addition to its popular consumer job board, Yahoo! HotJobs provides employers, recruiters, and staffing agencies with progressive recruiting solutions.

About Yahoo!

Yahoo! Inc. is a leading global internet brand and one of the most trafficked Internet destinations worldwide. Yahoo! seeks to provide online products and services essential to users' lives, and offers a full range of tools and marketing solutions for businesses to connect with Internet users around the world. Yahoo! is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California.

Source: Business Wire

More News in this Category