So, you are off to college, but you have heard the job market is tight these days. You’ve also heard stories about people finishing college with a lot of debt and no job. You better go to a top school, pick an in-demand major and make good grades, right?
Yes, those things are important, but a survey of 15,715 students in the class of 2012 showed that paid internship experience was the most important factor in determining the number of job offers a new graduate received.
The survey was conducted before graduation — between February and April — by the National Association of Colleges and Employers. When surveyed, 63 percent of the paid interns had at least one job offer, compared to only 41 percent of unpaid interns and 40% of those without internships.
The survey also looked at other aspects of the student job search — the area they hoped to work in, what they were looking for in a job, resources they used in looking for jobs, and if they used the Internet a lot.
They used employer Web sites more than friends and parents in their job search. Forty five percent used social networking to look for jobs – 26% to network, 26% to research employers and 19% to discuss job openings.
If you are interested in more on this survey, you can check the executive summary or order the full report from NACE.
Plans after Graduation: 65.4 percent expect to enter the work force immediately, four out of five of these had started looking for a job before graduation. Out of the number of students graduating, 27.7 percent would like to go to grad school right away.
NACE’s sixth annual Student Survey was conducted February 15, 2012, through April 30, 2012. A total of 59,063 students at 826 NACE-member institutions took part, including earning bachelor’s degrees. Data reported here reflect responses from those seniors.
