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Show i 4- Friday, May 3, 1991 - ft .' 'J i A x V ' A 4 Crash course A YOUNG GIRL examines a smashed car put on display by the WSU Drug and Alcohol Help Net to warn of the possible consequences of driving drunk and Increase public awareness of national Drug and Alcohol Awareness Week. BMAN WSRTh SIGNPOST ; Great news: job market for seniors drying up (USAACIN) CHAPEL HILL, N.C. Gray suit. Grade point average over 3.0. Personable, sense of humor. Summer internship. Meet Scott Wise, 21, a senior majoring in business at the University of North Carolina and a job-seeker with an ideal resume. So what's wrong with this picture? With three weeks until graduation, Wise can't find a job. 'This is my 25th interview," he says, downing a Pepsi as he waits to talk with a recruiter from Exide Electronics. "I'm out of money, out of time, out of patience." Not since the early 1980s have college seniors been so frustrated by their search for their first job. At college campuses across the country, graduating students are desperately trying to beat some overwhelming odds: A recent Michigan State survey says job openings for college graduates declined 13 percent from 1989 to 1990 and 10 percent from 1990 to 1991 the biggest two-year drop since 1982. Meanwhile, the nation's unemployment rate now at 6.8 percent is expected to reach 7 percent to 7.5 percent by the end of the year, throwing experienced workers onto the street to compete for jobs that once might have gone to eager young graduates. Blame it on the recession. That's what most students are doing. As banks, real estate firms, computer and construction companies lay off thousands of workers, it's inevitable that entry-level positions will be cut back. A December survey of 320 companies by Northwestern University found 42 percent planned to hire fewer college graduates this year than they did last year. Scattered signs that the econ-omymaybe picking up could make a difference in recruiting plans but it's too late for this year's graduates, says Patrick Scheetz, assistant director of Michigan State University's Career Development and Placement Services. "Employers are beginning to at least think about recruitment, but they haven't turned on the spigot yet. We hope by January of '92 to be active again." It's a rare university that hasn't seen a company cancel a recruiting trip this year. At the University of North Carolina, the number of companies recruiting on-campus is down 10 percent to 15 percent from last year, as is the number of interviews each company has scheduled, says placement director Marcia Harris. Among those cutting back are IBM, Burlington Industries, J.C. Penney, Procter & Gamble. Harris estimates only 30 percent of the 3,000 graduating seniors will have jobs by graduation day, May 12. In a good year, she says, half would have jobs by then. At Northwestern University in Evanston, 111., nearly 10 percent of company recruiters have canceled; the number of interviews scheduled is down 15 percent, says placement director Victor Lind-quist. In Waltham, Mass., students at Bentley College are casualties of the down-in-the-dumps New England economy. Recruiting has dropped 13 percent to 15 percent this year, says Bernie Cummins, director of the Office of Career Services. A popular new workshop this year is Reality 101: Surviving the Job Search in a Recession.What will happen to those who come up empty on graduation day? Mark Duong, 22, a marketing major at the University of North Carolina, plans to work in his brother's poultry plant in Los Angeles. Scott Wise says he will go home to Mom and Dad in Statesville, Ga., and spend the summer "knocking on doors," looking for work. College counselors say students just starting to look for work can expect a nine-month search. For the jobs that are available, competition is fierce. Companies aren't taking chances. They're going for the best. "Y ou know it when you see it," says Janice Sharp, a recruiter for Exide Electronics in Raleigh, N.C. On a Friday in April, Sharp spends a day interviewing a half-dozen students who've signed up for the chance at a job with a starting salary of $28,000. Exide is in a "conservative hiring mode," she says, but she's on the lookout for superstars: highly motivated, with a good G.P.A. (3.0 or above), summer job experience in their chosen field and an ability to present themselves well. "They should be focused, articulate, and have concrete, meaningful, realistic goals," she says. Mere "high achievers" those she thinks would make above-average employees would have been hired in better years. This year, they're out of luck. Sharp says she has noticed that students are more realistic and more humble these days, and therefore willing to settle for less. But some, she says, still make the mistake of saying they won't take an entry-level job. One told her he thought he'd already paid his dues in college. Says Sharp: "I thought, Tou haven't even begun to pay your dues."' Another no-no: objecting to working long hours. "I'm not interested in someone looking for an 8 to 5 job," she says. At UNCs Career Services Library, Wayne Banner, 22, a business administration major with a 35 G.P. A., is looking dejected. He's married with a small child, and after 15 interviews he's had no job offers. His last real hope: A company flew him to Florida for a second interview, then told him he "didn't have a marketing personal-ity." "My self-esteem is down," he says. "And I know that hurts my chances in interviews. I blame it on myself half the time. If I shift the blame to the job market, I feel better."- By JULIA LAWLOR; Copyright 1991, USA TODAYApple College Information Network WEBER STATE UNIVERSITY ANNUAL LOST & FOUND SALE WSU Police Department will have its annual lost & found sale in the basement of Annex 5. This is a closed bid with highest bidder acquiring the item. Items will be on display in Annex 5 on: Wednesday, May 8th 8am-3pm Thursday, May 9th 8am-3pm Friday, May 10th 8am-3pm Highest bidder will be notified by phone on: Monday, May 13th 8am-3pm Tuesday, May 14th 8am-3pm Wednesday, May 15th 8am-3pm All bid items must be picked up by Wednesday, May 15th at 3pm. ITEMS TOO NUMEROUS TO LIST. |