University Daily Kansan / Friday, November 2, 1990
Lifestyle
9
MICHAUD
1991 JOB OUTLOOK
The market may be tight, but jobs are still out there
By David Roach
Kansan staff writer
About 1,300 KU students are expected to graduate in December and an additional 5,000 in May.
That's about 6,300 people flooding the job market during a time of financial uncertainty and turbulence, when many companies are reorganizing, merging and streamlining their organizations, and state governments are tightening their bells; a time when unemployment is creeping up and many financial experts are forecasting a recession.
In spite of the gloomy outlook, local employers say jobs are out there, though competition for them may be stiff.
Terry Glenm, director of the University Placement Center, said he was optimistic about the employment opportunities for new college graduates, though he said the job market was somewhat tentative.
"I would call it fairly good, though some employees are waiting to see what's going to happen with the team," he said. "I a wait and see attitude."
He said sales and technical areas, such as computer sciences, were bright spots in the job market, an opinion echoed by Bill Pitt, president of Dunhill Inc., an employment agency franchise in Topeka.
Glenn said that a handful of compa-
nies had cancelled interviews on cam-
pus and that a few more had con-
tacted them, even though they were not hireing.
Pitt said people with degrees in technical areas, such as engineering and data processing, were in demand throughout the country.
"Engineering and science are strong, and I don't see any let up," he
said. "There's not enough students in those areas."
However, he said the demand for liberal arts degrees was tight.
"The employers are going to the top schools and the top 10 or 11 percent of the GPAs for those decree," he said.
Employment agencies, such as Dunhill, are not good places for students to look for jobs. Pitt said.
"Most employment agencies don't deal with entry level positions," he said. "Our clients generally want position titles, least three or four years experience."
Pitt said employment agencies probably accounted for about 10 percent of job placements nationwide.
"We're a very small factor in the marketplace," he said. "We're kind of small potatoes."
One factor putting negative pressure on the job market is a trend for companies to merge and streamline operations.
He predicted that after the reorganization was complete, employment could drop below 22.000.
Boeing Co.
Richard Zigler, communications manager of Boeing Co. in Wichita, said his company started a reorganization in January when it began diverting most of its military work to Seattle.
Boeing had predicted layoffs, but natural attrition has averted them, he said.
Boeing employs about 23,000 people in Wichita, Zigler said.
"With the down-turn in military work is a commensurate down-turn in employment " he said
Don't fret—use these steps to find a job
By Holly M. Neuman Kansan staff writer
Finding a job isn't the terrifying task it may seem to be.
Kansan staff writer
Steve Pederson, a counselor at the University Placement Center, said that the process of finding a job was more work than most students anticipated but that if a few key concepts were kept in mind, students could be successful.
"It looks like there are massive
- Start early. Finding a job can be a time-consuming process, and students who are graduating in May have waited too long if they begin looking in the spring. It is never too early to start organizing
Pederson suggested the following for both soon-to-be-graduating seniors looking for jobs and for students wanting to make contacts in the business world:
or to find out more about the job possibilities and outlook in a particular field of study.
■ Establish a credential file. If you are a senior in education or a similar field, establish a file that includes information about your professional and work experience. Most importantly, the job serves as an important employer. List all references and credentials that would be helpful.
- Prepare a resume. If your major isn't education or a related field, it is a good idea to make a self-assessment file or a resume.
- References or credentials as well as work experience and education.
- Don't get discouraged. If you don't have professional experience or a dazzling resume, highlight any work experience you do have.
- Stress skills you have obtained in your classes. Make a functional resume — a list of classes or tasks you have been successful in.
■ Inquiry letters. Send out letters of inquiry to companies you are interested in, but that may not have them available or what the company has available or what the company has
to offer
- Plan ahead. If you aren't graduating this year, anticipate the work ahead. Compile a list of skills needed to resume. Call companies to talk about what you can best do to prepare. Check into internship possibilities to gain experience and are ready to enter the workforce
- Follow up. Maintain contact with companies you send resumes and information to. There may be more than one interview series, and you can't expect the first time you interview to be perfect.
Network Talk with professors and teachers to start a network of information Talk about general trends and jobs in the field Professors may be able to give you information not available elsewhere
Specific letters. Send out letters of application for specific job openings. Find where those jobs are and the experience they need.
Research. Take a closer look at the companies that you are interested in or that you jobs available.
■ Use your resources. Take advantage of the resources available at KU. The Placement Center has mock interviews and helpful information about the process. Pederson also suggested that students use the University Counseling Center for more information.
losses here in Wichita, which is not true," he said.
Zigler said that Boeing is increasing its commercial aircraft production but that military work is growing on the commercial work was increasing.
"We're going to keep people whenever and wherever we can," he said.
After Boeing Co. reaches its employment goal, Zigler said he anticipated a relative stability in employment. Boeing will not be hiring a lot of people, nor will there be a lot of lavots.
Zigler said Boeing was still hiring on a limited basis, mostly in the areas of mechanical engineering and business management.
Marion Merrell Dow Inc.
In Kansas City, Mo., Marion Lions merged with Merrell Doll Inc. in December to become Marion Merrell Doll Inc.
The pharmaceutical industry also is tightening its belt.
recruiter for Marion Merrell Dow, said the company was still in the process of reorganizing and stream lining its operations.
Steve Butler, senior professional
He said it would be at least another year before the company started hiring again at a regular pace.
He said the market for technical people was tight because many pharmaceutical companies were restructuring to stay competitive.
Marion Merrell Dow is filling about 10 percent of its positions with new people and the rest from inside the organization.
"We're not doing a lot of hiring from the street," he said.
Normally, as many as 30 percent of the positions would be filled with recruits, which would be about 300 people during a three-year period, he said.
However, Butler said Marion always had an interest in people with science degrees.
"Sciences are going to be the least affected after the next year," he said. "We recruit a lot of them from the medical school and more KU pharmacist graduates than we do."
anyone else in the world."
He said that a college graduate with a science degree could expect to start out at $4,000 a year and that marketing representatives could make even more after commissions and bonuses.
Hallmark Cards Inc.
Liberal arts graduates may have more difficulty finding employment, but jobs are there for them too.
Jim Large, manager of corporate staffing for Hallmark Cards Inc. in Kansas City, Mo., said that openings were in technical and management fields but positions also existed in creative areas.
"The needs for December graduates are going to be at the same level as last year," he said. "It's difficult to forecast what our needs for June will be because it is difficult to forecast the economy."
Large said Hallmark usually filled 100 to 125 entry-level creative positions each year and about 150 business-related positions.
data processing, accounting, operations management and marketing he said.
Openings for creative positions include illustrations and graphics designing, lettering and writing and editing.
Halmark_plans to hire people in
The state
Clyde Howard, director of equal employment opportunity and recruitment for the state, said that there was no hiring freeze in Kansas that agencies were filling positions because of the lack of a budget because of Kansas' budget woes.
The state, which is the largest employer in Kansas, also is cinching its belt.
"There is not as much hiring going on as one might reasonably expect," he said. "A number of agencies have proposed to hire them because of budget constraints."
He said job opportunities with the state were concentrated in computer services, data processing and per person management, although there was also need for social workers, registered nurses and corrections personnel.
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