Job Seekers Need Not Look Far

By KENNETH R. WEISS

May 10, 1998 12 AM PT

TIMES EDUCATION WRITER

Talk about a graduation gift.

College placement officers say students preparing to don a cap and gown this spring are entering one of the hottest job markets in a quarter-century.

Even liberal arts graduates are being snapped up by big companies willing to teach technical job skills that extend far beyond the phrase, “Would you like fries with that?”

“If they cannot find someone with a computer science degree,” said Camille Luckenbaugh, of the National Assn. of Colleges and Employers, “they are going to find someone who has a couple of computer science classes under their belt and train them in-house.”

A growing economy and low unemployment--estimated to be less than 2% for college graduates--has pushed 1998 graduates to the head of the class.

“There are a lot of jobs,” said UCLA senior Romelia Martinez, scrolling through hundreds of online job postings at the university’s Career Center.

Martinez, a 22-year-old who studied international development, said she has an offer to work full-time with a pension fund manager in Century City, where she now works part-time.

Tempting, but she isn’t sure yet. There are so many opportunities. “I know I can get another good job,” Martinez said. “I’d like to do international work.”

Don’t chalk up her words to youthful bravado.

Nearly 70% of employers report that they will hire more college graduates this year than last, according to the college and employer association.

The association’s annual survey reports dramatic increases in the number of employers conducting on-campus interviews. Job postings have soared, and career counselors are scrambling to provide enough student resumes to satisfy employers.

Recruiters packed the interview rooms at UCLA’s Career Center one day last week, bidding for students who can expect multiple offers.

“I wish it was like this when I graduated four years ago,” said one recruiter.

So many firms are flocking to campus that UCLA officials have had to turn companies away from career fairs because there has not been enough room.

The most competitive recruiters--especially those chasing young computer wizards--start visiting schools in October and November, rather than wait until spring. The idea is to lock in prospects before their competitors do.

Al Aubin said students have never had it so good in his 20 years as a career counselor at UCLA. Once a counselor to worried job seekers, Aubin said, he now confronts angst of a different kind.

“It used to be, ‘Am I going to get a job,’ ” Aubin said. “Now it’s, ‘Am I going to be satisfied and content in this job. . . . Do I accept this offer now or postpone and see what else comes along?’ ”

Javelin Guidry wandered into the Career Center on Tuesday, asking Aubin to set up a counseling session. “There are lots of options out there, and I’m trying to narrow it down,” he said.

Guidry, a graduating senior and starting cornerback for the Bruins, said he is interested in business, but learned during an internship at Dean Witter that a brokerage house is not the place for him.

“It’s not always about the money,” Guidry said. “It’s where you can find fulfillment.”

Guidry has plenty of options. Jobtrack, a 10-year-old online job posting service for 750 colleges and universities, notes that its overall listings were up by 31.5% in April, compared to last year.

“It’s an amazing market right now,” said Hae Yung Kim, Jobtrack’s director of marketing. “Students graduating from good campuses are getting snapped up.”

Just as students learned in economics, growing demand for a limited supply of graduates is pushing up salaries.

Job offers for computer science graduates have averaged $40,843 this spring, according to a poll by the association of colleges and employers, nearly a 10% increase over last year.

Chemical engineers are getting offers of $45,591.

Those are just the averages. Some computer whiz kids are commanding such salaries and perks that industry wags have come up with a new label. Not blue collar. Not white collar. They are “gold collar” workers, computer-literate college graduates who can grab any job they want.

Even nontechnical majors are seeing big increases, benefiting from the lowest unemployment rate in 25 years.

The starting pay for economics and finance majors is up to $35,219. Salaries for psychology majors now average $26,766. Even English graduates are seeing an 18% increase in starting pay, to an average annual salary of $28,129.

Of course these liberal arts majors are not all working as poets, authors and psychologists. They are landing positions in accounting, consulting, sales, social services and health service firms, as well as state and local government, the association reports.

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Where the Jobs Are

An online survey of career centers at 750 colleges and universities nationwide ranks the type of jobs being offered by employers in April:

* Sales and Marketing: 17.2%

* Business and Management: 15.7%

* Computers/Information Science: 13.7%

* Accounting and Finance: 11.0%

* Engineering: 9.8%

* Clerical and Secretarial: 4.9%

* Communications/Media: 4.4%

* Public Affairs/Social Services: 4.2%

* Education: 4.2%