EAST LANSING, Mich. — Seven’s a lucky number for collegians graduating with bachelor’s and master’s of business administration degrees, according to the 2007-08 annual Recruiting Trends Survey.

“Overall, seniors in bachelor of arts and bachelor of science programs can expect more job opportunities this year, with employers expected to increase the number of opportunities 7 percent over last year,” said Phil Gardner, author of the 37^th annual report and director of the Michigan State University Collegiate Employment Research Institute.

What’s more, collegians seeking a job in business, engineering, computer science and accounting with large companies over 3,900 employees will find business hires up between 10 percent and 13 percent, engineering between 12 percent and 14 percent, and computer science up 5 percent.

“Computer science is the only major for which all company size categories are increasing hiring,” Gardner said. “Academic major categories also on the hiring list are accounting; marketing and advertising; sciences; social science, liberal arts and ‘all majors’; and health and agriculture.”

What’s a must for collegians as they seek to enter the work force?

Fifty percent of the respondents are emphatic - students need at least one internship under their belts. Employers actually would rather see students have multiple internship or work experiences; this allows them to differentiate among students when wading through a large applicant pool. Twenty-seven percent of the respondents felt an international internship would be a plus.

“The real muscle in this year’s job market for collegians is provided by large employers,” Gardner said. “These companies have a voracious appetite for labor in anticipation of retirements. As baby boomers face retirement, companies are going to need to fill an increasing number of positions each year for the next five years or so.”

Besides retirement, other factors heating up the hiring process are vacant positions held open from last year and a perceived lack of qualified candidates in key technical areas such as computer programming, software design, computer engineering, civil engineering and various other engineering areas.

And, a word to anxious parents:

“Yes, your son or daughter will find a job. But, students who haven’t held internships, investigated the job market or used their college or university career networks are going to have to work just a little harder to find it,” Gardner said. “Students are going to have to employ some legwork to find the smaller companies who are hiring in great numbers, but who are not the ones normally coming to campuses to recruit.”

Other highlights from the report:

• Factors cooling the hiring process are credit availability, business costs, political elections, war, and a collegiate demand for higher salaries.
• Starting salaries for bachelor’s graduates are expected to increase by 4 percent to 5 percent.
• Economic incentives by employers to provide loan reimbursements will be particularly attractive to many students, but beware of an economic backlash.
• A proverbial flip of the coin – students bring enthusiasm, fresh perspectives and energy to the table, but employers are baffled by their unrealistic expectations and lack of commitment.
• No matter where graduating college students currently reside, they should see an increase in employment opportunities.
• Nine percent of the respondents indicated they used or were considering using a consultant to work with their new hires on training, leadership and harassment issues.
• MSU’s report this year from 994 companies from across the country includes responses from 84 K-12 school districts.

”We focused our attention in growing companies, based on lists from Forbes and Inc., magazines, and as a result, we have an increase in small- and medium-sized employers replying to the survey this year,” Gardner said. “Our sample represents all sectors of the economy, has a geographical balance and a good mix of companies by size.”

The Collegiate Employment Research Institute partnered with MonsterTRAK, the student division of Monster®, a prominent service provider used by colleges and universities to help facilitate their job placement functions and assist employers in identifying qualified, entry-level talent.

Gardner will present his research report at the 14^th annual fall Trends in Recruiting conference hosted by the Midwest Association of Colleges and Employers Nov. 16 in Chicago.

He also will present the report on Nov. 28 in San Antonio, with an emphasis on southern data, hosted by the Southern Association of Colleges and Employers. He can be reached at the Hyatt Regency on the Riverwalk at (210) 222-1234. He will give the report Dec. 5 in Denver with an emphasis on western data, hosted by the Mountain Pacific Association of Colleges and Employers, and sponsored by MonsterTRAK. In Denver, he can be reached at the Hyatt Regency Denver at (303) 436-1234.

To listen to a podcast with Gardner and Kelley Bishop, executive director of the Career Services Network, go to http://spartanpodcast.com/?p=340.

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