CSO attempts to ease seniors' job anxieties

Author: Simran Bhalla

Despite the flailing job market, the Career Services Office (CSO) has been working hard to make sure opportunities exist for the Class of 2009, venturing away from the previously advocated financial careers to offer options more lucrative in an economy where the current unemployment rate is 8.1 percent.

Whereas in recent years, Middlebury graduates - especially economics majors - could rely on firms like Lehman Brothers (whose ex-CEO, Richard Fuld, is a College trustee) to recruit from the College, this route is no longer an option for most students. Several investment banks and financial firms such as Goldman Sachs and Deutsche Bank are not hiring undergraduates any more, and certainly not at the high starting salaries they once offered. Others, such as Lehman itself, have gone under.

"Certain sectors like finance and consulting, which were popular Midd destinations, have fallen off dramatically," said Senior Associate Director of Career Services Don Kjelleren.

Nonetheless, certain students have still been able to find lucrative jobs. Akshay Khanna '09 will be working as a financial analyst for the firm Audax Group after graduation. It is one of very few equity firms that hire recent graduates.

"I was really surprised at how well they pay, especially for an undergraduate," said Khanna.

Like many students, he decided to try to get a job right after graduation because "I'm broke and didn't want to go to grad school right after college ... and I was rejected from the [Commons Residential Advisor] CRA job."

Jobs outside the finance market are easier to come by, and in some sectors - specifically non-profits and government - demand has risen.

"Law, government, healthcare, education and energy jobs have all been holding their own or actually on the rise, said Kjelleren. Teach for America may have its biggest recruiting year ever at Middlebury."

Several students are opting to take the path that Mairead Harris '09 has taken. The dual Spanish-Chinese major is planning to go to China and teach English, or work for an NGO and "use all the money I save from living off fried rice to pay back some loans."

CSO has made a huge effort to increase recruiting on campus and bring more job options to students in anticipation of a tougher market. In addition to Senior Spotlight - a newsletter that supplies career advice - the CSO regularly conducts job fairs, seminars and workshops. There are two coming up on April 1: a "Life Skills For After Graduation" alumni panel and a "How To Get Into Graduate School" workshop. The College also has a student ambassador from the Partnership for Public Service on campus, Matt Joseph '09, to promote jobs and internships in the federal government.

CSO has also managed to expand MOJO, the College's online job and internship listing.

"We have 21 brand new employers this spring accepting applications through our online recruiting system," said Kjelleren.

These include training track positions at companies like PepsiCo and Proctor & Gamble that usually go to MBA graduates, as well as new openings with The Brookings Institution, Radio Free Asia, American University and DC Prep, and in the public sector, Vermont Public Power Supply and the Internal Revenue Service. Kjelleren also mentioned the "hidden job market," in which he says 60 percent to 80 percent of job opportunities for recent college graduates are. These are jobs that do not get posted and are filled mostly through referrals. He emphasized the importance of "personalizing outreach" when applying for jobs or internships. Kjelleren's advice for students looking to get these "hidden" jobs is to build personal networks by using contacts.

In addition to the plethora of opportunities offered by CSO, students can search for jobs and internships through Web sites such as Idealist, which was founded by the non-profit Action Without Borders, where various NGOs, non-profits and organizations in fields such as journalism and education can post listings for students and recent college graduates. However, while non-profit and public service work can be lucrative career-wise and appeal to the idealist streak in liberal arts graduates, it is not an option for many students hoping to pay off student loans or pay for graduate school. There may be other options soon: President Barack Obama plans to create a Teacher Service Scholarships program that will cover a four-year undergraduate or two-year graduate program in education for students who teach in high-need areas for at least four years.