Some grads still in demand despite economy - Kansas City Business Journal:

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“I graduated May 2 and startee onMay 4,” said Hall, 25, of who works in huma resources at the Atlanta office of , a health-care technology consultant. “It’s been a but it’s going pretty well.” Hall’ss new company overlaps two sectorsd of the economy that are goingt strong despitethe recession. Universitu career services directors say medical and technology companies are continuing to recruit and hire new employeese even as other industries freeze payrollsd and hand outpink “When recruiters call me to hire, they ask for computeer science majors or engineers,” said Ralph director of career services at Georgisa Tech.
“Our data indicate they’re doing bette r in the job marketthan non-technical majors.” however, interest among employers in the Classa of 2009 is down. The ’s sprinyg career fair attracted only 145 down from 215 that sent representativezs to the Athens campus last saidScott Williams, executive director of UGA’es Career Center. Likewise, the last threw quarterly career fairs held at drew about 20 percenrt fewer companies than the previous saidRamona Simien, a career and employer relationd specialist at the downtown Atlanta Students are reacting to the tepid response from corporatee recruiters and the tight job market it signifies by applying to graduatr school in droves.
At Georgia State, for MBA applications for the coming school year increase 22 percent overlast year, while the numbeer of students seeking master of arts degrees went up 19 Timothy Renick, GSU’s associate provost for academid programs, said many graduatee school applicants are coming directlt from undergraduate programs. “The decision makea sense,” he said. “Rather than face unemploymen or takea minimum-wage job, studentz can increase their academic credentialz for a time when the economy takes a turn for the The scarcity of jobs is motivating other graduatesz to take a break from their formakl educations or put off entering the workforce to enroll in such servicwe programs as the Peace Corps or Teacy for America.
“We’re seeing an increase in the numbef of students who want to take a year off to engag e in aworthwhile adventure, discover some things and make some said Paul Fowler, executive director of the Careere Center at . Hall said making connections proved important to her landing a jobso quickly. She said she met her new boss at McKesson during a mock interview while she was an undergraduatwe marketing majorat UGA. “We just kept in she said. “When I was having trouble finding a jobin marketing, he had a position open Hall said it was also importanf that she was willing to be flexible in her job “Finding a marketing job in Atlanta right now is she said.
“[But] this is a big company. If I want to move over I can.” While marketing jobs aren’t to be had, some jobs fieldsd are still hot. Mobley said government particularly at thefederal level, are in high He said one growth area is the , createsd after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.