“What do I do? I have three job offers from great companies and 2 from start-ups. Do I go for prestige and stability or for the promise of some fairly quick riches?” This is what I hear from family, friends and college students I run into. It has truly never been a better time to be 21 or 22 and looking for a job if you have a college education behind you. With national unemployment levels hovering around 4% overall – and considerably lower in pockets like Silicon Valley – the 21st century is starting out as an incredible time for skilled workers. WetFeet.com, a five-year old San Francisco dot.com that has focused on the college market since it began, just completed an extensive survey of what is going on in the college job market. And times, as the saying goes, they are a changing. Here are some of the key findings from this survey with some of my comments:
I have long been an advocate for a portal – yes a real portal – that would guide and direct students to the careers and companies that best match their skills, interests, and geographical preferences. While there are probably a few such companies out there, no one has any significant market share and not one of them comes to mind when a student is asked. Come on your entrepreneurs! Here is fertile ground.
Think what a good college web site – one with solid information, career information and even a listing of the chances a person has of getting that kind of job — at one of those companies could have done for them and for her.
Facts: Length of a job search for undergrads: 3.7 months. Average number of job interviews: 9.6, average amount of time spent each week on the job search: 2.2 hours. Expected starting salary for undergrads: $45,000 with an average signing bonus of $5,400. The Internet is perceived to the “hottest” industry but when asked which industry they would like to work for management consulting came in first followed by investment banking and e-business consulting. WetFeet.com has done a great job at preparing this – and just in time for planning for next year!