Employers anticipate a 7 percent decrease in college hiring this year according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers’ Job Outlook 2010 Fall Preview survey. The annual report surveys college recruiters from NACE-member employers about their hiring intentions and examines other issues related to recent college graduates’ employment.

Frail corporate budgets and seasoned employees hesitant to retire are eroding the job market landscape for college graduates, but there are signs of hope.

Edwin Koc, NACE’s director of strategic and foundation research, said early indicators show the market outlook for upcoming graduates could improve by spring.

“The class of 2010 is going to face a fairly different situation,” Koc said. “It’s not as bad as what I expected kind of early on, but it’s still not great.”

Mission accomplished

Rachel Moblo didn’t begin to look for a job until March, but landed a job with the Chicago-based newswire service Marketwire in July after a few months. Moblo, who graduated from MSU in the spring, said she primarily used the Internet to find and research potential jobs.

“I wasn’t hearing back from most places and I figured it would take a lot longer,” Moblo said. “I wasn’t as surprised I got the interview as when they called and offered the job.”

For Moblo, a strong résumé filled with internship experience paved her way to the professional market.

MSU Career Services Network Executive Director Kelley Bishop said survey results show most MSU graduates go on to fill positions either related to their field or considered a stepping-stone for a better career-related job.

Each year, Career Services Network surveys students set to graduate in the spring and summer semesters. Students are given a six-month period to answer questions about their employment.

Responses from the class of 2008 show almost 90 percent of all graduates were placed, with 33 percent choosing to continue their education and 55 percent entering the work force. Of the 55 percent entering the work force, only 3 percent accepted jobs just to pay the bills. Officials separate responses from students in the work force into three categories: career-related jobs, stepping-stone jobs and jobs to pay the bills.

Bishop said he expected to receive most responses from the class of 2009 by December. On Friday, he received about 53 percent of the class’ answers and about 70 percent reported placement.

“That’s the one we’re most worried about,” Bishop said of those who held jobs to pay their bills. “We have very resourceful graduates, so a lot of them will find jobs. The question is: Will it be the thing they’re looking for?”

Lost in the shuffle

Justin St. Charles knew finding an administrative assistant position would be difficult. He just didn’t realize it would become impossible.

St. Charles, 22, received his bachelor’s degree in psychology from MSU in the spring. He began to put his post-graduation plan — move to Chicago and secure a job with a nonprofit organization — into action in March. He sent about 30 applications to various companies and tailored his résumé to each employer’s requirements.

He never received a response. For now, St. Charles is entering his third year of employment at Cosi in an effort to save money for graduate school.

“I just don’t think it equaled what they wanted, but with a college degree I almost feel more than qualified to be an administrative assistant,” St. Charles said. “I was an administrative assistant when I was in high school for a local company. I didn’t think with a college degree it’d be so hard to get a job, especially in an area like Chicago.”

Although statistics from the MSU Career Services Network show St. Charles’s situation is rare, Rhonda Adams said she is experiencing the same troubles as St. Charles. Months after Adams walked across the stage as an MSU graduate, she is working at Bed, Bath and Beyond in Toldeo, Ohio.

Adams sent between 30 and 40 applications to advertising and marketing agencies since December, but remains unable to land a spot in her field.

“It’s just frustrating for me to know a lot of the people I’m working with, and no slight to them, but they don’t even have a degree,” Adams said.

“I don’t feel my education is a waste because I know the economy will go back up sometime, but I went to school four years and put in a lot of work but it hasn’t paid off yet.”

Preparing for success

Philip Gardner, director of the Collegiate Employment Research Institute at MSU, said students shouldn’t wait until their last semester to begin searching for a post-graduate employer.

“There will be opportunities and they’re going to be initially concentrated in the technical areas,” Gardner said.

“Everyone else will be in a difficult situation. (Students) have to work hard, be prepared and start working with a college career field consultant to be ready. The longer you wait in this market, the fewer opportunities you’re going to have.”

Gardner gathers and analyzes hiring trend information submitted by employers solicited through mail.

Theda Rudd, associate director of Career Services at Spartan Stadium, said each year unemployed college graduates come to one of the networks offices in search for help in their job hunt.

“The job search process takes months and months and a lot of devotion and time,” Rudd said. “That’s almost a full-time job to find a job.”

St. Charles said Cosi will not be his final job market destination, but he isn’t more worried about his situation because he knows he’s not alone.

“When our degrees are not loose, but not tied down and there are so many places to apply, it’s a little overwhelming,” St. Charles said.

“If I didn’t have so many peers going through the same thing, I might be stressed out more.”