Keywords: Rutger's job fair
Source: nj.com
Jostling for jobs: new and old grads mix at Rutgers fair
Published: Sunday, January 09, 2011
By Eliot Caroom/The Star-Ledger
Students in line Thursday at the annual collegiate job fair at Rutgers had disconcerting company: recent graduates from colleges across the state who are still in the hunt and older job seekers jolted out of work by the recession.
“Everybody’s hiring, but not for full-time entry-level positions,” said Jorge Alfonso, 22, of Nutley, who graduated from Ramapo College in May and is currently working part time. “Part time, internships, temporary, seasonal, stuff like that.”
At least Alfonso has some work. Although the recession officially ended in 2009, unemployment in the state and nation still topped 9 percent at the end of last year, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The number of employers at the twice-yearly job fair has ebbed and flowed with the unemployment rate over the years, and this January’s fair saw 135 employers, down by about 30 from a year ago.
“More recent graduates are coming year after year,” said Richard White, director of career services for Rutgers. “Particularly the last two years have been tough years to graduate. (Both) 2009 and 2010 were particularly difficult years where a number of students didn’t get a full-time job or got a full-time job way out of their interest area.”
The number of students reporting job offers at the time of graduation dropped from about 40 percent in good times to about 25 percent over the past several years, White said.
“There’s a deep bench of qualified people stacking up there waiting for those jobs,” said Carl Van Horn, director of the Heldrich Center for Workforce Development at Rutgers University. “The young people that are graduating this spring, they’re up against people who still didn’t get a job who graduated in 2010 and 2009, plus they’re competing against older people who have been laid off.”
Some of those older job seekers were at the fair, like Ray Snyder, a Randolph man who preferred not to give his age, but graduated from Ursinus College near Philadelphia in 1982.
Snyder, a marketing manager, became unemployed in August 2007 and was surprised by the brutal job market.
“I find a lot of times I’m seeing entry-level positions, and that’s just not acceptable to me,” Snyder said. “It’s not been pleasant to try to find full-time employment.”
The bleak market has forced some recent college graduates to change their career paths before even landing a first job.
Jean Cineas, 26, of Summit graduated from Kean University in 2008 with a degree in criminal justice but couldn’t find work.
“There was pretty much nothing out there, really,” Cineas said.
So he went back to Kean and will graduate this May with a degree in accounting.
“Everybody needs an accountant,” Cineas said.
Many of the companies that were at Rutgers said they intend to hire in the coming year.
“We’re looking for two specific positions,” said Ryan Laughlin, who was recruiting for Horiba Scientific, an Edison-based spectroscope manufacturer. “The first person who walked up seems perfect for one of the positions.”
Both computer programming and marketing jobs were available at the booth for SaaShr.com, a Branchburg payroll and human resources software company.
Mark Fortin, a project manager, said the small company has tripled in size since he was hired in 2007.
He invited Lamar Murray, 21, a senior at Rutgers double-majoring in computer science and information technology, to Branchburg for a technical evaluation, which Fortin said could lead to an interview and maybe a job.
“In the computer science field, the development field, it’s always growing,” Murray said after he talked to Fortin.
While technical skills like programming and accounting were sought after by many employers at the fair, jobs are harder to come by for traditional liberal arts majors, according to college officials and recent graduates.
“It’s a little insane,” said Nicole Chapla, 24, a senior majoring in communications at Rosemont College in Pennsylvania who has attended three job fairs in recent months. “Definitely if you’re a graduate with a bachelor’s of arts, it’s a lot more difficult to find a job.”
A crowd of mostly liberal arts majors swarmed the table for the Peace Corps at the fair.
“I’m exhausted,” said Peace Corps staffer Ciara Johnson. “The line went around the corner.”
Among those at her table was Katie Marinello, 22, of Montville, an English major who said she didn’t regret her major.
“I think you can do anything with an English major,” said Marinello, who attends at Trinity College in Connecticut. “It’s what I wanted to do. Honestly, I’m supposed to be scared, but I’m not that nervous yet.”
Even with intense competition for jobs, many at the Rutgers fair still had hope — or at least their game faces on.
That included Valentina Petrenko, 22, of Fair Lawn, who graduated from Rutgers in May 2010 with a degree in public health.
After her first six months of job hunting, she remains optimistic.
“When you look, eventually you find something,” Petrenko said. “I’m not disheartened.”
Eliot Caroom: (973) 392-7919 or ecaroom@starledger.com
