A Degree of Experience Makes the Difference for Graduating Class of 2002
CareerBuilder Data Shows Job Market Improvements With Health Care and Sales Leading the Way
RESTON, Va., May 10 /PRNewswire/ -- For the graduating Class of 2002,
those with degrees and real work experiences will have significant advantages
in landing new positions in what remains a tight job market, according to a
new CareerBuilder Job Market Report. CareerBuilder, the industry's most
complete online recruitment source for efficiently finding better candidates
and jobs, generates routine job market updates based on its job-posting
trends.
Despite news that the unemployment rate shot up to 6 percent in April, the
CareerBuilder Job Market Report shows that -- looking forward -- the job
market is beginning to improve for candidates with college degrees. From
March to April, the number of CareerBuilder job postings requiring a college
degree increased by 55 percent.
"This year, the key for college graduates is relevant work experience,"
said Barry Lawrence, a senior career advisor at CareerBuilder. "A diploma is
great, but a degree with experience enables you to stand out in the crowd."
According to Careerbuilder's April job data, college graduates with less
than one year of experience will have approximately three times as many jobs
to choose from than college graduates without experience. College graduates
with more than a year of work experience will have 15 times more job
opportunities than peers with only college degrees, according to the report.
"Whether it's through an internship, temporary work or volunteer work,
experience provides a competitive advantage for the graduating senior,"
Lawrence said. "Such real-world experiences demonstrate on-the-job skills and
the ability to produce meaningful results -- things that employers and
supervisors want to see on the resume."
When looking for new job opportunities in the tight labor market, Lawrence
also suggests that college graduates pick positions where they can learn the
most. "What's important for college graduates is to judge job opportunities
based on what they will learn and not what they will earn. If you learn a lot
in your first job, that will translate into greater salary increases and
further successes down the road."
Where are the best job opportunities for college graduates? According to
the CareerBuilder Job Market Report, the healthcare industry and positions in
sales will provide the most robust opportunities for new college graduates
without experience. With some experience, healthcare sales, administrative,
customer service and information technology positions are best bets for new
graduates.
About CareerBuilder
CareerBuilder is a leading online source for maximizing recruitment
dollars and optimizing job searches with superior products, customer service
and technology. With a unique combination of national, local and niche
audiences, CareerBuilder makes it easy for recruiters to reach the most
qualified candidates with industry-leading market research data and support.
Job seekers can search for the right job from more than 300,000 continuously
updated postings, representing more than 25,000 of the top employers in
virtually every industry, field and location. In partnership with Tribune
Company (NYSE: TRB) and Knight-Ridder Inc. (NYSE: KRI), CareerBuilder includes
the Web's top newspaper sites -- the most trusted employment sources in
recruiting. For more information About CareerBuilder products and services,
call 888-670-TEAM or visit CareerBuilder at http://www.careerbuilder.com .
CareerBuilder Media Contact
For all media inquiries and interview requests, contact:
Jennifer Grasz
(P) 773-527-1164
(E) jennifer.grasz@careerbuilder.com
