Seniors largely unaffected by faltering economy

With graduation in less than a month's time, seniors are looking to enter an economy that might be headed for a recession.

But the future might not be so dark for graduates, Penn career counselors say.

Despite economic troubles, Penn students will be largely unaffected. The majority of seniors have job offers already and the University still has companies coming in to hire students.

The troubles in the financial sector are unfortunate, Director of Career Services Patricia Rose said, but "those factors are not affecting the job prospects of graduating seniors."

Even though the employment outlook remains relatively sunny, recruiting has admittedly been a little slower this year - particularly compared to last year when Penn saw its heaviest recruiting season in ten years.

Career counselors have a few tips for staying afloat in the current market.

For students who want to go into fields like advertising and entertainment where active on-campus recruiting is not as common, networking is the key to success.

"Make people aware of what you are looking for," because that is likely to increase your chances of finding the relevant contacts, Rose said.

Senior Associate Director of Career Services Barbara Hewitt also suggested being "flexible and open-minded." Students should not feel pressured to work at the top five banks, for instance, but learn to broaden their options.

And for the juniors who will be interning this summer, she advises them to use the time to build relationships with professionals because those connections are likely to come in handy in the future.

Although international job opportunities could seem more appealing to students in the current market, career counselors have not necessarily seen a strong correlation between shrinking American job opportunities and the desire to go global.

Reasons for this may include complicated visa restrictions and the difficulty in arranging interviews, Hewitt said.

College senior Susanna Leaf will be working in Argentina for a year after graduation. But her decision to do so was not a result of the faltering economy.

Instead Leaf opted to work abroad for its other perks such as the ability to improve her foreign language skills and the chance to experience a different culture like Buenos Aires.

"Students are pursuing jobs and internships outside of the U.S. because of their interest in such global careers," and not because of a lack of domestic opportunities, Veda Jeffries, assistant director of Stanford University's Career Development Center, wrote in an e-mail.

International students who might have connections back home may embrace that option - particularly if they have been having a hard time lining up interviews in the U.S, Hewitt added.

And to avoid the job market, more time in the classroom is always an option.

"Whenever the job market contracts, graduate school applications go up," Rose said.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.