The job outlook for 2011 college graduates is showing signs of improvement, with a nearly 50 percent increase in job postings in the past year, according to officials at DePaul University’s Career Center.

“We’re optimistic. We’ve seen a recent increase in job postings on DePaul’s recruiting site,” said Gillian Steele, managing director of the Career Center at DePaul. “The National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) predicts a 19.3 percent increase in college hiring, with average starting salaries projected to increase for the first time since 2008.”

For DePaul students, however, the market appears much better. There was a 48.2 percent increase in job postings from the first quarter of 2010 to the first quarter of 2011. Job postings in March 2011 were the highest since January 2008, Steele said.

Eighty-three percent of these job postings were for full-time positions geared toward college students and graduates. Among the positions most in demand are those in professional services, technology, finance, accounting, banking and in the government and nonprofit sectors.

According to NACE, 90 percent of employers prefer candidates with work experience. The majority of those employers want that experience to have been gained through internships or co-ops. For the Class of 2011, internships are the new entry-level jobs.

“Many DePaul students work on or off campus while they are in school and more than 2,300 do credit-based internships each year,” Steele said. “This, married with DePaul students’ reputation for having a strong work ethic and being able to hit the ground running, gives them an edge over others.”

According to the 2010-2011 Recruiting Trends report published by the Collegiate Employment Research Institute, nearly 40 percent of employers indicate that they will seek candidates from across all majors, focusing more on skills and abilities needed in the organization than on the academic discipline. The most sought-after strengths include communication skills, strong work ethic, teamwork and analytical skills. Other skills in demand include computer science, software engineering, business development, account management and online/new media.

Employers consistently cite GPA as a key screening factor, with 3.0 as the popular cut-off. In addition to a strong academic track record, employers seek well-rounded candidates and favor those who have demonstrated leadership and relevant work experience from internship or co-op participation.

A 2010 post-graduation survey showed that 82 percent of baccalaureate recipients were employed and/or in graduate school within six months – an increase of 8 percent over 2009. At the master’s degree level, it was 83 percent. “An impressive number of DePaul graduates are working in positions related to their field of study – 83 percent of baccalaureate and 90 percent of master’s degree recipients,” Steele said.

The Career Center offers graduating students a dedicated service, “senior season” in the spring quarter, which includes a mobile career center at both Chicago campuses, a weekly updated “Who’s Hiring” listing, priority career advising, a senior walk-in service, on-the-spot résumé reviews, job search and money management workshops. Also included are the Healthcare and Nonprofit Job & Internship Fair on May 12, and the Just-in-Time Job Fair on June 14. For more information, visit http://careercenter.depaul.edu.

DePaul’s Alumni Relations works in partnership with the Career Center to offer Corporate Connectors, a program to help DePaul students and alumni make a smooth transition to a new job or prepare for an upcoming interview at a specific corporation. Several hundred alumni have offered to meet or correspond with fellow alumni or students who are applying to their companies. These volunteers welcome DePaul-affiliated new hires or interns who’ve recently joined their firms. 

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About DePaul

With more than 25,000 students, DePaul University is the largest Catholic university in the United States and the largest private, non-profit university in the Midwest. The university offers approximately 275 graduate and undergraduate programs of study on two Chicago campuses, four suburban campuses and several international locations. Founded in 1898, DePaul remains committed to providing a quality education through personal attention to students from a wide range of backgrounds. For more information, visit www.depaul.edu.