Candidates with relevant coursework, work experience and high GPA are desired.
May 10, 2005
Southeast Michigan employers, struggling with the region's depressed economy, plan to be very selective in hiring college graduates this year, according to a survey released Monday.
Firms are looking to fill limited openings with graduates who have completed relevant coursework, earned a high grade-point average and have an internship or other work experience under their belts, employers told the American Society of Employers for its 2005 Salaries for Co-Op Students and Recent College Graduates Survey.
"With hiring and recruiting for college graduates expected to be modest, we're learning that the most desirable candidates are those that are able to hit the ground running," said Kevin Marrs, the society's director of survey services. "Our survey results suggest that employers are being selective and favorably weighting applicants with some sort of prior experience or knowledge."
The Southfield-based employers association surveyed nearly 100 area employers, finding 62 percent who said their recruiting efforts are the same now as they were last year. Some 11 percent said their recruiting and hiring efforts have decreased from a year ago.
Employers said hiring is pinched due to their company's performance, financial concerns and hiring freezes. Michigan's jobless rate of 6.9 percent in among the nation's highest.
Only 11 percent said there are offering premiums or "signing bonuses" to students with extraordinary credentials.
The state turns out about 100,000 college graduates per year, including bachelor's, master's and other degrees.
Aleene Hang, a 22-year-old senior at Michigan State University, said friends "with outstanding resumes" are finding good jobs.
"They're being aggressive about it," Hang said. "They're sending out a lot of resumes and they're getting calls back."
Hang is finishing two classes and a summer internship before she starts hitting pavement herself.
Survey participants included major automakers such as Ford Motor Co. and General Motors Corp., as well as employers in the accounting, engineering, pharmaceutical and health care fields.
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