It is a good time to be a college senior looking for a job.
Universities and colleges in Northwest Indiana report graduates seem to find work faster than they did last year.
For them, the economy is good.
The National Association of Colleges and Employers lists a 17 percent increase in hiring of recent college graduates over last year. That number is expected to rise again in the data released this week, said Andrea Concz, employment information manager for NACE.
"Everyone says they are still hiring because of increasing demand. The baby boomers are also beginning to retire," Concz said.
In nursing, engineering and education, Valparaiso University placed virtually all of its 2006 students in jobs. Valparaiso University recently released a figure showing a 95 percent overall placement rate for the third year. For 2007, the figure is expected to be higher, said Sandy McGuigan, director of the VU Career Center.
The small, Lutheran university typically boasted more than 90 percent placement rate. McGuigan attributed some of the success to the schools academic admission standards.
"To be honest, we have a very smart student body here and they are very motivated," McGuigan said.
They start networking early, establish internships and reach out to companies well before they graduate, she said.
Among the local schools, the Career Center at Valparaiso University seems to spend more of its resources tracking graduates, including calling them after they leave. Other schools couldn't provide as much data but report a similar boost.
"It is certainly better than it was a few years ago," said Sharese Dudley, director of career services for Indiana University Northwest.
She recommends students begin applying at least two months before they graduate. Internships are becoming an essential part of college life.
"Fewer employers are willing to hire graduates without at least some work experience," Dudley said.
Internships are so important that Purdue University Calumet recently began requiring all students to have one to graduate.
IUN is just beginning to design a system to track its graduates. Purdue Calumet released rough numbers from a recent survey that showed while 40 percent of their May graduating class is looking for work, the rest have found their future -- 20 percent have accepted offers.
At the commuter campus, 30 percent of the Class of 2007 plan to stay with their current employer after they graduate, while about 20 percent will attend graduate school, according to the university office of Career Services.
Saurabh Jaiswal said persistence paid off. He will graduate Purdue University Calumet in May with a master's degree in business.
He already had a bachelor's degree in engineering, which would normally make him a hot commodity. But the Indian national had been trying since last fall to find a company willing to sponsor him for a work visa.
He went to job fairs around the country, taking in seminars and networking.
"I learned not to give up. It's not the best person for the job, it's really the person who markets himself the best," he said.
He was recently hired by a computer firm in Oak Brook, Ill.
Even at Valparaiso University, not everyone graduates has an easy landing. Senior Rina Dafnis, 22, is still deciding her next move. The radio and TV major interned at NBC in Chicago, but it wasn't enough to land her a job in the industry.
"Most jobs want three to five years experience. I'm considering whether to do another internship," she said.
She's not alone.
The national average has been stable at 50 percent of students lining up jobs by graduation, while 76 percent had jobs within six months, according to The National Association of Colleges and Employers.
"I'm looking at the job market but I'm kind of tip-toeing my way in," Dafnis said.
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