Economy slowing down? Not for SU alumni, Center for Career Services reports

Matthew R. Snyder
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Even as the broader economy has entered a period of uncertainty, the 2007 demand for recent graduates of Syracuse University was near an all-time high, and alumni entered the career market at salaries slightly higher than the year before.

In the Center for Career Services‘ annual Placement Report survey of recent alumni, 95 percent of SU Class of 2007 respondents landed full-time jobs or entered graduate programs of study last year, at an average salary of $39,731 — figures that are the same and slightly higher, respectively, than those reported by the Class of 2006. The Class of 2007 responses represent a fourth consecutive year of rising salaries. Seventy-seven percent of respondents took full-time jobs, and of those, 93 percent of respondents report finding jobs that are closely associated with career goals. Taken together, these indicators show a snapshot of the 2007 job market for SU alumni that appears brighter than the previous year’s, representing another in a recent string of successful recruiting seasons.

The Placement Report is based on Center for Career Services’ online survey of 1,090 alumni with bachelor’s degrees granted in December 2006, May 2007, June 2007 or August 2007. Some 43 percent of the alumni surveyed responded.

“Once again, the Center for Career Services’ Placement Report demonstrates the value added by career exploration counseling, mentoring, internships and organized networking opportunities,” says Barry L. Wells, senior vice president and dean of student affairs. Between on-campus recruiting (14 percent), internships (17 percent) and direct application or networking to pursue non-advertised jobs (40 percent), more than 70 percent of respondents found work using job search methodologies that are directly supported or taught by Center for Career Services staff, in collaboration with the University-wide Career Services Network.

“These engagements — in which students and young alumni collaborate with the Center for Career Services to learn not just how to land jobs, but how to be engaged, ethical citizens of their profession — epitomize Scholarship in Action’s emphasis on engagement with the world,” Wells says.

Geographically, some Class of 2007 alumni found employment in 38 states and several foreign countries, while others engaged in career choices closer to Syracuse — with 49 percent of respondents working full time in New York, another 23 percent working in a state adjoining New York, and 55 percent of graduate school attendees studying in New York.

“These promising results show that the demand for recent SU alumni remains strong, and recent history shows that even in times when the broader economy is slowing, recent college graduates who make the right career moves tend to have successful outcomes to their employment searches,” says Michael T. Cahill, director of the Center for Career Services, which is a unit of the Division of Student Affairs. Cahill’s view is consistent with that of the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), which, in its 2007 Job Outlook Report, forecast a strong job market for 2007 graduates and expresses optimism for Class of 2008 job seekers.