More college grads getting hired this year

The recovery is not as strong as everyone hoped it would be. Economists have revised their growth forecasts downward for the rest of the year, and remains stubbornly high, with most of the unemployed now out of work for more than six months.

But that does not mean there is no good news for job seekers. On the contrary, signs abound of slow but steady improvement in job prospects. I described one of them in my last blog post. Here's another:

Workforce Development reports this month that graduating college students are getting more job offers at better starting salaries than in the last two years. A number of large employers are on hiring sprees thanks to heavy demand for their products and services; the article notes that the consulting firm Deloitte reported late last year that it would hire 18,000 people this fiscal year and even more in the year ahead, exceeding its pre-recession hiring.

Moreover, the salaries being offered new graduates are more in line with the graduates' expectations, and in some cases better than they expected to get. That's partly because the graduates themselves have adjusted their expectations downward to match today's changed job market realities.

According to the article, geeks and number-crunchers are in particular demand: Students who majored in accounting, computer science, economics and engineering are having an easier time landing work in their chosen careers than other new grads.

And for those who still aren't so fortunate, there is always graduate school, the traditional Plan B for grads facing rough prospects in the job market. In another sign that things are getting better, the number of college grads going straight to grad school has dropped, from more than one-fourth of the total to 18.5 percent. (Psssst: Grad school can also be a viable Plan B for the job seeker who already has a career. Check out the options available in the Education section of PhillyJobs.com.)

All this is good news for the Classes of 2011 and 2012, but is there anything the older alum can take away from this? Yes. It is this: Even in a highly competitive job market, there are areas where opportunities abound. With persistence, just about anyone can create their own.

By Sandy Smith

Sandy Smith is a veteran freelance writer, editor and public relations professional who lives in Philadelphia. Besides blogging for PhillyJobs.com, he has written for numerous publications and websites, would be happy to do your resume, and is himself actively seeking career opportunities on Beyond.com. Check out his LinkedIn profile and read his other posts on PhillyJobsBlog.com.

Employers finding it hard to fill positions

Yes, you read that right.

Even as millions of us continue networking, sending out resumes, calling contacts at companies and applying for the same jobs hundreds of other fellow seekers saw, there are companies out there that say they are having a hard time finding qualified people to fill jobs.

The main reason why is simple: a skills mismatch between the requirements of the jobs and the qualifications of the job-seekers.

The problem is greatest in the sector of the economy everyone thought had become passé: manufacturing.

Many manufacturing jobs in America today are highly technical and require levels of knowledge and skill that rival those of the so-called knowledge industries. The trouble is, our schools are not producing graduates with the math skills, mental and physical stamina needed to do things like run sophisticated computerized equipment to make precision engineered parts, and many older unemployed workers are in a poor position to acquire such skills now, having invested so much of their time in those knowledge-sector jobs.

Compounding the problem is the near total disappearance of the traditional method of training workers for jobs in manufacturing, which was to train them on the job once hired. The net effect of this is to shut out the unskilled and low-skilled workers who traditionally used manufacturing jobs as a means of bettering themselves. In a case reported in The Wall Street Journal last year, one manufacturer of precision parts, unable to find skilled machinists, set up its own 10-week training program in order to fill 40 slots. Two-thirds of the first class of 24 trainees graduated to jobs with the company.

One year later, things are not much different. Many of those looking for work have what are known as mid-level skills - high levels of knowledge, and in many cases years of experience, but at a non-managerial level. These seekers are caught between the rock of lack of management experience that would qualify them for higher-level jobs and the hard place of being too skilled and qualified for many low-skill jobs. In the meantime, the kinds of skills and knowledge these seekers have is not the kind manufacturers are looking for.

In that same Journal article last year, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta economist David Altig estimated that five million more Americans would be gainfully employed if jobs were being filled in the usual manner. That figure translated into a nearly three-percentage-point drop in the unemployment rate. As experts who keep track of trends in hiring report that highly skilled manufacturing jobs are still proving difficult to fill, it may well be that today's unemployment rate is similarly out of whack. Maybe it's time to bring back on-the-job training.

Or maybe it's time you got retrained for a new career. The Education section of PhillyJobs.com is full of resources to help you get started.

By Sandy Smith

Sandy Smith is a veteran freelance writer, editor and public relations professional who lives in Philadelphia. Besides blogging for PhillyJobs.com, he has written for numerous publications and websites, would be happy to do your resume, and is himself actively seeking career opportunities on Beyond.com. Check out his LinkedIn profile and read his other posts on PhillyJobsBlog.com.

Make Mine a McJob

If you haven’t found the position that’s right for you in Philadelphia, maybe it’s time to consider a McJob. President of McDonald's U.S.A., Jan Fields said, "We're excited to offer 50,000 new jobs, all across America, all in one day."

On April 19th the fast food giant is going to add an influx of full and part time employees to its team. The new crew and management members manning McDonald’s 14,000 restaurants in the U.S. will raise Ronald’s roster to 700,000 employees across the country. It breaks down to about 4 new workers per store on top of the hiring McDonald’s does on a regular basis.

Across the board, McDonald’s is doing well and wants to take a leadership position to offering opportunities to people who want to work. The hiring spree is based around new jobs, not replacement positions. They are hoping to acquire talent that is open to advancement whether it is someone who has been unemployed for a while or just starting out in the working world.

Fields started out on fries in 1978 before advancing to her current position presiding over domestic operations. She is proud of her “McJob” and the career that came with it and she is not alone. About half of all McDonald’s franchise owners began behind the counter.

The average wage for new hires is just above minimum wage at $8.30 per hour but what individuals are offered depends on region, franchise and position. A part-time counter worker might not earn enough to cover what’s considered a “living-wage” of about $14 an hour but managers can bring home more than $50,000 a year. They cite the strength and continued growth of the company as additional security when considering a career with them.

According to their website other benefits (*subject to availability and certain eligibility requirements and restrictions) include:

• Competitive wages


• Free uniforms*


• Free or discounted meals


• Flexible hours


• Medical insurance*


• Prescription drug coverage*


• 24-hour nurse line access


• Vision discount*


• Available dental*


• Short-term disability*


• Term life insurance*


• 401(k)*


• Paid holidays*


• Vacation*


• Educational assistance*

Corporate staff can expect even more. Maybe it’s time to drop the stigma that has been attached to the Fry Guys and find your next career under the golden arches.

Fast food not your bag? Search for something more at PhillyJobs.com.

By Heather Fairchild - Heather is a multimedia developer with experience in web, film, photography and animation as well as traditional fine arts like painting and sculpting. In addition to writing for [name of site], she is co-founder of design and promotion company, Creative Kazoo with fellow Beyond.com blogger, Staci Dennis. Heather’s spare time consists of making puppets, teaching Sunday School, building Legos and doing science experiments with her children.