While the outlook seems gloomy for the workforce in general, the scene is decent for upcoming college grads, according to
CollegeGrad.com's report, Top 500 Entry Level Employers for 2008. As students begin their spring semester at college campuses nationwide,
entry-level employers are increasing their hiring by nearly 12 percent in 2008. This is the largest projected increase in entry-level hiring
CollegeGrad.com has seen since 2005.
The Top Entry Level Employers list represents more than 165,000 jobs
for the class of 2008, and is available online.
Among the 2008 Top Entry Level Employers listed, 60 percent anticipate hiring morecollege grads in
2008 than 2007. Twenty-one percent will hire the same number and 19 percent will hire
fewer college grads than in 2007. At the top of the list, Enterprise Rent-A-Car plans to hire 8,500 new grads,
while the smallest featured employers will hire as few as 10.
While the list includes many return Top Employers from previous years, such as Lowe's, Liberty Mutual Group,
and Sodexho, many new additions have joined the list, including EMC with 1,200 planned hires, FactSet with
550 planned hires, and hi5 Networks with 20 planned entry-level hires.
Significant growth is being projected by companies of all sizes and in all industries throughout the list. Among the
largest companies, Progressive Insurance is projecting a 42 percent increase in entry-level hiring for 2008. Fund for Public Interest
Research is projecting an impressive 260 percent growth in hiring -- going from 125 entry-level hires in 2007 to 450 in 2008.
The E-Myth Insider for entrepreneurs inspires some tips for job-seekers in an economic downturn adapted from
ideas for entrepreneurs in rough times:
- Reactivate your network. If you've neglected your network, now's the time to rebuild it and add new contacts.
- Strengthen existing relationships. Make contact with friends and family. Be a helpful contact to others, and they
will help you when you need it.
- Make strategic plans. Think about what you'd need to do if you were downsized. Prepare by updating your resume
and following the advice in these two articles from Quintessential Careers:
Review all our Quick and Quintessential Career & Job Tips.
