Job prospects look good for university graduates
About 7,300 ads posted on U of C internal board
Like thousands of other students graduating from university this spring, Kate Mcmackin is facing her upcoming job search with a mix of excitement and trepidation.
“I’m actually pretty confident that when I do start to look for something, something will come along,” says Mcmackin, who just wrapped up a bachelor of communications degree from Mount Royal University. “What I’m a little nervous about is finding that position that you dream about when you’re in your fresh man year. but overall, I’d say I’m fairly positive.”
Mcmackin has good reason to be optimistic, as job prospects for Calgary region grads look brighter than they have been for a while.
Approximately 7,300 ads have been posted on the University of Calgary’s internal job board this year, an 18 per cent increase from the year before and a 76 per cent increase from 2008.
In addition, the university’s annual Career and Job Expo — held in February — was booked to capacity, and some employers had to be put on a waiting list.
“That didn’t happen the year before, so I think the indicators are good,” said Colleen Bangs, manager of career services at the U of C. “We’re having employers contact us constantly look- ing for opportunities around campus recruitment.”
It’s a similar story at Mount Royal University, where 15 to 20 fresh job postings arrive daily. Patsy Valenzuela, supervisor of career education and employment development at MRU, said that while the job market for new grads may not be as hot as it was at the height of the economic boom, it’s certainly improved from what it was not long ago.
“We went through a couple of years, the last two or three years, where it was more difficult for students and grads to secure something at the level and in the area they wanted,” Valenzuela said. “I think what I’m seeing last year and this year is that it’s a lot more balanced between job seekers and employers.”
That doesn’t mean, however, that new grads won’t have to pound the pavement — or that they won’t have to start at the bottom.
“Employers have quite a few options to choose from, so new grads still have to put quite a bit of work into their job search plan to be successful,” Valenzuela said. “You have to market yourself to an employer, regardless of what field you’re in. You have to show what you’re providing that’s going to add value to that organization.”
Out of all disciplines, liberal arts students tend to be the most apprehensive when it comes to finding a job after graduation. Doug Miholic, who has just completed a bachelor of arts in criminal justice, said he hopes to join the Calgary Police Service, but for most of his friends graduating with BAS, the future is uncertain.
“I think a lot of people are worried. A lot of my friends want to eventually go to law school, but they don’t know what kind of job to get in the meantime to help them with that,” Miholic said. “And my best friend is graduating with a degree in health sciences — he really doesn’t know what to do because it seems like there’s not a lot of jobs in that field unless you actually have your MD.”
Bangs said that non-professional degrees do open doors to a wide range of employment, but students may need to work harder to find the job they want.
“I think the liberal arts students may not realize it, but they may actually have more opportunities available to them, if they seek them out,” she says. “Not every company, but some companies, see those more general degrees as an opportunity to mould someone into what they need.”
Ben Brunnen, chief economist for the Calgary Chamber of Commerce, says the class of 2012 is well positioned to capitalize on Alberta’s rebounding economy. Brunnen said business confidence in Calgary is at its highest point since 2007, according to polling done for the chamber by Leger Marketing. The city has seen its first year-over-year increase in building permits since the economy soured in 2008, and businesses are beginning to complain about labour shortages.