THE CARROLL NEWS: Getting down to business with Tim and Marylou: What the failing economy means to you

Getting down to business with Tim and Marylou: What the failing economy means to
you
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Tim Evanko and Marylou Bontempo on 17 April, 2008 01:00:00
 
A downturn in the economy can have many widespread implications for college
students. First and foremost, employers make cutbacks in tough economic times.
This can directly affect college students through shrinking career
opportunities.
This was felt by many JCU students at this year’s Career Fair. General
sentiment was that the Career Fair lacked a sufficient number of quality
internship and entry-level career opportunities. Here are some ideas to help
weather the recessionary times.
For those of you who will seek post-graduate degrees, get going now. You will
be getting a jump start on your post-graduate degree while sitting out the
current economic downtrend. In addition, you will be capitalizing on an
overlooked opportunity to grow your network of contacts. Through interaction
with a diverse group of classmates, both students from your own peer group and
others currently in the workforce seeking graduate level education, you will be
increasing your exposure to possible career opportunities.
A common complaint of non-business majors has been their inability to make
career connections as efficiently as business students. In tough economic times,
companies will only be able to hire the most marketable students. If you are a
non-business major, taking a few introductory business courses such as business
communications, personal finance, marketing and a Microsoft Office course will
help to give yourself a competitive edge over your peers.
These courses teach the basics; they help teach you how to create a
resumé, balance a checkbook and create an effective spreadsheet.   While
you might believe that you already have these skills, the Boler School of
Business offers a professional approach that is valuable in any workplace
setting.
Graduating students who are entertaining job offers need to keep in mind that
most recent graduates work for their first employer for only two to three years.
Career experience is more important than salary in a starting position. Many
entry-level employees make the mistake of only focusing on the task at hand,
forgetting to expand their horizons.
In uncertain economic times, companies are often sold and acquired. Constantly
building a network of contacts in many areas is more important than simply
pleasing your first boss. You never know when your company’s leadership
will change or there will be cutbacks. The more learning you have done and the
more people you have in your network, the less expendable you will become to
whomever is employing you.