JOB OUTLOOK LOOKS PROMISING FOR 2007 COLLEGE GRADS MRINetwork™ ANTICIPATES

Philadelphia – The job outlook for the Class of 2007 is the best it has been for nearly a decade, according to MRINetwork, the world’s largest search and recruitment organization. In fact, the job market for graduating college seniors is the best it has been since the 1990s.

“The demand for information technology graduates, while not on a par with the frenzy we saw at the height of the dot-com boom, is very high,” said Michael Jalbert, president of MRINetwork. “Graduates with degrees in finance and accounting should also find good opportunities.”

This is the fourth consecutive year that the job market has improved for college graduates, after a low in 2003, observes Jalbert. “Manufacturing, logistics and supply distribution are heating up as well. Companies are looking for graduates with information systems and statistical capabilities, along with solid business training and communications skills.”

Jalbert notes that the Economic Policy Institute reports that the employment rate for college graduates in their 20s and early 30s has gone up to 86 percent, after dipping to 84 percent in 2003 and 2004. “This is a clear indication that job prospects for those entering the job market have improved in the past several years,” he said.

The most recent Bureau of Labor Statistics report supports this optimism. The April unemployment rate for the professional/managerial sector of the workforce was at 1.8 percent, considerably lower than the overall unemployment rate of 4.5 percent. “This sector includes college-educated professions,” said Jalbert, “and the current rate is indicative of nearly full employment for the sector. That’s good news for the current crop of graduates.”

Jalbert advises new graduates to approach the search for the job that starts them on their career ladder as though it were a job. “Apply the same work ethic, standards and diligence you expect to employ once you’ve entered the workforce,” he says. “Start with an open mind and make sure you’ve done your homework.” He recommends beginning job seekers to:

1. Define career goals and set priorities. Seek out guidance counselors to take advantage of testing instruments that measure aptitude and interests and help you view yourself in appropriate career alternatives.
2. Look at a wide variety of career possibilities and industries. Don’t shy away from investigating sales positions, for example. This can be a great way to gain entry into an industry that interests you.
3. Prepare a resume. The key to resume writing is to give the reader a brief outline of your qualifications and education without telling your life story. To make the most of the 20 seconds or so that an interviewer will spend with your resume, style it with bulleted points and easy-to-read type.
4. Network with family, friends, acquaintances and business contacts. Networking generates a continuous supply of contacts and helps you discover where the openings are. The average networking meeting results in three contacts, and it usually takes three levels of networking before you reach a decision-maker at a target company.
5. Conduct informational interviews with people you view as successful in your profession or industry. Many people who work in your field or industry will agree to talk to you even if there is no job opening. You can learn a great deal from these interviews—they’re rarely a waste of your time.
6. Compile a target list of companies that best suit your needs. Researching companies is easy via the Internet, but don’t forget the library, which has all the standard business reference works such as Standard and Poor’s.
7. Consider taking interim assignments. Interim or contract work is growing faster than anyone can track, and interim management firms have emerged to expedite the process. And often, temporary assignments turn into full-time assignments.
8. Learn how to interview successfully. Listen carefully to interviewers. Be open to their sequence of questions and don’t try to control the interview. Be prepared to answer not only the inevitable questions about your strengths and weaknesses, but behavioral questions that demand specific examples as well.

About MRINetwork:
Management Recruiters International, Inc, branded as MRINetwork™ (www.mrinetwork.com), is a subsidiary of CDI (NYSE:CDI), a global provider of engineering & information technology outsourcing solutions and professional staffing (www.cdicorp.com). MRINetwork has nearly 1,000 offices in over 35 countries.

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