Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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r~~ Job oiitloo STAFF REPORTS The job outlook for the class of 1996 looks bright. Many companies, including several of the Fortune 500, have stepped ug their campus recruiting at colleges and uni versities across the country, said experts ai USC's Career Center. "College students with good acade mic backgrounds and meaningful worl experience should have good opportunities, said Larry Salters, director of the Caree: Center. The best national projections sug gest the hiring of new college graduate,1 should go up as much as 4.7 percent thi year. This reaffirms-the improvements o the past two years, which followed a four year decline, according to the national colle giate Employment Research Institute h East Lansing, Mich. Alisa Mosley, USC's placemen director, says recruiting and hiring of USC students reflect the national trend. "On campus, the biggest demam this year has been for computer science an< computer engineering majors, she saic < v 'y Ax - ^ 1\ ik looks goi _ "They are getting rid of people with tl | them with employees with the skills tl j proficiency is increasingly more impo t "Recruiters are looking for students wh tinvp snftwarp Hpvplnnmpnt. and softwai application skills." I The retailing and service industrit also continue to be big recruiters for ne r graduates, along with the health care pr fessions, Mosley said. Salters said for all majors, compu 3 er literacy and a command of popular offi< 3 technology continue to be sought-aft< f attributes in future employees. "New college graduates can mal " themselves more marketable by showing ? i ability to adapt to changing technologic trends," baiters said, t Students are getting conflictii 2 information about their job prospects, bas< on news reports of massive corporate layoi i and downsizing. But Salters said mai i companies cutting positions are still recrui L ing. Interview li CECE VON KOINITZ News Editor the indi From hair style to ( kinds of shoes, graduates need wo to pay attention to every detail a more 1 of their appearance to prepare , for a job interview. ?, c e USC retailing profes- advan? sor Kitty Strickland says what PPfl in ' someone wears to a job inter- , 11 . _ _ i a i.i_ Stnckla view couia say more aDouc mem ,. than what's on their resume. navy 1 Strickland said the ness su best advice she could give to conserv graduates about dressing for coiorssuccess for job interviews is , "you need to know something about the company." extreme Stricldand says grads war ' | can't go wrong with the stereo- ., , I typical, classic suit but suggests sa . ,! they actually go to the company ? ow 1 < or organization where they are ?ss a applying for a job and observe va lsm' typical employee garb. , "My advice is to, when- ? a ever possible, go and stand out- , 5 'a side of the building when people ?n a are going in to work or at lunch , eJ we time," she said. She said, "They styIetb (employers) are looking at you ,, to see whether or not you look nckla like one of them." ering Strickland said appro- aPPllcaf priate attire differs according to m '8. 11 smt is < ^ ! f: , * ^ ! iJ Ijjp od for 19961 ie skills they don't need and replacing Fiey do need. This is why computer rfronf " i uanii Larry Salters, director of the Career Center lo "They are getting rid of people with re the skills they don't need and replacing them with employees with the skills they do is need," Salters said. "This is why computer w proficiency is increasingly more important." o- Internships and co-op experiences continue to be deciding factors in who will t- have jobs come graduation day, Mosley said, le Salters said, "It's more impressive jr these days to have a 3.2 grade point average and meaningful work experience than it is te to have a 4.0 and none." in Even with the job market looking al bright for 1996, new graduates who haven't started their job searches yet will face a ig tougher time, Mosley said. "Tt tnlrps six tn ninp months to exe fs cute a good job search," she said. "The ones ly who are starting their job searches now are it- already six to nine months behind." Salters and Mosley said it's never ook can make istry. An outfit an inter- mens1 fashion, but worn would wear to a bank a lot more choices, t have the same effect in But pants are rwflofltro inK onffinn- nVtAinn Gfinnlrlonrl OOTTO ucav/ivc JUL/ CCttUig. WiUXVAy UUiVXUCUlU uuj O. "An interviewee needs "Pants (for won ck and find out in completely and totally }," Strickland said. ceptable. You can neve For potential employ- pants on an int< i conservative industiy, Strickland said, nd suggests men wear When choosinj je or charcoal gray busi- es> females should sta its and women wear from anything with ra ative suits in neutral anything with small f< designs like little 1 He said he recom- Strickland says females "something that is not make s.ure their necl sly trendy or fashion for- appropriately conservat shouldn't wear anythii For a creative field, she n^&ht Sape1open, le interviewee should - , When choosmg _ lL.:_ temales should stay aw; iiaiviuuamy ui uieii pastels "because they ? nd much less conser- ^yed ^ too feminine." Female apj "You need to make sure sbould stay away from a iur suit fits properly, that might be perceivet nd said. A lot of people masculine also, Strickla ve a clue as to what size "Stay away ar, and most important- menswear gray with leed to make sure it is a menswear stripes," she i at is becoming to them." Jewelry needs According to kept at a minimum, si nd, an individually flat- No dangly or too-large t style of suit is more you couldn't wear while aln fn fomoln fn /IV W 1VI111UV Vituti WV ^iiuiiv. iterviewees because "a "You want to i suit" in the world of sure that you wear sor 1 graduates too early for college students to begin thinking about what jobs they can find when they graduate. Students are encouraged to seek help from their colleges' career placement centers as early as their freshman years. But for graduating seniors who haven't found jobs, they offer the following tips: If you don't have any work experionrn finrl a infornallin nr Vflllintppr tn wnrk for a company. Consider "shadowing" a professional in your field for a day or two. Don't delay your job search. Waiting could put you in competition with students graduating in August or December. Graduate school may not be the answer to not having a job. In many fields, adding degrees to a resume that doesn't include any job experience could do little but increase a student's debt. Consider a management training program. Your college degree could help you advance rapidly. Be willing to relocate. College towns can't absorb all the graduates who would like to stay. i, break job en have that would be comfortable in a business environment," ; not a Strickland said. "You want to look like you could do a job." len) are Make-up is a must, she j unac- says, but too much make-up is ir wear not a good idea, irview," "The purpose of makeup is to enhance your best feay blous- tures and camouflauge your y away worst features," Strickland said, iffles or Strickland warned that smimne Doin maie ana iemaie mtervieElowers. wees should stay away from want to really sweet and strong fradine is grances. ive and "If we smell you before ig that we see you it's too much," she said. a color, Strickland said an ay from applicants shoes should be in ire per- good condition and for females, heels should be no higher than jlicants two and a half inches. nything flair snouia De Kept out 1 as too of the face. nd said. Strickland said in the from business world, employers typical choose employees using some of said. the same judgments consumers ; to be use to choose products, le said. Strickland said, "You, iarrings as an individual, are trying to ! on the sell yourself, and so the packaging becomes extremely impormake tant." nething