Bixler: Jobs, summer internships still available during tough economic times
Finding that first job after commencement or a summer internship sit at the top of to-do lists for many college students, now that summer is only six weeks away.
With the state unemployment rate just under 10 percent for the month of February, jobs are harder to find these days, but not impossible.
“The earlier seniors can start the job search, the more likely they are going to find employment before they graduate,” said Kirk Bixler, director of Career Services.
He said it can take three to four months or more to find a job in these current economic times.
Bixler said jobs really depend on the field of study. While there are less jobs out there right now as compared to three or four years ago, there are still jobs to be found, he said.
“Does that mean there aren’t jobs out there? No. What that means, though, is that students aren’t going to be finding jobs where they want to live,” Bixler said.
Senior psychology major Tiffany Johnson said the job search has been extremely difficult.
“My advice would be to start early and that PDP should be taken early [during the college years],” she said.
Johnson said many potential employers she has applied to asked her not to call to check on application statuses because of the amount of applications per opening.
Bixler said smaller and more rural areas or other states may have more job opportunities for students than major metropolitan areas around Indiana, he said.
Having a liberal arts education allows students to be more flexible when looking for jobs, he said.
Summer internships are another area of interest for students during their time off.
Despite the tough times, Bixler said the amount of internships available to students are about the same compared to past years. He also said the amount of paid internships available has not decreased significantly, either.
“I think one of the changes, though, is – as a lot of business are doing layoffs and so forth – what they are opting to do to keep their bottom lines down is hire more interns in place of full-time employees. Then, even if they are going to pay those students, they are certainly paying them a lot less than what they would pay full-time employees. Plus, they don’t have to pay for insurance and provide other benefits,” Bixler said.
The key to finding either a summer internship or a full-time job is to begin the job search months before commencement or summer.
A good place to find job openings or internships is usually at collegiate job fairs or job fairs that have a focus to a specific career choice, but the economy has taken its toll on these fairs. Because of the lack of openings businesses have available, many have turned to recruiting possible applicants online to save on the fees of setting up at a job fair for the day.
Bixler said the best way to stand out, especially in a field so crowded by those who have lost their jobs, is to already have relevant internship experience while still in school.
