Marissa Folk, a senior economics major at Dickinson College, calls herself “one of the fortunate ones.”

“I do have a job lined up after graduation. I got my offer in mid-December,” said Folk, who will start working as a business consultant for IBM in Fairfax, Va., in early July.

Even with the downturn in the economy, employers expect to hire 8 percent more new college graduates than they did last year, and average salary offers are 4 percent higher, according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers.

However, prospects have cooled since fall, when employers projected a 16 percent increase in hiring graduates, the association said.

According to MonsterTRAK’s annual nationwide survey, 59 percent of entry-level employers surveyed expect to hire 2008 graduates this spring or summer, a decrease of 17 percent from last year. And 29 percent of employers surveyed said they were unsure if they would hire 2008 graduates – twice as many as in 2007.

Still, entry-level candidates should not be discouraged because the overall labor market remains healthy, MonsterTRAK concludes.

“Students with the right credentials, skills, degree, course work and experience still have a pretty favorable job market,” said Karl Martz, assistant director of career development and student services at Penn State Harrisburg.

“I read and hear things about unemployment rates rising and those kinds of things, but yet I can tell you on a daily basis I get calls from employers … There are still lots and lots of opportunities for students,” Martz said.

Engineering services and accounting firms are among the employers showing the most interest in this year’s crop of new college graduates, said Marilyn Mackes, executive director of NACE.

Still in the midst of her job search is Jill Brader, a Lebanon Valley College digital communications major. She is seeking a job in publishing and has had phone interviews.

“I feel like I’ve applied to 1,000 places,” she said. “I’m not worried. I know I’ll find something.”

Lindsay Hunt, a Dickinson College senior, has lined up a job as an environmental consultant for Booz Allen Hamilton in McLean, Va.

Finding a job is “almost overwhelming at first,” Hunt said. “There’s always that concern you won’t have the perfect job when you graduate.”

Networking with alumni and utilizing the services of college career counselors is important, she said. “People are very willing to help you.”

Spencer Bailey, also a Dickinson College senior, is still looking for a job in magazine journalism in New York City, and hopes three internships he’s had will help him. He said he has “had a few promising interviews.”

Bailey said the job market is “exactly what I thought it would be. It was difficult for my generation to get into college in the first place, and it’s going to be equally difficult to find jobs.”

College seniors were among those seeking work earlier this month at a job fair sponsored by Harrisburg Regional Chamber and Capital Region Economic Development Corp.

“It is pretty tight out there,” but employers are still seeking workers in many areas, said Sheila Himes, vice president of chamber operations.

Jared Barrick, who will graduate from Penn State University in May with a degree in logistics, said he doesn’t believe he’ll have trouble finding a job in distribution and warehousing. “My roommate with the same major got a job within three weeks,” Barrick said.

PH END MILLER

(Barbara Miller is a staff writer for The Patriot-News of Harrisburg, Pa. She can be contacted at barbmiller(at)patriot-news.com.)

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