Smart shoppers

Graduates in 2006 have been given the best graduation present of all: a stronger job market. Employers expect to hire 14.5 percent more new college graduates this year than they hired last year, according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers' Jobs Outlook 2006 survey.

BARRY WILLIAMS/Special

Dino Sammarco, who graduates from Georgia Tech this month, had no trouble finding a job. He got four offers and was under consideration by four more companies when he accepted a position at Radiant Systems in Alpharetta. Work/life balance and chances for promotion factored into his decision.

An Accountemps survey found that 41 percent of the companies that responded were more active in recruiting university graduates now than five years ago. Respondents included 150 senior human resources, finance and marketing executives with the nation's 1,000 largest companies.

Across the country and here in Atlanta, campus career services staff are seeing that trend in the record numbers of companies interviewing on campus.

"Our recruiting numbers are up significantly this year -- 16.5 percent -- and salaries are better," said Ralph Mobley, director of career services at Georgia Institute of Technology.

The recruiting numbers are up almost 25 percent at Southern Polytechnic State University, according to Bridgette McDonald, career and employer relations coordinator in the Career and Counseling Center.

"Three years ago, we struggled to have 40 employers at our career fair," she said.

"This year, there were 104 companies -- a record-breaker."

Many students will receive multiple job offers, say industry analysts. Because more grads have participated in "experiential education" through internships, co-op jobs and summer work tied to their majors, they know more about the workplace and have a clearer idea of what they want in a first job.

"Today's graduates are savvier about what's happening in the work environment," Mobley said. "They've seen older classmates struggle to find jobs and been told by their parents -- and us -- about the importance of looking at the whole package."

They've also been through Sept. 11, the dot-com bust and an economic recession.

"They've put a lot of time and effort into getting an education, and they expect to make a good salary, but salary isn't their only criterion," Mobley said. "They're interested in the job, the location, the benefits package and whether they'll have an opportunity to pursue more education later through tuition reimbursement."

Dino Sammarco graduates from Georgia Tech this month with degrees in aerospace engineering and management. He's been in school for six years and has accumulated more than 200 credit hours. Sammarco started out in aerospace engineering but discovered that he also liked business classes.

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Bridgette McDonald, career and employer relations coordinator at Southern Polytechnic State University, discusses internships with Reginald Span, a junior computer engineering major.

"I think adding the second degree made me more marketable, because I'm able to see problems from both an analytical and a business viewpoint," he said.

This spring, he interviewed with 15 to 20 companies. He got four offers and removed himself from the hiring process of another four companies once he'd made his choice.

Sammarco believes that he gave "due diligence" to the job search and is excited to be joining Radiant Systems, an Alpharetta company that provides hardware and software technology to the hospitality, fuel/convenience store, and cinema industries.

He took advantage of the campus career services to find out average salaries for his fields and to develop interview skills through mock interviews with real employers. Sammarco researched all companies, including their financial information, before interviewing.

"I think Georgia Tech students are very motivated about careers and spend time thinking about what would make them happy. Since I was 16, I've spent my summers working in professional settings, mainly Web development," he said.

Topping Sammarco's list of workplace demands was the ability to use all his skills.

"I have an affinity for technology, but I also understand business, and I wanted a job where I could tread the line between the two fields. I also wanted to be in a high-growth environment, with an innovative organization where I could see myself moving up."

From on-site interviewing, Sammarco knew that cultural environments differ, and he was looking for a comfortable fit, as well as a salary in the expected range and good benefits.

"I had spent a lot of time talking with my parents and understood the differences between HMOs and PPOs, 401(k)s and retirement plans," he said. "If you keep up with current events, you know the concerns about health care and retirement costs."

Aware of work/life balance issues, he's apartment-hunting in Alpharetta. "Spending an hour sitting on Ga. 400 every day isn't how I want to spend my time," he said.

"I wanted to be a consultant and travel. I've been in school for five years and wanted to gain real-world experience, a chance for promotion and job security," Mullis said. He'll fly to meet different clients every week.

Mullis asked pointed questions about the team on which he would work and his role on that team, and he believed that IBM offered him the best opportunities. He is grateful that Georgia Tech's career services made the job search so easy.

"The staff critiqued and improved my resume," he said. "Then I went on the school's Interview Trak Web site, read job listings that interested me and sent them my resume."

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Chris Davis is graduating with an electrical engineering degree from Southern Polytechnic State University. He accepted a job with Shaw Industries, which is near his home and offered "a really good salary with benefits."

Companies choose the top applicants and schedule on-campus interviews. Mullis got called often because of his co-op job with UPS. "That job came up more than anything else in interviews. They wanted to know what I did and learned," he said.

"We prepare students for the job search with individual counseling, resume-writing, mock interviews and classes. In our business etiquette class, we even show them what knife and fork to use at dinner interviews," Mobley said. "We also help them weigh offers and think about questions to ask so that they can make better decisions."

Checking out the co-op/internship workshop offered through Southern Polytechnic's Career and Counseling Center was the smartest decision he made in college, said Chris Davis, an electrical engineering graduate. "I'd recommend co-oping and using career services to anyone. My work experience really made the difference when it came time to look for a job."

The career center helped him put his first resume together in 2003 and find work experiences to add to it. He began getting interview calls as soon as he posted it on the college Web site. His best offer came from a former co-op employer, Shaw Industries.

"I live in Dalton, so location was as important to me as salary. I didn't want to have to commute to Atlanta. Shaw offered me the chance to do what I wanted to do, at a really good salary with benefits, so it was a no-brainer," he said.

Southern Polytechnic's McDonald -- who, after 16 years in college career counseling, has seen the peaks and valleys of the job market -- said that prospects were bright for the class of 2006.

"We're seeing them get offers before graduation at salaries well above average levels," she said. "Besides salary, they're interested in the job itself and the opportunities for advancement. Our grads have a lot of hands-on applications, so they hit the ground running and will become managers quickly."

Career center staff members coach students on how to study a company's financial information and ask about its short- and long-term goals. McDonald encourages them to spend a day at the company to check out the culture.

"Companies are looking for grads with people skills, and I tell our students to look for that in their employers," she added.

She advises them on benefits packages, relocation expenses and negotiation tactics.

"We're here to inform and educate, not to make decisions for people. Those who take advantage of our services are seeing it pay off," she said.