Fri 21 Nov 2008
Class of ‘09: Job hunt may hold some surprises
Employers may be in cutback mode but coming wave of boomer retirements means they’re still on lookout for replacement talent
Fourth-year engineering student Jean-Philippe Castonguay didn’t have high hopes when he made his way through a campus career fair at Concordia University in Montreal this fall.
Several friends who graduated last spring still hadn’t landed work in the aerospace industry – and a swooning economy certainly wasn’t helping matters, he figured.
So when he approached one employer at the fair with his résumé, he was only “expecting to get some information about the company – that’s it.”
But within two weeks, the Toronto-based engineering firm called Mr. Castonguay to arrange an interview in Montreal. A month later, the firm called again, inviting him to a second round of interviews in Toronto later this month.
“It came as a complete surprise,” he says. “I didn’t expect it would happen so easily.”
With the economic downturn, fears about dimming job prospects are haunting many members of the class of 2009.
But, like Mr. Castonguay, they may be in for a pleasant shock – across many sectors, there will be more jobs available for grads than they might think.
Although employers may be in cutback mode, many are still thinking long-term as much as short-term. And the coming tide of baby boomer retirements means they are still on the lookout for replacement talent, downturn or otherwise, employers and career experts say.
Across the country, campus career fairs boasted record attendance from employers this fall – a good indication that they’re still in recruiting mode for young hires, says Tony Botelho, associate director of career services at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver.
The September career fair at SFU was its largest to date, with 125 employers in attendance, up from 100 in 2007 and 70 in 2006, he says.
“My sense is that, until they hear otherwise, many employers are continuing on with their recruitment plans,” Mr. Bothelo says.
The University of Toronto’s job fair in October grew to five days from four to keep up with recruiter demand, says career fair organizer Yvonne Rodney, director of the St. George campus career centre.
About 40 employers registered each day; just one pulled out at the last minute. “Given what’s happening with the economy, I was surprised by the [employer] turnout.”
Elaine Arsenault, manager of career services at Concordia, says that as many employers showed up for information sessions this semester as for both semesters combined last year. In addition, a record 55 employers showed up at the September fair. “We’re not seeing a dip at all,” she says.
At Dalhousie University in Halifax, 167 employers showed up at the fall job fair, with 20 more on a waiting list. “The outlook for grads seems to be good,” says Denise Williams, a spokesperson for Dalhousie’s career services centre.
Many employers seem to agree. “We’ve always been focused on hiring new grads. We don’t particularly expect that to change,” says Geeta Thekkakara, human resources manager at Millenium Research Group, a Toronto-based provider of research services to the health care industry.
The company has not scaled back its recruiting efforts this year, attending campus career fairs throughout Ontario. In the past, it has hired about 15 to 20 employees a year, many of them new grads with business, life sciences or social sciences backgrounds.
The firm is still working on its 2009 operating budget and so she doesn’t yet know whether hiring levels will stay the same. But, Ms. Thekkakara is confident there will be some new jobs for new grads.
Hejdi Feick, a spokeswoman for BP Canada Energy Co. in Calgary, says that with an average age of 42 among employees, the oil and gas giant’s appetite for new grads is still strong. “We need to plan for our future.”
For next year, it’s planning to keep its hiring at the same levels as in previous years, offering positions to 40 co-op students and 27 graduates in engineering, geology, business, human resource, information technology and technical positions in Ontario, Alberta and Saskatchewan.
Even in the financial sector, perhaps the worst hit by the market meltdown, many large employers are still maintaining recruiting and hiring activity among grads.
Ernst & Young has made 500 offers to students across Canada for post-graduation jobs – the same number it hires every year, says Karen Wensley, the firm’s director of HR.
“We’re not cutting back on campus recruiting because we see it as a long-term investment,” she says.
Toronto-Dominion Bank has the same mindset toward the class of 2009. “We’re looking for strong leaders to groom into general manager positions,” says Cindy Dunn, associate vice-president of HR programs.
It takes years to give new grads the training they need to fill manager positions, and TD can’t afford to put that off, Ms. Dunn says.
It has already filled its 12-hire quota of commerce grads for its management associate program across Canada. It has also boosted the number of business banking hires from previous years to more than 100 across the country this year, she says.
Contrary to forecasts that jobs in financial services will be few and far between for grads, Ms. Dunn insists the industry is still hungry for those with solid communications and customer service skills.
“People continue to live their lives in times of economic hardship. They continue to need their banking services,” she says.
Graduates will have better chances of finding a good job if they’re prepared to move, says Julie Ball, executive director of Calgary employment agency The Talent Pool.
The western provinces are still hungry for new blood, especially in the oil and gas and transportation and logistics sectors, she says.
Broadening your job search can go a long way during a downturn as well, pros say.
While many MBA grads will find scarcer possibilities for the “glamour salaries” of investment banking they’ve been attracted to, for instance, they will still be able to find jobs potentially as rewarding outside of banking, says Peter von Loesecke, managing director of MBA Tour, an international trade show for MBA schools.
“Industry has been overlooked,” he says. “But [MBA grads] can have a real, immediate impact.”
Demand for skilled trades is still strong. So too is demand for IT workers, says Terry Power, president of Sapphire Technologies, a Toronto-based IT staffing firm.
“There will be 80,000 new IT jobs by 2014,” says Mr. Power, who says he hasn’t yet seen a decline in hiring activities by IT firms for the coming year.
“We still have a fundamental problem – we’re aging, and more people are exiting the industry than entering.”
Pounding the pavement
Here are the pros’ tips for finding work in an economic downturn:
Don’t put it off. There will be jobs but they may take longer to find, pros say. So if you’re graduating this spring, don’t wait: Start looking for work now. Take advantage of on-campus career centres and job fairs.
Show off your skills. Especially those that might be important to a dimming economy. Customer service and the ability to communicate well are two particular attributes that are needed in tougher times, pros say.
Broaden your search. Look beyond your field to other industries where jobs may be more plentiful and your skills and credentials can apply.
Be willing to relocate. Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia continue to be hot markets.
Be flexible. Aside from work in industries you may not have initially considered or being ready to move, also be prepared to accept a lower-than-anticipated salary or a lower-level entry job.
Put your best foot forward. In a competitive job market, those who present best win. A polished résumé, well-crafted cover letter and clear, concise elevator pitch on your skills and experience can get you in the door.
Be more accepting. Multiple offers of the past may not pour in; you may want to take what comes your way first rather than wait for a better offer.
Eleanor Beaton
