Aaron Burns | News Co-Editor

As the semester begins to shrink to the last couple of weeks at Buena Vista University (BVU), graduating seniors look forward for their future to come. Some are going on to graduate and professional schools while many others are moving into the workforce.

Over the past five years (2008-12), the percentage of BVU graduates who have either become employed or gone directly on to graduate or professional school has averaged 95 percent within six months of graduation.

“The last five years averaged ninety-five percent. The lowest was ninety-two percent which was in 2009, and the job market was especially bad that year,” Director of Career Services Carol Lytle said.

Comparing BVU to the rest of the nation, in 2009, 89 percent of the 2007-08 first-time bachelor’s degree recipients were working. Nine percent of recipients were unemployed (looking for work but not working), and seven percent were not in the labor force.

It is difficult to determine which statistics are correct to compare to because of different methods taken to measure. The career services profession is currently making an effort to standardize the process to better compare outcomes when choosing a school.

“When I see how other schools are reporting their percentages, small privates always have high numbers. If I were to write something up, I would say that our percentage is way above the national average,” Lytle said.

The data is collected beginning around six months after graduation, usually in November. Like other small schools that have a closer relationship to their graduates, BVU’s Career Services starts contacting the graduates to learn about their employment situations. They are initially asked at graduation if they have plans already set in place. Emails and postcards go out in November. If no response is made, Career Services tries phone numbers and social media sites such as Facebook and LinkedIn.

“We end up with almost everybody, but it’s a big job,” Lytle said.

“Deciding on what kind of job you want is easy for some, but not everyone. Ideally, the first semester [senior year] should be spent researching organizations, making sure your resume is ready for employers, and narrowing your job choices. We like to see students take advantage of every networking opportunity early,” Lytle said. “By the beginning of second semester, seniors should be conducting a job search, utilizing job boards including our own College Central Network, attending our Career Connect events, and meeting with us in Career Services to help your search. Seniors should let everyone they know that they are looking for employment upon graduation.”

Senior Rachel Burnette has secured a job with Prairie Life Fitness in Omaha, Nebraska.

“I love knowing I have a job. It gives me peace of mind. I am one who likes to have everything organized, so to have a job secured is a big weight off my shoulders. Now I can focus on getting everything done here and not be stressing about interviews and what I am going to be doing if I didn’t find one,” Burnette said.

Lytle explained that many seniors are like Burnette and know where they are headed as they cross the stage to get their diplomas on graduation day.

“In my experience, somewhere between thirty and forty percent tell us they know where they’ll be working or going on to school,” Lytle said.

Lytle offers some advice to graduating seniors still looking for employment:

• Broaden your search
• Consider doing a post-graduate internship
• Bump up your assertiveness. Make phone calls to places where you’d like to work
• Keep telling everyone what you’re looking for
• Have your resume and cover letter critiqued in Career Services
• Practice interview skills with someone who’ll give you constructive feedback
• Remember your first job out of college doesn’t have to be the perfect one. Many new graduates spend their first job looking for their second job. It can take awhile to really know what you want.