Spotlight Online for Career Services Professionals, September 29, 2010
Results from NACE’s 2010 Student Survey show:
- The likelihood of a student getting a job offer increased with the frequency of career center use: Students who used the career center four or more times a semester were more likely to have job offers than those who used it once a semester.
- Use of career services resulted in higher median salaries, and median salaries climbed with increased use. There was a difference in median salary of more than $5,700 between students from the Class of 2010 who never went to career services ($35,978) and those who went four or more times per semester ($41,714). Students who went to career services once per semester had a median starting salary of $37,020, while the median salary for those who went two or three times per semester was $37,898.
- Freshmen have increased their use of career services over the past year. As the figure below illustrates, 2010 freshmen used the services of their career centers more than was the case with 2009 freshmen. In general, the increases are in the “prep”-related work, e.g., getting help in developing their resumes, practice interviewing, and researching employers. Clearly, freshmen understand that they need to be prepared, and are getting an early start.
Figure 1: Percent of freshmen respondents using career center services, 2009 vs. 2010
| |
2009 |
2010 |
| Career coaching |
41.7% |
45.2% |
| Resume review |
35.1 |
62.3 |
| Interview practice |
15.5 |
35.4 |
| Researching employers |
18.1 |
41.1 |
| Searching job listings |
53.6 |
56.7 |
| Source: National Association of Colleges and Employers. Comparison of responses of freshmen to 2009 Student Survey and 2010 Student Survey. |
NACE’s 2010 Student Survey was conducted February 9, 2010, through April 30, 2010; more than 400 colleges nationwide participated, and more than 31,500 students responded; nearly 13,000 of those were seniors.
A 60-page report, “Moving On 2010,” features analysis of responses from Class of 2010 graduating seniors; highlights from the survey can be accessed through NACE’s Research Brief: 2010 Student Survey.
The National Association of Colleges and Employers is the leading source of information about the employment of the new college graduate and represents the interests of 8,000 career services and college recruiting professionals. Not a member? Sign up for a free subscription to Spotlight Online and get the latest trends, research, and news affecting the college recruiting and career services field.