Benefits April 2, 2007

Employers to Slightly Step up Entry-Level Hiring in 2007

April 2, 2007 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - Employers expect to hire slightly more college graduates this year, but 63% don't foresee entry-level wages to escalate over last year, according to Monster Worldwide Inc.'s annual survey of the entry-level job market.
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According to the MonsterTRAK survey of 985 employers, 76% plan to hire 2007 graduates, compared to 72% who said they planned to hire last year’s graduates. Thirty-eight percent of employers said they would hire more entry-level job candidates than last year and employers anticipate 73 applications per position.

In terms of employees’ and employers’ hiring expectations, they both rank relevant work experience and personal characteristics, such as interviewing skills, as the most important factor in hiring recent graduates and both consider a perfect 4.0 GPA as the least significant.

Employers say that lack of professionalism, such as tardiness or not sending a thank-you note, as the biggest mistake a job candidate can make in an interview.

Other findings of the survey include:

  • 89% of the 2,545 surveyed prospective graduates expect to receive at least one job offer by graduation, while 74% expect two or more offers, a 10% increase over 2006;
  • 48% of prospective graduates plan to spend at least some time living at home, 22% of whom expect to live at home for more than six months;
  • 42% of 2006 graduates say they are still living with their parents;
  • One-in-five employers check candidates’ personal online profiles during the recruitment process.

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