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Graduates Seeking Employment
According to data released by career Web site Monster, entry-level job opportunities are most abundant in:
- sales, which accounts for 19% of all entry-level jobs
- administrative and support services, which accounts for 13%.
Customer service may also hold a good deal of opportunity, with 21% of all positions in that category classified as entry-level. Other leading categories for entry-level jobs for college students and young alumni are:
- Education
- Accounting & Finance
- Non-Profit, including Government.
State of Opportunity
According to Monster,
- California offers the greatest percentage of the country’s entry-level jobs with 14%
- Texas follows at 8%
- Massachusetts 7%
- New York, offering 6%.
In terms of percentage of entry-level opportunities among all jobs within each state, Massachusetts, Maryland and Alabama lead the way, as 13% of all jobs in those states are listed as entry-level positions. Indiana and Missouri follow with 12%, Monster said.
The jobs most desired by 2002 graduates are in Advertising/Marketing/PR, with 11% of Monster entry-level resumes falling into this category.
Other popular fields include:
- IT, accounting for 8% of resumes
- engineering, 6%
- computers/software, 5%
- arts/entertainment/media, 5%
- sales, 4%
- administrative support, accounting for 4% of resumes.
This year’s college graduates are seeking salaries more or less in line with the national median entry-level compensation ranges, with $39,600 being the average asking salary.
Students are requesting:
- $46,500 for jobs in engineering
- $41,000 for sales
- $36,200 for accounting/auditing
- $34,700 for advertising/marketing/PR
- $33,700 for arts/entertainment/media..
The data are based on a comprehensive analysis of Monster job postings in the US.