Thousands Of Job-Seekers Flock To Career Day At Rutgers University
NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- As many college students celebrate graduation, many now know the harsh reality of joining the long lines of job-seekers.
At Rutgers University, students were back on campus trying to find work at a job fair, reports CBS 2's Cindy Hsu.
Krishna Naik graduated from Rutgers University last week. On Wednesday, he was in line with thousands of others at the school for Career Day, trying to find a job.
Naik said that just four years ago, he thought a degree would mean an easy job search.
"Things change, I realize," Naik said. "You have to keep trying, you basically have to build up your skills."
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Rutgers Director of Career Services Richard White said entry-level hiring is up for college grads, particularly in the technical and financial fields and in the federal government. Flexibility, he said, is key.
"The type of work, the location – just try anything, because all work has value and getting your foot in the door is critical," White said.
Networking is also vital, and social media is not enough. Lauren Kraly, from L'Oréal USA, said face-to-face contact, and positive attitude and confidence are the things that stand out.
"You learn a lot from eye contact, from body language," Kraly said. "It's a lot of the non-verbal communication."
Another good sign at the job fair was just the growing number of companies. At a Rutgers career day in January, 138 companies showed up; on Wednesday, there were 165.
Naik said he was hopeful that he'll find a job, and knows how he'll celebrate.
"Probably take my parents out to dinner, take my friends out to dinner the next day," he said. "I'll be very happy – a little relieved as well."
Naik said he was hoping to become a physical therapist. Now, though, he's considering graduate school and the field of information technology.
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