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As the 2010 class starts their job search, they’re seeing evidence of the struggling economy in shrinking job fairs.

At the Stanford career fair last year, a record 300 companies signed up to recruit. This year, the interest dropped to 217 companies – a 28 percent decrease in possible employers. Bev Principal, assistant director of the Career Development Center (CDC), sees students at Stanford concerned about job shortage, especially in competition with fellow graduates.
 
“The number-one concern is that the company has fewer jobs,” she said. “The competition is probably a lot higher…people feel competitive with their Stanford peers. They’re thinking ‘Oh, shoot, we’ve all got 4.0s, what am I going to do?’”

But while ’10 graduates may feel anxious about their prospects, Principal doesn’t see a need for such alarm.

Other schools’ career centers and students share Principal’s optimism. Sam Houston State students in Pi Sigma Phi have teamed up with their Career Services to put together a seminar, "What Matters Most in the Professional World," aimed at giving graduating seniors the tools they need to transition to professional life.

Stanford Senior Tiffany Lin seemed to have her chin up.
 
“Since the job market is a little bit harder, you need to bulk up more, stand out more, have more credentials,” Lin said. “I’m optimistic, though, that in the end I’ll be doing something I’m interested in, even if it’s less conventional.”

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