First, the Financial Services/Insurance industry is going through a consolidation phase. In my opinion our industry is just beginning and will be in this mode for the next few years. This environment will lead to high mergers and acquisitions activity. Companies often look for cost reductions after these mergers and acquisitions, eliminating duplication and unnecessary expenses. Basically there will be a lot of chaos in our industry over the coming years. What does all this mean to graduates of 1998? It means there will be tremendous opportunities in the Financial/Insurance arena. Chaos breeds opportunity! As these companies continue to go through changes at unprecedented speed, they will need people who are comfortable being uncomfortable. They will need people who can become change agents. I know the readers of THE BLACK COLLEGIAN are prepared to meet that challenge. The areas of opportunity that will grow despite continued consolidation are in marketing and sales. The main driver for these opportunities is the changing demographics of the U.S., which is increasingly becoming more diverse every year. Companies must now attract ethnic consumers in large numbers as customers, if they hope to be in business in the future. Companies that hire and train people from these markets will have a strategic advantage in gaining the market share necessary to survive. Therefore, I predict the employment opportunities for the Class of 1998 will only get better with time in the financial services arena. 

While not specifically a special strategy, students should not limit their access to the job market in any way, or discount any potential networking opportunity. This includes time spent with anyone even remotely connected to an industry or career interest: if your aunt Gert had a college roommate who is vice president in charge of your dream job, take her up on the offer to contact that alumnus for you as an introduction. You may be surprised how far you can get with simple introductions, and how much farther you can get by asking for those introductions. 
Further, the more relevant experience you can gain during the college career, the more compelling your argument will be for acceptance by a corporation. A well-designed internship program offers significant benefits to both the student and Federated: early awareness, on-the-job experience and a deeper familiarity at the point of the hiring decision. 

Think about going into business for yourself. In 1900, 50 percent of all Americans were self-employed, primarily in agriculture.  In 1977, 93 percent of Americans worked for a company or someone else. Demographers say this was the high point for employer-employee relationships. It is estimated that between the years 2000 and 2010, once again 50 percent of Americans will be self-employed. This time they will be consultants, freelancers, small business owners, and entrepreneurs. You should think about a career in sales and marketing that will help you develop skills that are critical in an entrepreneurial environment. 

The outlook for the professional service industry (accounting, finance, consulting) is very bright. There is a tremendous opportunity for college graduates in 1998 to find employment opportunities within the traditional Big Six firms. It is an exciting time in our industry because of consolidations and mergers and the traditional accounting firm is changing rapidly to become more consultative in nature. There are still plenty of opportunities in accounting and auditing, but the firms are also looking for liberal arts, engineering, law, and MBA graduates. At Deloitte & Touche, we will hire over 2,500 college graduates for a variety of exciting career paths for opportunities domestically and internationally. The students that have had solid academic performance and good communication and analytical skills are the most attractive to D&T. 

One of AutoZone's biggest competitive advantages is technology and systems. To support these systems, we need qualified people with good computer and application development skills. These demands are true, not only in our industry, but in just about all others. Applicants with some work or internship experience in the computer field will have an edge. 

Insurance, like most industries, is going through significant change. Business consolidation, global competition and consumer demand for innovative products and services are increasing the demand for highly talented people in areas such as sales, marketing, customer service, finance, information systems, underwriting and benefits. 
Leading firms are actively seeking people, who are motivated to achieve, dedicated to excellence, and able to bring innovative thinking to problems and solutions. The demand for talent is especially strong in the sales and information systems areas right now.

Today's job market is very good. A student should have many opportunities available to him/her. A student should adequately investigate each company's personality, values and business ethics. The student's ultimate job decision should not be based solely on income, but on corporate fit.

By any measure, the outlook for 1998 graduates in education is outstanding, both from an immediate employment prospective and for the long-range career advancement potential. There is already a critical shortage of African-American teachers (the majority of whom will be eligible to retire within five to 10 years). Additionally, two million more teachers must be found over the next 20 years to accommodate the increased number of school-aged children (most of whom will be non-white). There are current shortages of teachers in certain categories regardless of ethnic consideration. These shortages may vary slightly from region to region. Here, in Louisiana the critical need areas are math, science, special education (all areas) and elementary education (including early childhood). Other regions have expressed difficulty in finding foreign language and English as second language teachers. To alleviate existing shortages in critical need areas, some states and school systems have instituted alternative certification paths to employment for non-education graduates. Anyone who has the desire to teach should have very little difficulty finding an opportunity to enter and progress in this most rewarding of professions.

The CIGNA Companies will recruit over 300 college undergraduate and graduate students for positions in our divisions both at the bachelor's and master's level. This number represents an increasing trend of our hiring patterns over the last few years and underscores our commitment to the development and strengthening of our employees as we prepare for the next century. CIGNA recruits at over 85 colleges and universities throughout the United States, we currently have 15 schools in our corporate targeted university program. We participate in on campus recruiting heavily for full-time opportunities in the fall and again in the spring for our intern and co-op positions As one of the oldest leading worldwide providers of a variety of insurance and financial service products, CIGNA has opportunities for students interested in careers in Underwriting, Actuarial Science, Technology, Investments, Business, Healthcare, Customer Service and Human Resources. Our seven lines of business typically, look for a variety of majors. Core competency skills vary by division, but overall we are looking for academically talented, creative, committed persons, who are willing to take risks, communicate well, and work hard in contributing to our goals of customer satisfaction provided in a cost-effective, ethical way. Students who are comfortable with change, poised for the future, can demonstrate not only a superior academic background, but initiative, leadership, customer service, and strong communication skills will succeed at CIGNA. Students entering CIGNA must also be comfortable functioning in a matrix-managed environment. CIGNA, along with other progressive organizations, is positioning itself for the future, and typical hierarchical management techniques no longer are in vogue. Students must be able to function as well as both team members and leaders.

I believe that you will see slightly improved hiring opportunities for the Class of 1998 over the Class of 1997. Demand remains strong for the high tech industries and manufacturing sectors of the U.S. Computer and electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, computer science, accounting, and optical physics are high demand majors this year. With the advent of word processing and the merging of company addresses, the student should be sure that the name of the addressee and the name of the company are the same. Students should take every opportunity they can, without hurting their studying habits, to attend the student chapters of professional societies and listen to the guest speakers. The student should meet with the guest speaker after the presentation to determine if there are opportunities in that company or, if not, does the company representative know who might be interested in the student's background. Networking is the strategy that can set you apart from the rest of the crowd.