The Top 100 Employers Introduction

The job outlook for graduates of 2008 appears promising as employers prepare to seek out the best and the brightest. Each year, THE BLACK COLLEGIAN conducts a survey of major employers to determine the most active recruiters of college graduates. This survey results in our Top 100 Employers List, which is published in this, the Second Semester Super issue.

Employers were asked about the number of projected hires from on-campus recruiting and the number of campuses they are recruiting on. They were also asked to list the majors they are seeking.

According to Dr. Philip Gardner’s Job Outlook survey included in this issue, large employers with more than 4,000 employees are aggressively pursuing college graduates this year – with 40,000 jobs up for grabs. In addition, employers are prepared to pay more, with 53 percent planning to raise salary offers by an average of 4.2 percent. Much of the growth in opportunities is due to baby-boomer turnover.

If you’ve completed internships, that investment just may pay off, as the largest expansion in hiring is expected to come from employers using applicants from their internship and co-op talent pools.

Some of the majors most in demand this year are civil engineering, environmental sciences, nursing, accounting, electrical engineering, marketing, business administration, finance, mechanical engineering, computer science, agricultural business, and mathematics.

You should visit your career services office to determine if the employers listed in our survey are recruiting on your campus, and meet with a career counselor to plan a strategy for getting an interview with the employers of your choice.

THE BLACK COLLEGIAN wishes you much success in your job search!