CLASS OF '91 FINDS TOUGH JOB MARKET

CAPE GIRARDEAU -- Southeast Missouri State University senior Rhonda Dohack figures she has a tough job search ahead of her.

And with her graduation less than a month away, Dohack, though a governor's scholar, is somewhat worried.

"School's only about three more weeks and I have to find some way to pay the bills," said Dohack, 21, of St. Peters, who is majoring in mass communication with a specialization in advertising. "I think I'll eventually find something, but I think it's going to be a pretty hard, long search."

Dohack, who says she has a grade-point average exceeding 3.9 and is seeking an advertising design or layout job, is one of a million college seniors who will graduate this spring before a backdrop of recession and a meager job market. The New York Times News Service reported college graduates this spring face the bleakest job market in a decade or more.

Figures released by Southeast's career planning and placement office appear to paint the same picture. The office's director, Ed Freeman, said the number of jobs listed with the office is down 9 percent this spring compared to a year ago, both for students with bachelor's and master's degrees.

Corporate on-campus interviews, meanwhile, have dropped by 14 percent, he said.

"Basically, what that says to me is they (the corporations) were back on campus, but instead of having two people interviewing they brought one. Instead of interviewing two days, they interviewed one," said Freeman.

Freeman said the office won't be able to tell if certain fields are "feeling the pinch" more than others until responses from graduates who have acquired jobs are examined.

Brian Clark, 22, of Dongola, Ill., is also studying advertising at Southeast and will graduate in May. Early this month, Clark said, he sent out 17 resumes to advertising and marketing agencies in Evansville, Ind., to no success.

"I haven't heard a darn thing," he said. "A lot of the professors say the market is tight."

He too is concerned about the job market, he said, particularly with his graduation approaching.

"I'm through with school in May. I need to start somewhere."

But in spite of the bleak job market, Freeman said Southeast's Education Day job fair, to be held Wednesday at the Show Me Center, looks as if it will be bigger than last year. Sixty-five to 70 school districts are expected to be on hand to interview education students for prospective teaching jobs, he said.

Southeast's Career Information Day in the fall, and a similar day in November for students seeking to enter health-related fields, also turned out to be bigger events than in the past, he said. They give students the opportunity to talk to employers about professional positions.

Freeman's advice to seniors: be more "proactive" in job searches.

"Start early and work harder," he said. "Identify more companies. Make as many contacts as (you) can."

Students should start developing their resumes as soon as they enter their senior year, Freeman said. They should also learn how to use the library and information sources for pertinent data, and learn how to conduct a job search. The career planning and placement office can teach students how to go about all of these, said Freeman.

Freeman said he understands the concerns of graduating seniors because the information coming out of the media speaks of how difficult the economic times are.

"The message to them from that is be prepared to put more energy and time into developing more potential job sites," said Freeman.