College grads face tough IT job market

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May 27, 2002 (Computerworld) -- Even the most tech-savvy students in the class of 2002 will need good marketing skills to land a job this year. In this slow economy, employers are selectively choosing their campus recruits - including entry-level IT applicants, says Camille Luckenbaugh, employment information manager for the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) in Bethlehem, Pa.
"Recruiting for IT positions has diminished compared to previous years," says Lonnie Dunlap, director of university career services at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill. Indeed, many firms are slashing their entry-level hires by 20% this year compared with 2001, according to a NACE survey of 230 companies.
Employers want a range of IT skills, from Web development to software programming and mainframe experience. And as students compete for jobs with their peers - as well as downsized IT workers - they'll also need good networking skills, relevant internships and smart job-hunting strategies.
Although IT spending has declined industrywide this year, companies still need "people to manage the systems and networks and develop applications in a company's IT department," says John Challenger, CEO of Chicago-based outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc. Challenger says hiring managers are looking for IT workers who can develop and manage enterprisewide e-commerce and customer relationship management (CRM) applications.
Helen Anderson, a computer consultant at American Management Systems Inc. in Fairfax, Va., who graduated in 2000 from the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, agrees that experience working with Java and CRM applications is a big asset.
For its part, Northbrook, Ill.-based Allstate Insurance Co. needs software developers who are proficient in C, C+ and C++, as well as Cobol programmers and systems analysts, says senior IT manager Lorraine Balun.
Charlottesville, Va.-based SNL Securities LLC will hire four or five entry-level IT graduates who have a mix of Web development, Web design and technical support skills, says Barbara Kessler, human resources director at the financial publishing firm. "Some accounting knowledge, such as a class or two," is a big plus for someone who wants to work at a financial services firm, she says.
As companies extend fewer offers to computer science graduates this year, students with relevant internship experience will make a greater impression, say employers. A student applying for a position at Fairfax, Va.-based SRA International Inc. should ideally have had an internship at an IT consulting firm or a government contractor, says Amanda Schutz, college recruiting manager at SRA.

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