Fewer Jobs Available, Students Try to Cope
'They're having to hunt for more than one opportunity' after hopes are dashed by hiring freezes and economy
Casey Cheney
Issue date: 1/22/09 Section: Beyond
Hillsdale senior Christa Scharp doesn't know what's next after graduation, though certainly not for lack of effort.
After 18 interviews with Stryker, a global producer of medical technology headquartered in Kalamazoo, Mich., Scharp said she knew she had something to add to the company.
Despite Stryker's encouraging response when Scharp began interviewing with them last October, her plans were put on hold in mid-November. She received a phone call from Stryker telling her they enjoyed meeting her and wanted to hire her but weren't hiring at the time.
Scharp hung up the phone and went back to playing with the 2-year-old she was babysitting, the implications of the news slowly becoming clearer.
She didn't have a job.
Though she had been forewarned something like this may happen, she said she couldn't fend off a sense of shock.
"You obviously are always going to get your hopes up,"?she said. "I wasn't crushed. I was just like, 'Okay, what's next.' "
As the economy worsens, stories like Scharp's are becoming increasingly common.
Shannon Webb, Hillsdale senior and a finance and German double major, said there's especially a shortage in financial work as many of the financial companies no longer exist.
Michigan has been especially hard on graduates. Already, reports claim more people are leaving Michigan than any other state (see related story by Michael Mayday on this page).
"Michigan is not the place to be right now," Scharp said.
Christianne Sims, director of Fusion Detroit, an organization committed to bettering the future of the workforce in the Detroit area, said the current image of Michigan discourages students from even looking for work here.
Though the whole nation is experiencing economic difficulties, she said Michigan's struggles are worse than anywhere else in the nation.
"That image factor plays a big part in how people search," she said, adding that there is a perception that Michigan has no work available.
After 18 interviews with Stryker, a global producer of medical technology headquartered in Kalamazoo, Mich., Scharp said she knew she had something to add to the company.
Despite Stryker's encouraging response when Scharp began interviewing with them last October, her plans were put on hold in mid-November. She received a phone call from Stryker telling her they enjoyed meeting her and wanted to hire her but weren't hiring at the time.
Scharp hung up the phone and went back to playing with the 2-year-old she was babysitting, the implications of the news slowly becoming clearer.
She didn't have a job.
Though she had been forewarned something like this may happen, she said she couldn't fend off a sense of shock.
"You obviously are always going to get your hopes up,"?she said. "I wasn't crushed. I was just like, 'Okay, what's next.' "
As the economy worsens, stories like Scharp's are becoming increasingly common.
Shannon Webb, Hillsdale senior and a finance and German double major, said there's especially a shortage in financial work as many of the financial companies no longer exist.
Michigan has been especially hard on graduates. Already, reports claim more people are leaving Michigan than any other state (see related story by Michael Mayday on this page).
"Michigan is not the place to be right now," Scharp said.
Christianne Sims, director of Fusion Detroit, an organization committed to bettering the future of the workforce in the Detroit area, said the current image of Michigan discourages students from even looking for work here.
Though the whole nation is experiencing economic difficulties, she said Michigan's struggles are worse than anywhere else in the nation.
"That image factor plays a big part in how people search," she said, adding that there is a perception that Michigan has no work available.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Stacy
posted 1/23/09 @ 4:57 PM EST
It is hard finding jobs right now but there are jobs out there. I think students need to be very motivated and also need to broaden their search. Try something different than what they would if we weren't in a recession. (Continued…)
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