Economic situation creates employer's market
By Sheldon Yoder

September 11, as well as several economic factors, have ushered in the first employer's market in nearly 16 years, according to John Brown, director of the College & Career Guidance Center (CCGC) at Oral Roberts University.

An employer's market occurs when there are more available employees than job positions.

"Being that it is an employer's market, the competition is higher, which means students are going to have to be more efficient and work harder with the transitional positioning that is necessary to find those jobs," Brown said.

Some ORU students have been watching the economic situation with a discerning eye. "It's made me take care of business sooner than others were," senior Mass Media Communications major Joe Brettell said.

ORU has especially felt the economic crunch when seeking to enlist new companies to begin actively recruiting on campus.

"A number of corporations have cut back on collegiate recruiting this year, and several indicated they were not taking any new universities on," Brown said. "The possibility of expanding this year was extremely difficult because of that."

Brown has noticed hiring freezes and cutbacks not only for many of the businesses ORU has solicited, but also those who maintain an established relationship with the University.

Perhaps this trend is most noticeable for Williams Energy and WilTel, businesses with regional headquarters in Tulsa. Many ORU students have found internships and positions after graduation at these companies.

Williams Energy notified the University it will not be recruiting any college students, while WilTel, formerly called Williams Communications, has significantly lowered the number of college students it will hire.

Some of the statistics available support this trend. According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers, college recruiting is down 36 percent this year. Bureau of Labor statistics show that self-employed 20- to 24-year-olds rose from 235,000 in 1999 to 264,000 in 2001, while the unemployment rate has doubled in the last 12 months.

Brown still remains optimistic about ORU students' possibilities.

"The opportunities are out there, and because we [the CCGC] are pushing in new directions, in spite of the economy, we have more opportunities available simply because more relationships have been established, and we've managed to prove ourselves with potential employers," Brown said.

Though the number of companies who had a booth at the fall 2002 job fair was down from prior years, several of the companies decided to recruit at ORU of their own accord, and eight of the companies, including ConocoPhillips, the third largest oil and gas company in the U.S., were completely new to the University.

The CCGC has been encouraging students not to exclude the small business sector when seeking jobs. Bureau of Labor statistics show that in 2001, 82 percent of positions were available in small businesses.

The employment shift to small business is a double-edged sword, however. Brown noted that as big corporations lay off workers, those individuals are competing with students for positions in smaller businesses.

In order to succeed in spite of the employment situation, students must take an active approach in the job search. Employers want to know what they can add to the company and being proactive will be helpful in demonstrating this, Brown said.

"If students do take a lethargic approach and wait for things to happen till the last minute, plan on packing things up and going back home to mom and dad's for a few months at least," Brown said.

According to Brown, students must prepare to be lifelong learners and focus on gaining as much experience as possible. Internships are a valuable tool in gaining experience and increasing appeal to employers.

Brettell has not taken a passive approach in the job search: "I've prepared myself a lot-four internships as well as running a public relations firm for two years-so really it just comes down to preparation. I'm ready to go; I have clear idea of what I want to do, and I'm going to do it."

There is a possibility that as the Baby Boomers reach retirement age, the market could again return to one friendly to job-seekers. Brown has already noticed this trend in some industries. He cautions students, however, by saying that it will differ from business sector to sector.

Finals Schedule