Job Hunting 101 for New Grads

Despite a chronic case of senioritis, you turned in that 100-page term paper, presented the group project for which nobody pulled his weight, and completed final exams. Now after surviving the never-ending commencement activities with your family, it's time to kick back and take advantage of some of your newfound freedom. Right?

Wrong!

The grim reality is that you're no longer on the Mom and Dad gravy train. The rules have changed and it's time to fend for yourself. And that doesn't mean waiting tables at your neighborhood cafe or serving drinks at your college stomping ground. You're actually expected to put your shiny, new, freshly-minted degree to work.

Fortunately, CareerBuilder.com found there's good news for the class of 2005. Sixty-two percent of hiring managers plan to recruit recent college graduates this year and one-in-four say they will be increasing starting salaries over those offered in previous years.

"It's a different job market today with more promising prospects for college graduates," says Matt Ferguson, CEO of CareerBuilder.com. "Educated labor is in demand and 18 percent of hiring managers say they plan to hire a greater number of recent college graduates this year than they did in 2004."

In terms of compensation, 28 percent of hiring managers expect to increase the starting salaries for recent college graduates this year, and only 6 percent plan to decrease them. Fifty-nine percent of hiring managers expect to offer less than $30,000, and 26 percent will offer $30,000 to $39,000. An additional 10 percent will offer $40,000 to $49,000 while 6 percent will offer $50,000 or more.

With promising job opportunities, favorable salaries and plenty of free time, new grads should have no reason not to look for that first job. Here are the top things hiring managers look for when sizing up a candidate:

By Kate Lorenz, CareerBuilder.com Editor
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