UA Provides Opportunities, But Tracking Proves Difficult

For many college graduates, once the academic rigors are over, the real work begins: finding a job.

The University of Arkansas and the Walton College of Business, in particular, are trying to help students with job placement.

The job-hunting process should start before the student graduates. And the Walton College’s Web site can play a big role in the university’s effort to help job seekers. The business college also offers mentoring programs and events such as proper dining etiquette.

Prospective employees can find information on how to dress, appropriate interview conduct and tips for writing cover letters and resumés at the school’s Career Developement Center Web site.

The Career Development Web site offers many services to aid students. One of the services is eRecruiting, which is a software package that allows students to search nationwide for part-time, full-time, co-op and internship job listings. eRecruiting can be used to set up on-campus interviews and read about trends in business, industry and career development.

Then there are the career/job fairs. The UA hosted six such fairs in the spring of 2006. Many times, fairs have a theme. For example, one fair held during the 2006 spring semester was titled “Retail Rush.” Companies involved in retail were represented at that fair. Other fairs featured supply chains, information technology, engineering and architecture.

Beckye Clark, marketing coordinator for the UA Career Development Center, said the university is constantly looking at ways to improve job fairs and is always interested in adding more. For example, a summer job/summer camp fair is scheduled for January 2007 as well as an apparel studies fair in November 2007.

Clark said the job fairs are a staple in the placement process. Even when recruiting and the job market are down nationwide, there is still strong attendance at the fairs.

Clark said the university has a hard time keeping up with what its graduates do and where they go after graduation.

“We don’t get a lot of feedback,” Clark said. “It’s really difficult to track students and to find out where they are.”

But developing better methods of where graduates go and what they are doing is a “high priority,” according to Clark.

Things are a bit different for the Walton College in terms of tracking students after graduation. Clark said the Walton College typically has a more personal relationship with its students. Professors and staff tend to start working with Walton College students in their freshmen year. This personal relationship makes information on Walton College graduates more accessible.

In a survey of spring 2005 Walton College graduates, 76 percent remained in Arkansas after graduation. The 2005 graduates’ average salary was $33,665. Those with a degree in Information Systems had the highest salary with $37,992. The lowest-paying degree was economics with an average salary of $24,336.