Employers say skill sets more important than specific majors

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Employers visiting campus are looking for job candidates with broad skill sets and entrepreneurial backgrounds.

Christine Kiernan, director of sales for www.hiredmyway.com said employers look for motivated individuals with entrepreneurial minds, particularly in the fields of engineering, technology and business.

“Engineering is really, really big,” she said. “I cannot fill them or IT positions fast enough. All the real niche, technical type of positions that are out there, that’s a biggie.”

She advised students to dress professionally in interviews and to study diverse topics in college to accrue a range of abilities.

“We like business majors, communication majors, marketing majors, any kind of entrepreneurial courses,” Kiernan said. “I also look for people who took classes in social sciences.”

Michelle Howard, assistant dean and director of academic advising and assistance, said numbers show students have a higher interest in biology, technology and health professions than in the past.

“Some of the high interests are anything health profession related,” she said. “We can see that through the (Office of Institutional Research).”

To help prepare themselves for the working world, students should become involved in CMU’s career services, said Julia Sherlock, director of career services.

The program offers to help students meet employers and prepare for their designated field, she said, and the larger the pool of students using it the more employers look to CMU for future employees.

“There are 20,000 students on this campus and we’ve got 4,000 registered,” Sherlock said. “If they want to participate in the recruitment process, they need to be registered.”

Sherlock said having a solid skill set is more important than a specific major. She said employers will want people who package themselves, so students should learn to find their niches. Her advice was to take part in a registered student organization, take classes offering new skills and get professional experience through an internship or similar program.

“Everyone’s got an opportunity,” Sherlock said. “The hottest major depends on the skill set.”

Normally CMU gets about 800 to 1,000 employers every year, Sherlock said. From 2006 to 2008 said it dropped to about 500 to 600.

She said the teachers fair has been especially hit hard. In 2008, 143 school districts took part. That number dropped to 86 in 2009 and in 2010 only 55 participated.

Sherlock said there have been signs of revived economic life recently.

“It’s starting to show signs of recovery,” she said. “I see signs that employers are coming back to campus.”