Navigating the job market — Insights for college grads
JOPLIN, Mo. — Getting a job after graduating college could be more competitive this year for college grads.
According to the National Association for Colleges and Employers, the overall hiring outlook is expected to drop by 1.9 percent compared to last year.
“I just looked in our system and we currently within 50 miles of Joplin have almost 7000 jobs available,” said Pam Reagan Missouri Job Center One Stop Operator.
Pam Regan, “Missouri Job Center” one stop operator, says locally, there is a pretty strong job market for recent college graduates.
“That’s everything from entry-level positions, to physicians, and lawyers, and everything in between,” said Reagan.
Joplin City Council tackles tornado cleanup efforts in special session
Joplin Area Chamber of Commerce and Liberty announce 2024 Golden Apple Award winners
This can be good news for the more than 800 MSSU students who just recently graduated.
“iI would say The top three jobs or industries that our students enter into most commonly are health care, teacher education, and actually the criminal justice field,” said Alex Gandy, MSSU Career Services Director.
If you are unsure of what your next step is, the “Missouri Southern State University” Career Services Department can help assist in the job search after you’ve graduated or sometimes even before.
“We typically see with an an unemployment rate, our students who are who are challenged in finding job opportunities is somewhere between 5 to 7% of our graduates. Those are students who are currently looking for job opportunities post-graduation. But what we see over a 12 month timeline is typically that is a 90% employment or they’re actually pursuing and continuing graduate school program,” said Gandy.
The department provides students with resume writing skills, information on how to apply for grad school, how to apply and look for jobs, and interview practice, all for free.
Plus, the Missouri Job Center can also assist in the search. You can visit their website, here.