College Hiring on the Rise: Be Prepared

NACE has released bits of its and they're surprisingly...upbeat. Hiring managers and recruiters who responded to NACE's survey said they expect to hire 13.5 percent more graduates from the Class of 2011 than they did from the Class of 2010. While only 47.7 percent expect to increase the number of graduates they hire, 40 percent said they would maintain their current hiring levels. Add that up and it's good news for incoming college seniors.

I know it's the first week of September and you probably don't want to start thinking about recruiting and job interviews and what you're going to do after graduation this spring. But you should. In this case, the early bird really does get the worm, and recruiting season will be upon you sooner than you think. You're just luck you're not in law school, where law firm recruiting started in August.

Take investment banking, for example; a highly sought-after post-grad job. According toVault's Global Finance Editor Derek Loosvelt, investment banks start the fall recruiting process right away--in September--hosting information sessions and visiting campuses. You might even see them there already. "The bulk of recruiting occurs in October," says Loosvelt, "and interviewing (for full-time analyst and associate positions) begins around then as well (October/November)."

Now don't panic. Take a deep breath. Get settled in your dorm room and say hi to friends you haven't seen in three months. Then visit your school's career center--or at least its website--to see who's on campus and when. Your career center will be able to help you get to know who's on campus and maybe even put you in touch with alumni who now work at a particular organization. And you should definitely be sure to keep reading Admit One and other Vault blogs for more advice on how to navigate recruiting of all types this fall.