Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, February 11, 1991 TAG: 9102110101
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A-4 EDITION: STATE
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: CHARLOTTESVILLE LENGTH: Medium
With the national unemployment rate rising to 6.2 percent in January, students say competition at college recruiting interviews is keener than ever.
"I think everyone is worried about finding a job this year," Virginia senior Allen Pogorzelski said as he waited to interview with Charlottesville-based SNL Securities last week.
"We're not hiring anyone out there who has been laid off from another company or who wants to switch employers," said William Adams, district manager for NCR Corp.'s federal government division. "But for bright, good, college candidates, there are plenty of openings."
The computer firm believes hiring young college graduates is less costly than bringing on older, experienced workers who would command more money and require extensive retraining, he said. NCR conducted recruiting interviews at the University of Virginia last week.
"With the economic slump, we feel more assured of job loyalty from our new employees. We invest $35,000 to $40,000 in training for each new employee. We want them to stay with us."
Adams interviewed 12 Virginia seniors for entry-level computer technology jobs with $28,000 starting salaries. He said his company will hire as many college seniors this year as it did in 1990.
"There are so many good candidates out there now, we can afford to be more selective," said Adams, who won't interview anyone with less than a 3.0 grade point average.
College placement directors echoed employer predictions. Bright, energetic, enthusiastic college seniors willing to work hard should have little trouble finding a job, said Joanne Mahanes, coordinator of career development at Virginia.
"Students seem to think the situation they're facing in the job market is bleak," Mahanes said. "They have a right to be apprehensive and anxious, but if they believe they have something to offer an employer, they will have opportunities."
More than 600 organizations sent recruiters to Virginia this year - the same number as in the boom years of 1986 to 1990, Mahanes said.
Some companies have cut back on the number of recruiters or visits to the school. Some regulars did not show up, but they were replaced with newcomers, Mahanes said.
"We lost between 5 and 10 percent of our companies this year. But they've been made up for by some new, smaller companies who came to interview," said career planning and placement director Lawrence A. Simpson. "We're a prime target school for big employers."
Among companies represented at Virginia were IBM, General Mills, MCI, Circuit City, The Gap, Salomon Brothers, Exxon, May Co., Aetna Life and Casualty, Dow Chemical and Martin Marietta. More than 85 percent of seniors use the Virginia placement office for interviews and other job information, Simpson said.
by CNB