BUT WORK/LIFE BALANCE IS THE PRIMARY CONSIDERATION WHEN CONSIDERING EMPLOYMENT

AfterCollege, the largest career network for college students and recent grads, conducts fourth annual survey of student attitudes

SAN FRANCISCO, June 14, 2012 – In a survey of current college students and recent graduates from more than 800 colleges and universities in the U.S., the respondents reported that the search for that first job out of college is still difficult, that social media is less and less relevant to finding a job, that work/life balance is key, and that employer websites are still the preferred place to apply for jobs.

Key findings:

• More than 85% of respondents do not have a job lined up after graduation.
• Less than 32% rank social media as an effective means of job searching.
• Work/life balance ranked highest when students were asked what motivates them to work with a new employer. This was followed by salary, location, and benefits. Stock options, sign-on bonuses, relocation, and company size were the least important aspects.
• While many companies conduct on-campus recruiting events in the fall, only 5% of respondents say they look for jobs early in the fall semester, while 5% seek work in the late fall. About 7% say they look for jobs over winter break; less than 10%, during the spring semester.
• While job sites are useful for finding listings, 63.9% of respondents say that employer websites are the preferred place to apply for a job. But that’s followed closely (63.2%) by those who say that job sites are the best place to apply.
• Close to 42% of students say that their college faculty has the greatest influence on their job and career-related decisions.
• When asked how they prefer to learn about career opportunities, close to 60% of respondents ranked employer websites as the preferred channel, followed by on-campus information sessions (48.1%) and school career fairs/events (45.5%).

“These results give insight to employers looking to hire the best entry-level employees,” said Roberto Angulo, CEO of AfterCollege. “It gives an accurate depiction of how this demographic looks for employment and sheds light on what job-search strategies are effective. It also shows both optimism and difficulty: optimism about the job market overall, but difficulty in finding that first great, relevant job.”

About the survey:
The survey was conducted online by AfterCollege, the largest career network for college students and recent grads. The survey, conducted between February and April 2012, garnered 1,174 responses. Respondents are registered students at or recent graduates from four-year colleges and universities in the U.S. Gender breakdown: 60.5% male, 39.5% female. Ethnic breakdown: 52.9% White/Caucasian; 24.3% Asian/Pacific Islander; 11.7% African American/Black; 8.7% Hispanic/Latino; 2.1% Middle Eastern; .4% Alaskan/Native American.

For more information and details of the report’s findings, visit http://acdc.mx/lbsb0.

About AfterCollege:
AfterCollege is a career network that connects college students, alumni, and employers through faculty and career networks at colleges and universities. AfterCollege was co-founded by Roberto Angulo in 1999, while he was still a student at Stanford. He had a simple goal: to create a better way for job-seeking students and alumni to connect with the right employers. Today AfterCollege powers the largest number of career networks on the Internet, using its patented process to deliver thousands of exclusive opportunities to students and alumni each day. For more information, visit AfterCollege.com.

Media Contact
Marlene Saritzky
marlene@mssassociates.com
415.713.1421

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