CSUN University News Clippings

UC Berkeley shifts job counseling into overdrive in increasingly dismal market

(May 18, 2009)

By Matt Krupnick
Published: 5/15/09

The parody of Billy Joel’s “We Didn’t Start the Fire” at a UC Berkeley talent show this month pretty much summed up the feeling among this year’s college graduates.

“Nobody wants to hire,” sang the group of MBA students at the Haas School of Business show. “MBA, can I stay? How much do I have to pay?”

With outright anxiety supplanting normal job-market jitters among the class of 2009, UC Berkeley is trying harder to ease graduates into jobs in an economy where few exist. Even with the extraordinary measures, it appears the Berkeley diplomas will take longer to pay off for many of the 10,000 receiving bachelor’s or advanced degrees.

At the Haas, for example, about 60 percent of this year’s class has been offered jobs, compared to the usual 80 percent or more. Most of the unhired students have tried to hold their anxiety in check, but it’s clear nerves are jangling throughout the school, said Mark Friedfeld at the school’s career center.

“They understand this is a business cycle and that their timing is just bad,” he said. “But I don’t want to say I’m not worried.”

The business school’s dean, Rich Lyons, wrote to alumni asking for help, and they responded with more than three dozen job openings.

At Boalt Hall School of Law next door, some graduates are being offered new fellowships to help weather the unprecedented rough spot in the legal industry. Although public-interest jobs appear to be toughest to come by, large firms also are suffering, said Dean Christopher Edley.

“There’s still a lot of anxiety because folks still don’t know where the bottom is, so they’re reluctant to make hiring commitments,” he said. “We’ve definitely seen our graduating students having to work harder to find a job they’re happy with.”

Boalt Hall also has heard from more alumni seeking job help, Edley said. Large firms increasingly are cutting midlevel attorneys rather than entry-level jobs, he said.

Campuswide, the university’s career center wrote to more than 15,000 students after spring break to help them prepare for their job search. The letters emphasized that the center was doing all it could to improve job prospects, but it also asked students to help themselves.

“The situation is challenging, and we want you to know that there are steps you can take to better position yourself for future jobs, internships or graduate school,” wrote Tom Devlin, the center’s director.

Nerves have been more shaken than normal this year, said Suzanne Helbig, a UC Berkeley career counselor.

“We’ve seen some students on an emotional roller coaster,” she said. “They’re excited about graduating, but worried about the job market. We can’t help but feel that ourselves as counselors.”

With up to 20,000 more layoffs expected in the East Bay in the next 12 to 18 months, this year’s graduates need to do everything they can to market themselves, said Dorothy Chen, director of the Alameda County Workforce Investment Board. Study up on companies — particularly in hot industries such as energy efficiency — and go knock on doors, she said.

“I would go after jobs that are not listed,” she said. “I would rather do that than be one of the 10,000 people applying for one job.”

Next year’s graduating class is not expected to have a much easier time, university educators and counselors said. Haas student Ari Frankel, part of the musical group that played the talent show, said he is confident the school is doing all it can to help students.

“It only takes one” job offer, said Frankel, who graduates next year. “No, I’m not going to get five offers, but I don’t need five offers.”

Publication: Contra Costa Times