I recently attended a conference where Dr. Phil Gardner, Principal Investigator Director, Collegiate Employment Research Institute presented his annual employer survey findings on recruiting and employer hiring trends. According to Dr. Phil Gardner, his survey findings revealed…

• The market is consistently beginning to recover and expand slowly across the board when reviewing all economic sectors, company sizes, majors, and geographic locations. Demand is leading the way. Employers must hire despite continued uncertainty and employers holding back over the last few years.
• Hiring compared to last year’s results is expected to increase across all degree levels by approximately 31-46 percent. Bachelor’s degrees are expected to increase by 7% while hiring of Master’s degrees are expected to drop by 6 %.
• Accounting, Computer services and business services positions are in greatest demand. However, compared to last year’s low demand, marketing, sales and public relations positions have increased greatly.
• Employers are increasingly using social media tools to recruit. Employee referrals and alumni working for the company are the top methods used by employers to identify and recruit candidates.

Lastly, evidence shows all candidates, entry level or those with experience must be able to articulate what skills they can bring to the position, how those skills were developed and how to apply them on the job. Click on the link to read the full Recruiting Trends Executive Summary located at the Collegiate Employment Research Institute at Michigan State University. Additionally, to learn more about networking visit the “Build Connections” tab located in Virtual Career Center .