As Tech students prepare for graduation Friday, they face an uncertain job market.
Tennessee Tech’s Director of Career Development Russ Coughenour said the best adjective to describe the job market: unsteady. Coughenour said the market is good, but not great.
“I think there’s a lot of employers that are sort of sitting on the fence a little bit,” Coughenour said. “In other words, they have open positions and they are hiring, but they’re caution and they are selective., they’re picky. It’s a little bit of a buyer’s market. Maybe not completely, it really kind of depends on the field.”
Coughenour said the technology and nursing are two fields that seem to always be in demand. Coughenour said Tech has seen increase in civil engineering firms visiting the campus.
“In particular in construction management, you know, looking for project managers from the civil engineering ranks,” Coughenour said. “We still have demand for software developers. We still have, you know, lots of interest in data analysts.”
Coughenour said the US still has a skills-based economy, meaning, employers are looking for students who already have gained some type of experience outside of the classroom.
“While you’re studying, you know, whatever your major, make sure that you get that internship,” Coughenour said. ” Make sure you get that summer employment opportunity. If you’re in engineering, maybe do a cooperative education assignment, but get experience outside of the classroom, build skill in your area.”
Coughenour said when students are putting together resumes, they should be sure it flows, and that it tells the story of experience. It should also use the terminology and phrasing for the industry for which you are interested.
