Whether students are looking to get started on their job search early or are getting ready to graduate and work in their field, some students are having difficulties trying to get into the job market. In a 2024 survey conducted by National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), nearly 90% of 20,482 students felt that their institution had prepared them to take the next step to get into their career. Although students are being prepared to enter their field of study there are difficulties of actually getting hired for the job. This is due to issues revolving around freezes in the job market and hiring cycles.
Winona State University was ranked among the highest of Minnesota State Colleges and Universities in employment rates of graduates for 2022. In collected graduation surveys for the cohort of 2022, Winona State had an employment rate of 97.9%, putting them in third for the highest employment rates of Minnesota State colleges and universities graduates. This reflects the extensive resources that are available to students in the Winona State Warrior Success Center (WSC).
The WSC is home to the Career Services to help students get prepared, during and after their job search. These resources from Career Services are also available to Winona State students after their graduation while still trying to find a job.
DeAnna Goddard, the Director of Career Servies discussed how certain fields of employment are currently under a freeze. She had found that there is trouble for new hiring job postings for jobs that are looking to hire middlemen, which is happening in finance, data analytics, and computer sciences. On the other hand, jobs in the human services where workers are working with people more directly, such as teachers, nurses and social workers, are not having issues getting employment.
“What I can say, though, is for any student who’s experiencing the pause or the freeze, networking in this time frame will be very important, because when opportunities do open up, your name will already be known to the people who are going to be hiring.” Goddard stated.
Goddard, along with the WSC offer several opportunities for students to be able to work on their networking skills and getting in contact with people in their field. Students are able to gain experience by browsing through Handshake, Winona State’s a job and internship site that is available to students and graduates, get help in reviewing resumes and cover letters, and working on interview skills.
Additional resources that students can find to help their networking connections is with the LinkedIn groups WSU Alumni & Friends, and WSU Career Connections. Students can get help on campus by scheduling to meet with a Career Advisor and get more information to explore different careers, view different career programs, and find resources to help you at: https://winona-advising.traccloud.com/trac/index.php
