Worcester Business Journal

www.wbjournal.com May 25, 2015 • Worcester Business Journal 21 Who Is Watching Out For Your Energy Infrastructure Needs? (774) 243-6701 CornerstoneEnergyInc.com Successful projects start with the Cornerstone Cornerstone's dedicated staff supports energy projects, and only energy projects, nationwide and right here in New England. Let us help you tackle your energy project challenges, so you can watch your business grow. responsibility, knack for teamwork, intelligence, training, flexibility and respect for authority are all being tested as they seek and start their first jobs post-college. It's hard work and anxiety-producing for students to take those first career steps, and it's a cautious move for employers, too. Specifics of even the most technical and challenging position can often be learned on the job. But traits such as organization, dedication, flexibility and effective communication are less readily taught but are sought after. Bilotti-Peterson bore that out. "When making decisions, we look for young professionals who are well-rounded, collaborative, and customer-focused," she said. NACE reported in its survey that the undergraduate majors of most interest to employers are business, especially finance and accounting; engineering; and computer and information sciences. Humanities degrees still count But humanities degrees still open many doors. "Humanities majors are fortunate in that they develop a lot of great, transferable skills that prepare them for the workplace," DiOrio said. Whether to major in a STEM (science, technology, engineering or math) field or a humanities discipline such as English or history is often best answered by passion, interest and ability, she said. "Our accounting students find a lot of success in the job market. Accounting is a great field to get into. It's not a career for everyone, though," DiOrio said. A humanities major might not have a budding accountant's skill set, she said, but can do very well on numerous other paths, including marketing and teaching. Amy Murphy, director of career planning at Worcester's College of the Holy Cross, said she noticed this year more students seeking out and landing jobs in the technology sector. As liberal arts grads, she said in an email, most of those students were pursuing entry-level jobs on the business side of that innovative, fast-paced environment, and "they find their liberal arts background is the perfect complement to the technical and engineering backgrounds of their prospective colleagues." Whatever the major, and however complex the job description, certain core qualities are prized. ln NACE's November report, "Job Outlook 2015," the top three attributes employers said they looked for in resumes were evidence of leadership, the ability to work in a team, and written communication skills. But NACE said the grades surveyed employers gave new graduate recruits on these skills weren't great: B+ in leadership, B in teamwork and B- in written communication skills. There indeed seems to have been a "turn in the economy" easing the outlook for new graduates seeking jobs, according to Jillian Anderson, director of career services at Worcester State University. But make no mistake, she said: It's very competitive in Central Massachusetts. Good companies have good jobs to offer — and students from a dozen or so colleges close by to select them from. "Networking and connecting mean a lot," Anderson said. "Although this has always been true, this seems to be especially so in this connected world." n

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