Searching for a job does not always lead to finding one, so NIU students approaching graduation should start preparing now.

Seventy-one percent of NIU students who received undergraduate degrees during 1988-89 have full-time employment, according to a graduate follow-up report prepared by the NIU Career Planning and Placement Center. Sixty-eight percent of those who are employed feel their jobs are related to their undergraduate major.

NIU students will need maturity and the ability to interact with people to get good jobs after graduation, said Joan Greening, associate director at CPPC.

Greening said students can develop their skills through job experience and involvement in campus organizatons. She said it is best if students have professional experience in their major field of study, but other jobs are important.

“I don’t think enough students realize it is the amount of responsibility in the job that is important,” she said.

For example, any job where a student has responsiblity for training other employees will demonstrate maturity to a possible employer, Greening said.

“Companies really want students who have been involved on campus and in key organizations,” said Monique Bernoudy, academic counselor for the NIU College of Business.

Key organizations are those that will help the students gain experience in their field, Bernoudy said. She said it is important for students to be leaders and not just members.

Businesses hire those with the ability to write well and communicate, said Sue Doederlein, assistant dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. For instance, she said a business might hire executives who were English majors because of their verbal skills and then train them to do the job.

Greening said another factor companies look at is the student’s grade point average. She said the requirement varies with the type of job, but it is common for large firms to require at least a 3.0 GPA.

Bernoudy said the required GPA also would differ among companies and according to the student’s background. Businesses hire students with lower GPAs if they have been highly involved on campus, she said.

Students who are realistic about the job market have better chances of finding jobs, she said. This includes researching the companies applied to and willingness to relocate if necessary. She said companies appreciate people who have their goals set.

Doederlein said the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences feels it is important for students to “improve all their areas of academic interest and to find new areas.” That way students will become better educated people with the skills to fit into their jobs throughout their lives.