Students can learn skills at NIU’s Career Planning and Placement Center that employers seek in applicants such as strong communication skills, the ability to learn quickly and a genuine interest in the company.

Jean Callary, recruiting coodinator for the center, urged students to use their college years to develop an awareness of career possibilities and implement job search strategies.

The optimum time for students to seek permanent employment is while they are in school, Callary said.

She added the on-campus recruiting program is one avenue students can use to find a job.

“Through on-campus recruiting, students have more choices with less effort,” Callary said. “After students graduate, they will be knocking on doors we are currently holding open,” she said.

Employers support Callary’s statement.

“When a company makes a decision to take the time to recruit on campus, it likes to hire people from that campus,” said Carl Bleecher, second vice president of the Continental Bank in Chicago.

Bleecher plans to hire several employees for the auditing department this spring through NIU’s on-campus recruiting program. He said the number of people hired by his company from campus recruiting exceeds the numbers hired “off the streets.”

Campus recruiting is cost-effective, Bleecher said. NIU students are typically from Chicago and do not have to relocate. He also indicated NIU consistently turns out well-qualified applicants.

Qualities Bleecher seeks in applicants include strong analytical ability, good communication skills and academic achievement. He considers grades one indicator of success in job performance.

“I’m looking for an individual to display an interest in the job by knowing something about the company,” Bleecher said. “A lot of students fall down in this area and are not prepared to discuss the position (for which they are interviewing).”

Asking thoughtful questions during an interview shows an employer a person is interested in the company, Bleecher said.

“A student should be able to ask a general question, listen carefully, then ask a more detailed follow-up question,” he said.

Employers seek a mixture of employees with various competencies, Callary said.

For example, sociology majors exhibit statistical skills, history majors have the ability to think things through, and English majors excel at communication skills, Callary said.

Specific skills valued by employers include handling statistics, understanding computer operations, making an oral presentation and writing well, said Victor Lindquist, associate dean and director of placement at Northwestern University.

“Good communication skills are more than just a Friday or Saturday night date,” Lindquist said.

He said, “Students should know how to describe a complex problem by writing a one-page paper that is grammatically correct and free from spelling errors.”

College graduates also should exhibit knowledge of economics and politics, Lindquist added.

Callary said employers are looking for liberal arts graduates as well as students in the accounting and engineering fields.

However, certain specialties will always be in demand, Callary added.

She said, “If you need someone to do accounting, you have to hire an accountant.”