Although the national unemployment rate dropped to 5.7 percent in December, many people still are jobless. The 0.2 percent drop can be deceiving because of the way unemployment is reported, local employment services said.

Carol Oliveira, branch manager for Adecco Employment Services, 229 E. Lincoln Highway, said after unemployment benefits stop, people may need to find part-time jobs to cover expenses.

“The people who take part-time jobs are not counted as looking for work,” Oliveira said. “They’re not counted as unemployed even though they’re still looking.”

Oliveira said the number of manufacturing and technical jobs have been shifted out of the country and moved to places such as China, Thailand and India.

Ron Short, director of Career Planning and Placement, said students need to begin looking for a job during the first semester of their senior year.

“The sooner you start hunting, the better,” Short said.

Oliviera said that it previously took three to six months to secure a professional job, but now it may take six months to one year to secure a position.

Jean Callary, assistant director of campus recruiting, said students in their last year of college need to start making contacts before they graduate.

“A smart student – that is to say, an NIU student – would go to their placement center and get started now,” Callary said. “This way, when students graduate, they’re not starting from scratch with no resources.”

Instead of working at odd jobs, students can find an internship that will allow them to utilize their skills and help them get a job after graduation.

“[Internships] are important because students need some type of work experience on their resume,” Short said. “We have more and more students who are doing internships.”

Oliveira also said an internship would be beneficial in helping students find a job.

“If I were in college, I would find a low-paying internship and supplement it with another job,” Oliveira said. “I would try to differentiate myself from other graduates.”

Students also can consider taking jobs outside of Illinois

“When you’re young, you have lots of opportunities,” Oliveira said. “I wouldn’t pass up anything that comes your way, but it comes down to your five-year and 10-year goals.”

Short said some students are first-generation students and wish to live near their homes, but recently, more are second generation and looking to move to a different state.

“Sometimes you go back home and things have changed; friends left and Mom and Dad retired to Arizona,” Callary said. “Psychologically, [getting a job in another state] could allow you to kind of reinvent yourself.”