Aaliyah Pinkney//
Hiring for new graduates is up after a year of decline, according to a national survey.
The National Association of Colleges and Employers conducts a survey every year to report the current job outlook for new graduates. According to the survey, employers plan to hire 7.3% more graduates from the class of 2025 than they did from the class of 2024.
Despite this, the survey reports that the overall rating for the job market has gone down this year. The ratings for “fair” and “poor” have both increased from last year while the ratings for “very good” and “excellent” have declined.
The survey also reported that salaries are expected to increase for new graduates. Along with this, 47% of respondents will be considering graduates’ GPAs when hiring, which is almost a 10% increase from the past two years.
According to the survey, hybrid and in-person jobs remain strong while remote positions are decreasing.
Lisa Littlefield, dean of the Center for Career Development and Experiential Education, reassures students that no matter what the current job outlook is, they can always find career help at Hood.
“Graduates of the college have lifetime access to the services of the Career Center, including assistance with developing resumes, cover letters, job search resources such as Handshake, creating LinkedIn profiles, mock interviews, connections to alums through Alumnifire, and personal statements for graduate school,” Littlefield said.
Littlefield recommends that new graduates to sign up for Alumnifire, which is a networking platform strictly for Hood students and alumni.
“In this system, alums offer services to students such as career advice, introductions, networking, mentoring, resume reviews, informational interviews, and job shadowing opportunities,” Littlefield said.
Many 2025 graduates have already begun the job search and some have even secured full-time positions.
According to Jennifer Cooper, chair of nursing department at Hood, the job outlook for nursing students looks promising. Cooper stated that there is a nursing shortage in Maryland, meaning there are plenty of open positions.
“Some of our students go to Frederick Health or Meritus,” Cooper said. “I know one who told me yesterday she got a med-surg position at Meritus.”
Kristine Calo, chair of the education department, said that many graduating education majors are also well into the job search.
“Happy to share that our education majors are currently interviewing for jobs as elementary school teachers, special educators, and secondary teachers in public schools across Maryland and in other states as well, as far away as Arizona and as close as Frederick and Montgomery counties,” Calo said. “We have folks who have already accepted full-time employment as special educators, and those wanting the general education classroom are currently interviewing for positions.”
As a potential job option for political science graduates, Maryland is hiring positions in public service, according to department chair of political science, Tamelyn Tucker-Worgs.
“For people who were considering working in government or doing public service, working at the state level remains a great option,” Tucker-Worgs said. “There are also think tanks and policy research organizations and nonprofit work that may be ideal for political science graduates.”
According to Littlefield, students who will be seniors next year can register for HOOD 400: Life After Hood in the fall. The course is 2-credits and allows for students to work on their plans after graduation while covering material such as job searching, practicing interviews, graduate school, paying student loans, developing salary negotiation skills and discussing finances after college.
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