Searching for a job

Kelli Kranz was in Davenport recently, looking for workers. The human resources official from Kinze Manufacturing – an agricultural equipment company based in Williamsburg, Iowa –  said her search for employees has been an interesting experience. She was at Eastern Iowa Community Colleges’ John T. Blong Technology Center, 8500 Hillandale Road, talking to students and […]

Kelli Kranz was in Davenport recently, looking for workers. The human resources official from Kinze Manufacturing – an agricultural equipment company based in Williamsburg, Iowa –  said her search for employees has been an interesting experience. She was at Eastern Iowa Community Colleges’ John T. Blong Technology Center, 8500 Hillandale Road, talking to students and recent graduates attending an EICC welding competition. “We’re always looking for welders,” said Ms. Kranz. “One of the big things people don’t realize is we are having trouble finding people who can read a tape measure. But we will teach anybody who is willing to learn.” The search for jobs also has been an interesting experience for recent college and university graduates. The job market is sending a lot of mixed messages to the Class of 2023. Among those messages describing the hiring environment are: 

• The job market is still very bright.
• It’s not so great because the economy is headed downhill.
• Filled with some hurdles, but still a good market for most new graduates.
• The job market is shaky. It’s too tough to figure it out.
• Or, as Ms. Kranz, pointed out, there are jobs for recent grads who have the right skills – such as reading a tape measure.

Those are some of the national headlines, opinions and views on the job market.  By looking at the unemployment rates in Iowa and Illinois, it appears there are many unfilled jobs still available. Iowa’s unemployment rate dipped slightly in April, down to 2.7% from 2.8% in March. In Illinois, the unemployment rate was at 4.2% in April. "Iowa continues to have a strong labor market, and fantastic opportunities remain for those seeking jobs,” Beth Townsend, director of Iowa Workforce Development, said in a news release. Those seeking jobs might get inspiration from some other recent news. According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers, companies are looking to hire about 4% more college grads this year than they did last year. However, the same companies were surveyed last fall, and employers expected to hire nearly 15% more college graduates at that point. But, according to some recent Quad Cities college and university graduates, finding a job is more complicated than the unemployment numbers and company surveys suggest. Some have found jobs almost immediately after graduation or even before graduation, but some of their classmates still are looking. Here is a look at some of those job-search experiences from the Class of 2023: Tyrone Sanders Mr. Sanders graduated this spring with a Bachelor of Arts degree in sport management from St. Ambrose University in Davenport. Long before graduation, he was looking for a job in the sports management field. He is still looking. “I have been applying all over the QC and outside of the QC area for different jobs within the sports management field,” he told the QCBJ last month. “It has been very difficult, (I’m) not going to sit here and say this is something that’s easy because it’s not. A lot of us (are) graduating at one time and all of us are looking for jobs in our field and there are limited spots, but I feel that it can all come down to the connections you have.” The St. Ambrose graduate had this advice for his fellow recent graduates looking for work:  “Get out into the real world and start meeting new people, build connections with people because the world operates around who you know and how you know them, and the more people you know, the better.” As of late May, Mr. Sanders’ job-search situation had improved. He landed a full-time job with TruGreen Lawn Care in Davenport. He called the new job a great starting point, “But I still have my options open so I can get that office position in my sports field.”   Casey Cromp  Mr. Cromp graduated from Augustana College, Rock Island, this spring with a major in instrumental music education and a minor in jazz music. He has accepted a position in the AlWood School District (Woodhull, Illinois) and will be teaching grades 5-12 band, jazz band, and marching band.

“I have had many different factors help me with finding my job. First, Augustana and its professors are awesome. In my final semester of classes, I was taught how to look for education jobs on a national and state level,” Mr. Cromp said. He added that he began his job search in January and received a job offer by the end of February. “In the field of education, it’s easy to find a job, but it’s hard to find a job you’ll love. … The only reason I have this job is because I asked my cooperating teacher if she knew anything about the school. Then, she went and asked the secretaries at my student teaching placement, which they then put me into contact with the principal at AlWood,” he said. Mr. Cromp has this advice for grads still looking for jobs:

• Stay organized. “I made a spreadsheet that had all the information needed for each I applied to. I even wrote in dates of when I turned things in and when I wanted to check back in with employers,” he said.
• Check multiple websites for jobs.
• Do not get disappointed if a job doesn’t work out. “The perfect opportunity will eventually make its way to you,” he added.

  Riley Lewis  Mr. Lewis graduated from Scott Community College in the Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) program. This spring, he didn’t have a firm job offer, but expects to by this summer.  Mr. Lewis said the field in HVAC is wide open and looking for workers. “Put yourself out there. There are so many sides to the field. … There are a million different roads you can take. Get your foot in the door. After that, three, four or five doors will open,” he said offering his advice to other job-seeking graduates.   Seth Morlan Mr. Morlan graduated from Scott Community College in the automotive technician program. He has been offered a job with Smart Automotive of Davenport. “Looking for any job is hard especially when you're looking for a career in a trade industry. You have to show the skill and discipline that these big names are looking for. … You have to show them you’re worth their time,” he said. Mr. Morlan has this advice for people looking for work: “Don’t settle. Fight for what you want. You went to college for a reason and if they aren’t willing to acknowledge that you have college experience, don’t waste your time. “All of these industries offer you different opportunities, different perks, but at the end of the day, make sure your career is somewhere you can keep advancing and also be happy with what you're doing,” he added.   AT A GLANCE: Job market for college grads

• Employers plan to hire about 3.9% more college grads in 2023 than they did in 2022, according to a spring job outlook by the National Association of Colleges and Employers.
• Historically, the unemployment rate for young people ages 16–24 is about 2.6 times higher than people ages 25 and older. – Economic Policy Institute
• Young people are back to pre-pandemic labor market conditions – a much faster bounceback than any recovery in recent history. In fact, the unemployment rate for young adults is at its lowest since 1953. – Economic Policy Institute
• In March, there were 9.6 million job openings, or 1.6 jobs for each unemployed American, which is down from a record two vacancies per jobless person last year. – U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• The class of 2023 expects an average salary of about $66,500, or more than $8,000 higher than what employers expect to pay entry-level workers. – Report from recruiting software company ICIMS
• A report found 62% of college seniors have accepted their first job after college, compared to only 20% from the class of 2022 at this time last year. – LaSalle Network.
• The class of 2023 is 7% more confident about finding a job than members of the class of 2022. – Monster.com survey
• In Iowa, nearly 47,000 people are unemployed in the state, while the Iowa Workforce Development website lists 71,600 job openings.