It’s cap and gown season and numerous college graduates at West Chester University have a lot to celebrate — new degrees and new jobs. According to the National Association of Colleges’ and Employers’ Job Outlook report for the Class of 2023, employers are planning to hire 3.9 percent more graduates from the Class of 2023 than they did from the Class of 2022. Based on WCU’s recent career outcomes survey on the Class of 2022’s job successes, WCU career service leaders are optimistic that the Class of 2023, which graduates May 11 through May 14, will be just as successful.

“Recent results gathered from a survey conducted with members of WCU’s Class of 2022 indicate that 93 percent of those surveyed were employed or pursuing further education within six-months of graduation,” said Jennifer Rossi Long, career expert and director of WCU’s Twardowski Career Development Center (TCDC). “Specifically, 82 percent of WCU graduates were employed within six-months of graduation, 11 percent went on to pursue higher education, and 7 percent were either seeking employment, continuing education or were not seeking employment or education. We are surveying the Class of 2023 now and anticipate seeing equally impressive outcomes for our newest graduates.”

The results make sense. More employers than ever before have been recruiting West Chester University students. “The Twardowski Career Development Center engages employers in a number of ways,” said Rossi Long. “This past academic year, a total of 474 employers recruited on campus through events like career fairs, networking events, information tabling, and on-campus or virtual interviews facilitated by the TCDC. This represents a 46 percent increase in employers recruiting WCU students over the highest number in the previous five years, as well as the highest number of all time.”

Students are noticing, too. Gemma Giuffrida, who currently works in the accounting field for the Philadelphia Phillies and will be graduating this weekend, said, “I was able to create a Handshake account, which gives us access to all the TCDC resources, as well as job openings that were looking for students. The TCDC resources include uploading a resume to get reviewed by the career ambassadors and counselors and scheduling appointments, as well as Big Interview and RamNation. The appointments range from major exploration, job search, interview help, graduate school assistance, and many more. I had my resume reviewed multiple times before I started working here and the reviews helped me get my resume in top shape.”

Giuffrida, who is mapping a career that will eventually lead to a corporate finance position in the sports industry, credits the extra help provided by the TCDC with the assistance that she needed to land her current job. “At the TCDC, we say that resumes are first impressions; they are what employers see first. One of the many events that the TCDC runs is ‘Meet the Firms,’ which was perfect for me since I was a senior accounting major looking for a job. Not only did the TCDC help me put together a great resume, but the counselors talked me through what to expect when talking to the employers and helped calm my nerves. In the end, they helped me secure my post-graduation job with the Philadelphia Phillies.”

Ryan Steffe, who also took advantage of the TCDC’s many offerings and currently holds a position at Vanguard, agreed with Giuffrida. “The Career Development Center did everything that it could to point me in the right direction,” said Steffe, who will graduate from the University this weekend as well. “They helped me navigate right into the workforce and provided valuable career advice.”

The act of looking for the right-fit job or the right-fit internship does not just take place prior to one’s graduation, however; it takes place throughout the year through engagement.

“We take pride in providing teachable moments to students at every stage of their job or internship hunt,” said Rossi Long. “At the same time, we also take pride in engaging regularly with employers. Our Employer Town Halls, which happen twice each year, are an example. They give employers a preview of the many ways they can engage with students on campus. At the next Employer Town Hall on June 6, the TCDC is expecting more than 100 employers.

“It’s important for employers to know that our students are serious about wanting to engage with them on a consistent basis, and its equally important for students to know that more and more employers are actually looking for them.” 

Learn more at West Chester University.