Wright State University, the University of Dayton and Miami University all reported their rate of employment/pursuit of other goals six months after graduating with a bachelor’s degree at more than 97% each. That means fewer than 3% of recent graduates at these universities were still looking for a job after six months.
The National Association of Colleges and Employers, which tracks job trends, gave the job market a “fair” rating in November and projected a 1.6% increase in hiring for the class of 2026 compared to the class of 2025.
“I have to say, at Miami, we are gearing up for career fair season and our registrations are actually up 23% over this time last year,” said Valarie Jacobsen, director of employer relations in the Center for Career Exploration and Success at Miami University.
University of Dayton and Wright State also said their spring career fairs are close to full. While many companies hire in the fall, spring is also a common time for hiring.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported little change in the job market in December, with 7.5 million unemployed people and a 4.4% unemployment rate. The job market overall has not added many jobs over the past year.
Local companies hiring grads
Local companies have begun working more closely with universities, including giving feedback about what skills they need in the workforce. Recruiters attend career fairs, but they are also in specific buildings and targeting specific majors, according to university officials.
Nursing and health care majors, along with engineering and business graduates, are some of the most in-demand majors from local employers. University of Dayton reported that their education majors are also in particularly high demand, while Wright State said mental health counseling is one of their most in-demand majors.
Jason Eckert, UD’s executive director of Career Services, said the university convenes what they call the University of Dayton Employer Advisory Council. During that meeting, they can ask companies what they want from UD graduates and what hiring looks like over the next six to nine months.
“I think part of my job on campus is being responsive to employers and working internally in terms of the academic offerings of the institution, and how are those (academic offerings) matching employer needs,” Eckert said.
Kim Gilliam, Wright State’s director of Career Education and Success, said some of the university’s top employers are on campus and engaging with students outside of job fairs.
“They get in the classroom, they come to career fairs, they hold information sessions, they are doing the work of building their brand on campus,” Gilliam said.
Advice for job seekers
Gilliam, Eckert and Jacobsen all said those seeking jobs should tailor their resume to the specific job they are applying for, seek out jobs on platforms like Handshake that are actively recruiting graduates from the university, engage employers in person as much as possible and use the university’s career fairs and career center to help in the job search.
Internships, volunteering and co-ops are also great opportunities to find jobs, Jacobsen said.
“So many employers really see internships as a talent pipeline at their organizations, and they’ll even hire interns with the goal of converting them to full time,” Jacobsen said. “Whether that happens for the student or not, certainly the connections that they make through an internship or a co-op or a volunteer experience can be really valuable to their job search.”
Eckert and Gilliam said that students should also stay positive and realize that they may not get their dream job right away.
“It’s OK to get experience and learn,” Gilliam said.
Eckert encouraged those seeking jobs to stay positive.
“If you find that you’re not getting a lot of traction, it’s a great time to talk to a career coach, be that at a college or a university or even at the Dayton Job Center, for example, to give a fresh perspective and to press reboot on the job hunt,” he said.
About the Author
