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A Third of Grads In The Class Of 2018 Will Earn More Than $50,000 To Start

CHICAGO and ATLANTA (CBS13) - 80% of employers plan to hire graduates from the Class of 2018, according to a new CareerBuilder survey, up from 74% who planned to hire graduates from the Class of 2017. In 2008 only 58% planned to hire new graduates.

As for those employers hiring- 47% will offer recent grads a higher salary than they did last year, with a third paying graduates more than $50,000 a year.

As for asking for more money? 74% of employers say they would be willing to negotiate starting salaries with graduates.

Starting Salaries:

  • 21%- under $30,000
  • 23%- $30,000-$39,999
  • 22%- $40,000-$49,999
  • 33%- $50,000 and higher

ALSO READ: Californians Earn More Than The National Average- But Not Locally

Careers:

  • 31%- Information Technology
  • 26%- Customer Service
  • 20%- Business Development
  • 18%- Sales
  • 18%- Finance/Accounting
  • 15%- Human Resources
  • 14%- Production
  • 10%- Marketing/Public Relations
  • 9%- Clinical
  • 5%- Legal

SEE: He Wanted To Graduate From College Before He Was 100. He Just Did It At 66.

Majors Most In Demand:

  • 35%- Business
  • 22%- Engineering
  • 18%- Computer/IT
  • 13%- Engineering Technologies
  • 11%- Communication Technologies
  • 11%- Health professions/Clinical Studies
  • 9%- Math & Statistics
  • 7%- Science Technologies

When it comes to applying for and interviewing for a position- hiring managers say recent college graduates make some critical errors.

  • 37%- Didn't send thank you note
  • 35%- Didn't know anything about the company
  • 31%- Didn't submit cover letter
  • 29%- Didn't ask questions during interview
  • 26%- Didn't have professional references
  • 26%- Poor grammar on resume
  • 21%- Had unprofessional pictures on social media
  • 19%- Checked phone during interview

READ ALSO: California Bill Could Force Businesses To Submit Salary Data To State

The Harris Poll conducted the survey with 1,012 hiring/human resources managers between April 4 and May 1.

 

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