Graduating seniors of all majors saw an increased hiring rate in multiple sectors, especially in entry-level positions, Hilary Flanagan, director of the Career Center, said.
“If entering the job market was something you wanted to do, there were employers from a wide variety of industries and of all sizes looking for students across all majors,” Flanagan said. “On-campus recruiting numbers are still on the incline, and entry-level hiring across sectors was up from the previous five years.”
The Office of Strategic Planning and Institutional Research collects most of the quantitative data about the class of 2014, and a full report will not be available until next spring, Flanagan said. Still, she said the Career Center could predict certain trends in the class of 2014’s future plans.
“Typically, we have about 60 percent of students who enter the world of work after graduation, with just under a third of the class headed off to graduate school,” Flanagan said. “Notre Dame typically has nine to 10 percent of the student body commit to a year or more of service upon graduation.”
Some of the most popular careers include financial analyst, account manager, marketing assistant, research assistant, teacher, field engineer, actuarial assistant, technical analyst and medical scribe, Flanagan said. Careers as consultants are increasing as a popular choice, she said.
“We do see more students from all majors heading into the consulting field,” Flanagan said. “This trend appears to be gathering momentum, as our students are more highly sought after for consulting work across industry sectors.”
The Office of Strategic Planning and Institutional Research also gathers data on geographical spread and publishes its findings next spring, but Flanagan said Notre Dame graduates tend to distribute themselves very widely across the country and the globe. Many in the class of 2014 will also move into careers with companies that include other Notre Dame alumni in their ranks, Flanagan said.
“We are extremely blessed to have the kind of dedicated alumni community that we do here at Notre Dame,” she said. “The extended Notre Dame family goes out of its way to help students who are seeking information on various career paths, employers, graduate programs, geographic areas, et cetera.
“Many of those participating in on-campus recruiting at career fairs or through interviews, posting positions in Go Irish or sharing their experiences at information sessions throughout the year are ND alumni. Fortunately, our current ND students continue to meet and exceed their expectations.”
The fact that so many graduates find great jobs immediately out of college correlates directly to the quality of the students’ Notre Dame educations, Flanagan said.
“Notre Dame students have an excellent track record of finding fantastic first destinations immediately after graduation,” she said. “Even better, our graduates go on to have lifelong career success, truly making a positive impact while sharing their unique talents with the world.
“It is a pleasure for me to work with my team in the Career Center, as well as our campus partners and alumni, to foster the positive succession of each graduate’s lifetime career transitions.”
