As seniors have begun to report their first destinations after graduation, associate vice president for career and professional development Ryan Willerton shared that the Meruelo Family Center for Career Development expects similar trends to previous years.
As of May 12, 74% of graduating seniors had reported their first destinations. Willerton shared that within six months of graduation, the Meruelo Center expects the data to show that 67% of graduates are employed, 21% are pursuing advanced degrees, 4% will be doing service work, 2% are completing military service and 2% seeking employment. The remaining 4% are seniors who chose not to report their first destinations. He noted that the last percentage will hopefully be lower, but some seniors do not follow up on the center’s outreach, which means they must assume for the data that they are still seeking employment.
Willerton noted that different industries operate with different hiring timelines, as recruitment for investment banking and consulting is accelerated, but jobs in other industries don’t open for recruiting until the summer and fall after graduation.
He added that popular employers from previous years have continued to hire Notre Dame graduates, often working with the Meruelo Center’s team to recruit. Employers including Deloitte, PwC, KPMG, McKinsey & Company, Lockheed Martin, Amazon, Procter & Gamble, JPMorgan, Cornerstone Research, Microsoft and IBM have each hired at least four graduating seniors.
Discussing these hiring trends, Willerton wrote, “Notre Dame students continue to excel with interpersonal skills. The ability to work alongside people from diverse backgrounds and viewpoints is a skill that many employers seek across every industry. Our unique residential model, study abroad opportunities, clubs and many other activities have helped prepare our graduating seniors to enter the workforce.”
At least three graduating seniors each have been accepted into graduate programs at Harvard University, Yale University, University of Cambridge, Northwestern University, University of Michigan, University of Chicago, Vanderbilt University, Duke University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Johns Hopkins University University of California, Berkeley, among others. Willerton noted that the Center has noticed some law schools and medical degree programs “want students to explore the field and get work experience before committing.”
“The last few months have been challenging for some seniors, particularly those interested in government-related and government-funded work. We have also seen some employers scale back hiring a bit,” Willerton wrote. “The good news is that there are plenty of employers still hiring, even with a fluctuating economy.”
He added that the majority of graduates do not stay at their first destination for more than a few years, rather “A first destination is just that – a first destination … Our advice is to secure a meaningful first destination and then work hard to pursue your aspirations, while also leveraging the Notre Dame network.”
Willerton noted that the Center’s support does not stop immediately after graduation, rather they continue to work with seniors until they find a “meaningful first destination.”
