Over the last few years, there has been a large increase in the number of students going in for individual counseling. In the 2000-01 school year, 1,610 students used Career Services, and in 2002-03, the number increased to 3,263 students, said Robert Orndorff, associate director of Career Services. He added that the increase is also largely because of the new facility, located on Bigler Road. "The new building gives us more of an identity and has helped bring in more students," Orndorff said.

Seniors, especially, have decided to give Career Services a try.

"I just came from a co-op, and I want to see what Career Services has to offer; it's worth a try," Tong Shen (senior- computer engineering) said.

One indicator of the shrinking job market is how many companies come to the career fair, Rayman said. "The number of employers that come to the fair is at a 20-year low," he said.

In the late 1990s, there were between 25,000 and 30,000 on-campus interviews each year, while last year 13,500 took place. So far this year, even fewer companies have signed up, Rayman added.

Eighty percent of employers are driven by supply and demand, which is a big reason why some employers don't come here to recruit, he said.

"For example, if a company in California isn't in high demand for employees, they're not going to waste their money flying a recruiter all across the country, pay for their stay and expenses, when they can just employ someone from California," Rayman said.

Although students are looking and doing the right work, it is harder for them to find jobs than it was five years ago, said Ellen Houser, assistant director of Career Services. "A big part of why students can't find jobs right now is because of the economy," she said.

Since the job search is more of a challenge now, students should start their search early, go to Career Services and develop a good strategy, Houser said. "Job searching is a very learnable skill, and I suggest they learn it," she added.

Career Services wants to give students the best possible chance to find the jobs they want, Rayman said. Its main goal is to make students aware that starting their job search earlier will give them more control and enhance their opportunities, he added.

Career Services helps students strategize a job search plan, Orndorff said. They help them by looking at other options in job searching, not the usual ad-responding technique, he added. "The majority of seniors tend to not spend as much time in the hidden job market as they should, because 80 to 85 percent of the jobs out there aren't advertised, and most students spend their whole time answering ads," Orndorff said.

Students should start with networking strategies by initiating meetings and conversations with different contacts such as alumni or family friends who are in the business, Orndorff added.

Rayman also mentioned that it is important to have references.

"Some students don't get to know faculty members well enough, and they're the ones that can give great recommendations," Rayman said.

Penn State students have an advantage over students from other schools, not only because Penn State has a great reputation, but also because there are so many alumni, Orndorff said.

"You're going to be changing jobs many times throughout your life, and alumni are a great job-search resource," Orndorff said.

Some seniors said they know finding jobs anywhere will be hard, but they have faith in their Penn State degrees.

"Pennsylvania is one of the hardest states to get a job, but Pennsylvania education also has a good reputation; employers really look up to Pennsylvania as having good education," Niki Brownlee (senior-elementary education) said.

Pennsylvania's reputation led one student to transfer schools and move north.

"I transferred here from University of Central Florida because the name and resources aren't nearly as good as Penn State and the reputation it has outside," Bill English (senior-business and finance) said.

A Penn State degree has a lot of pull with employers, Rayman said.

"All of our graduates aren't superstars, but we do have a good reputation with employers," Rayman said.