ELATION OR DESPERATION?（在线收听）

Michael Hallkas (Class of 2001): I remember people graduating last year and they already had jobs coming at them like six, seven different positions at once and now it's like people are 2)scrounging for what they can get.

Keren Aloya (Class of 2001): My brother got out of college just a few years ago, and that's when the boom was still going and he, he did pretty well. I just kind of imagined it 3)escalating and getting easier, easier and easier. But no such luck.

    Sociology major Karen Aloid graduates from 4)Rutgers this year with a four-year degree and no job, and unwelcome and growing trend among her classmates nationwide. Some of whom are even having their job offers 5)rescinded.

Bill Coleman (Salary.com): This year is a little bit different for college grads because the economy has changed and it's changed dramatically during the course of the 6)recruiting season.

    Companies in the battered Tech sector like Cisco., Intel, and Del has slowed college recruiting. They have also reneged on job offers made to college grads, offering the suddenly unhired apology 7)bonus instead.

Marilyn Mackes (Executive Director): They might give them one to two, up to 12 weeks of salary. They might give them a lump sum. They might give them some kind of assistance in terms of outplacement. They may refer them to employers that are looking for similar kinds of candidates.

    The problem is by no means academic. And a study done by the National Association of Colleges and Employers, only 4% of employers surveyed said they 8)reneged on job offers, and only 30% of colleges claimed some of their students were hired then let go. Other companies like Pricewater House Coopers are pushing back star gates for new hires. Graduates who would have gone to work this summer, will now start next March, ten months after graduation. And the 9)sagging economy means competition for jobs is tight.

Bill Coleman: The competition is stiffer this year for college students because this year, not only are they competing with other students who are graduating right now, but they are competing with students who graduated last year who have recently been 10)laid off.

    But the news isn't all bad.

Carlos Teiada (Labor Reporter): While indeed the market is not quite as good as it was last year. It's still very, very good. A 4.5% unemployment rate is still very good news for upcoming college graduates.

    Depending on your major. Liberal arts grads including English, and psychology majors once 11)snapped up by marketing firms and dot coms will now likely have a tougher time finding work. But majors like computer science, nursing, accounting and finance are still hot, and salaries for those jobs are on the rise. Graduating accountants can count on making $39,000 a year, an increase of 5% over last year. Computer science majors got an eight percent raise over the last year to $52,000, and salaries for starting electrical engineers climbed 10% this year to $52,000. That's in the neighborhood of what Shawn Gohall will earn. The economic major landed his job months before graduation.

Shawn Gohall: I interned last summer for the Guatentooch, and a consulting group and they made me an offer last summer.

    More workers and fewer jobs mean recruiting is slowing in some sectors, but here at Johnson and Johnson the company is still looking for help.

Dan Marsh (Director of College Relations): We have not done anything to ratchet it back or to down... reduce any of our activities currently. We are actually planning to increase activities.

    So were a number of other companies just not as much as was originally planned. In a study done by the National Association of Colleges and Employers last fall, companies surveyed planned to hire 25% more college grads this year. In an updated study this spring, those same companies reduced projections to 18%, still a significant increase.

Carlos Teiada: They have a couple of things going for them. Um you know it's, it's... nobody likes to say this, but it's the reality in the employment markets, college students are younger and cheaper, and companies love that kind of thing. So the lay-offs may not necessarily affect your job prospects if you are an upcoming college graduate.

是喜还是忧？

应届毕业生就业实况

迈克尔·霍卡斯（2001届毕业生）：我记得去年许多毕业生同时会接到六或七个职位的通知。现在有工作就已令人感到非常欣慰了。

克伦·阿洛雅（2001届毕业生）：我哥哥前几年刚刚大学毕业，那时候科技业发展蓬勃，待遇很好。我希望好景常在，但却事与愿违。

   主修社会学的克伦·阿洛雅今年毕业于拉哲斯大学，四年苦读却仍没找到工作。她各地的同学也面临同样的尴尬，有些找到工作的甚至得而复失。

比尔·科尔曼（Salary.com）：今年毕业求职又有不同，经济情况发生变化，尤其是在招聘时节，经济变动幅度大。

   像思科、英特尔和戴尔这样的被分拆的公司，也已放慢了招聘大学生的步伐。他们同时也撤回了已向大学生发出的聘用书，突然改为道歉赔偿金。

玛丽琳·麦克斯（行政主管）：公司也许会给大学生一至两周，或十二周的薪水，一次付清，或者介绍新职位。他们会把求职者介绍给有相似需求的公司。

   问题并不那么严重。一项由美国学院及雇主协会的研究表明，被调查的雇主当中，只有4%的人说他们撤回聘用决定，只有30%的大学生得到了工作而又被解聘。其他如“罗兵威尔道”公司则押后上班日期。原本今年夏季即将上班的学生改为明年三月上班，即毕业十个月后才开始上班，经济的不景气意味着求职竞争十分激烈。

比尔·科尔曼：今年大学生之间的竞争是十分激烈的，因为他们不仅要同本届毕业生竞争，还要同去年毕业但最近遭解雇的人竞争。

   但消息还是令人振奋的。

卡洛斯·泰阿达（劳工记者）：市道并不像去年那样好，但还是很好。失业率达4.5%，这对应届毕业生来说仍然是个好消息。

   专业不同，机遇也不一样。文科毕业生，如曾被销售公司和网络公司奉为座上宾的英语和心理学专业的学生现在却很难找到工作。但计算机科学、护理、会计和财经专业的学生仍炙手可热，因为这些行业的薪金仍在上涨。会计专业的学生年薪为三万四千美元，去年增加了5%。而计算机科学专业的学生年薪今年比去年增长了8%，为五万两千美元；主修电机工程的学生年薪则上涨了10%，达到五万两千美元。经济学的学生肖恩·戈霍即将获得的年薪与此接近，他在毕业前几个月就找好了工作。

肖恩·戈霍：我整个夏季都在等待，在去年夏天就接到了财务咨询部的一个咨询组织Tooch。

   求职者越来越多，而职位却越来越少，部分行业放缓聘用步伐。但在这里--强生公司却仍亟需人员。

丹·玛什（大学关系主任）：我们没有任何减产的打算，相反我们正准备增产。

   其他许多公司也处于同样的情况，只是没有最初预计的那样多。去年秋季，美国学院及雇主协会的公司研究表明，今年就业的大学毕业生将增加25%。今年春季的一项研究表明，同样多的公司预计聘用大学生人数将减少到18%，但仍然是处于增长的趋势。

卡洛斯·泰阿达：大学生们还是有许多机会的，你知道，大学生越来越年轻，在人才市场上的要价也越来越低，这个没人会说，但这是事实。公司喜欢这一点。所以，如果你是即将毕业的大学生，那些失业者并不会影响你的就业。

1) elation  n. 兴高采烈，得意洋洋

2) scrounge   v. 擅取；骗取；行乞

3) escalate   v. 逐步升级，逐步增强

4) Rutgers 美国新泽西州州立大学，于1766年建校

5) rescind.  v. 撤回，废除

6) wizened  a. 凋谢的，枯萎的

7) recruit   v. 聘用

8) renege  v. 违约；放弃，否认

9) bonus  n. 赠品；奖金

10) sag  v. 减弱，消退；下跌

11) lay off （暂时）解雇（雇员）

12) snap  v.（后接up）抢购；攫夺