Finding a job isn’t as simple as declaring a major. Many graduates’ future jobs are heavily influenced by what jobs are in demand in the work force.

“Industries tend to be cyclical,” said Pat Hurley, director of career services. “However, for the past few years, there’s been a strong increase in healthcare jobs because of the people in the baby boomer wave are aging.”

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, jobs in healthcare are expected to increase by 30.3 percent, ultimately creating 4.3 million jobs by the year 2014.

Education is also increasing in demand. Currently, the most declared major for the students at Missouri Southern is education.

“Education is very popular right now, especially elementary education,” Hurley said.

Business services is also seeing an increase in demand.

“We see that business has been strong these past few years,” Hurley said. “There’s been a growth spurt in accounting and management.”

With an expected economy boost, 4.5 million jobs are expected to be created by 2014 for those entering professional and business services.

While knowing what jobs are important, it’s also equally important to know how to search for a job and to be prepared for the interview.

“Employers who’ve been surveyed the past 5 years have used the characteristic term ‘career related experience’ as their number-one requirement,” Hurley said. “They look for internships and even classroom projects that they call ‘mock situations.’ Employers also emphasize technology and expertise in their major.”

Besides job requirements, employers also use first impressions to judge who is right for the job.

“Employers highlight on what they call ‘soft skills’ which is are you personable, can you communicate well, and do you take the initiative,” Hurley said. “These characteristics are repeated year after year. Employers value these kinds of skills.”

It’s also important that students not wait to begin looking for a job.

“Most wait until two or three weeks before they graduate to start looking for a job,” Hurley said. “Students need to start looking by first semester of their senior year and have a prepared resume and a practice interview before going to the actual interview.”

Career services offers many services that help a students find a job outside of the University. They host three job fairs each year, give mock interviews, and provide access to the Southern job network. The Southern job network allows students to post their resume online and hunt for jobs and internships in the area.