By YOUNG MONEY Staff
9 May 2011

Bright-eyed, bushy-tailed college grads eager to start their careers have some good news as they hunt for their opportunity to break into the workforce at the entry level.

CNN reports employers are preparing to hire 19 percent more newly graduated college students this year as compared to figures from 2010, according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE).

And, the association reports, the average entry level salary for the newly graduated will be $50,462 per year.

Further, graduating seniors are more likely to already have a job offer now as compared to their counterparts at this time last year, according to a NACE survey. Forty-two percent of seniors this year received for offers from where they applied while last year 38 percent scored an offer.

But this year's graduating seniors also are more finicky when it comes to job offers presented to them.

"We're seeing many more seniors applying for jobs this year, and we're also seeing more turning down job offers," according to Marilyn Mackes, executive director of NACE.

She said this year's crop of graduating seniors also is more aggressive. At least 66 percent of 2011 graduates applied for a job while 2010 saw slightly more than 45 percent apply for opportunities.

In 2010, 59 percent of the graduates who were offered jobs accepted the offers yet this year, that figure slipped to 57.5 percent.

"This year's graduates are a little more willing to hold out for a different job offer," according o Mackes.

Experts' advice for those who have not yet landed jobs includes be prepared to network, both face-to-face and online. Hiring managers and human resources officials are likely to search for applicants' profiles on social media sites, which means incriminating photos or ones that project images of potential employees who are less-than-responsible should be removed.

Candidates should upgrade the professional level of their email address and their greetings on voicemail since potential employers have direct access with those to means of contacting the candidates, CNN wrote.

The student's alma mater likely has a career center and alumni office, both of which can serve as openings on which job hunters can capitalize.

Another piece of advice for applicants is to beef up resumes. Though some employers only look at resumes for 30 seconds or less, the prominent points of an applicant's background should be highlighted. A special emphasis should be placed on work experience that is both inside and outside of the classroom.

That tactic will prove to be especially notable if the candidate holds a minimal amount of professional experience because hirers will note the job hunter devoted some time while a student to being a go-getter rather than a slacker.

Also attractive to potential employers are internship opportunities, part-time work, club and volunteer work, and involvement with organized athletics.

The internships also can widen into opportunities. A NACE survey revealed at least half of hiring managers brought aboard their interns by giving them full-time positions. Maintaining contact with former employers is a strategy that should never be underestimated.

Once the interview process begins, potential employers are likely to notice how the applicant behaves, what kind of poise the applicant carries and the manners that the interviewee displays.

Also of note is how prepared the candidate is for the interview, whether the applicant knows about the company and how appropriately the candidate is dressed.

And as the final touch, applicants should always remember to send thank-you notes as a method of remaining high-in-mind. These days, emailing a thank-you note is acceptable if not a more rapid strategy to stay in mind.

But letters sent via snail mail tend to be more formal.