Job Searching is a Priority for 72% of College Students

One would think college students are surfing the Internet to purchase the latest books and music, gather information about graduate school preparatory test courses, or perhaps find a great off-campus apartment. However, what they are really searching for online, is a job. According to a recent Student Monitor(R) study, MonsterTRAK is the number one most visited student-targeted website. MonsterTRAK, the definitive career resource for college students and alumni, is a product of Monster(R), the leading global online careers property and flagship brand of TMP Worldwide Inc. Student Monitor''s Spring 2002 Lifestyle & Media Study(a) revealed that 23 percent of college students visited MonsterTRAK, an increase of 28 percent from the Fall 2001 measurement. In addition to its number one ranking, MonsterTRAK is the only career site to rank among the Top 30 Most Visited student-targeted websites. A continuing challenging economy, coupled with concerns about jumpstarting a career after graduation, forced many college students to spend more time on their job search during the Spring 2002 semester, said Eric Weil, managing partner, Student Monitor. MonsterTRAK continues to prove it is the website of choice for college students seeking a comprehensive career management resource. Students increasingly believe it is vital for them to be proactive in their job search, and MonsterTRAK affords them the ability to do precisely that. MonsterTRAK surpassed one million resumes and 1.2 million registered users in August 2002. Since its inception in 1988, more than 500,000 employers have utilized MonsterTRAK to post full-time, part-time and internship opportunities. MonsterTRAK partners with over 1,400 college and university career centers, MBA programs, alumni associations and student groups to provide more entry-level jobs than any other career management entry - on or offline. Additionally, in a recent MonsterTRAK poll(b), an overwhelming 72 percent of respondents indicated they have already begun searching for a job. A mere 11 percent say they expect to start the process just prior to, or sometime after, graduation. MonsterTRAK asked, When will you begin your job search? A total of 1,154 votes were cast, revealing the following: 72% (828 votes) said: I''ve already started. The tough job market scares me. 9% (103 votes) said: End of this year/beginning of next. 8% (94 votes) said: Job search? First I''m taking some time off. 6% (70 votes) said: A few weeks before I graduate. 5% (59 votes) said: Sometime after I graduate. The job market, albeit slowly, continues to show improvement in certain sectors, offering entry-level job seekers great opportunities in a variety of fields. For example, Engineering, Computers & Science, and Accounting & Finance, all rank as top job categories on MonsterTRAK, said Brad Baker, senior vice president of campus, Monster. In the months ahead, we encourage college students and recent graduates to continue forging ahead by investigating available jobs and networking opportunities, as well as reading expert tips and advice on interviewing and writing a professional resume. (a) The Spring 2002 Lifestyle & Media study findings were based on the results of one-on-one intercept interviews among 1,200 full-time undergraduate students enrolled in 100 nationally representative four-year colleges between March 11th and March 24th, 2002. Additional information is available at www.studentmonitor.com. (b) The results of the current MonsterTRAK poll are based on votes cast by MonsterTRAK users from September 17th to September 24th, 2002 on the homepage of MonsterTRAK (http://www.monstertrak.com). Only one vote per user is counted toward the final tabulation. The content of the MonsterTRAK site is targeted specifically to college students and is a password-protected site. Only students and alumni who have a password from their career center can go further than the homepage. Anyone interested in voting in MonsterTRAK''s current online poll may do so by logging onto MonsterTRAK at www.monstertrak.com. Users may review the results of past polls by going to: