In a recent survey of graduating students by Dalhousie University, a majority of graduates (77.4%) indicated they worked while earning their degree.
Nearly half (45.7%) said they worked anywhere from 11 to 25 hours per week, and a smaller group (12.6%) even worked more than 25 hours per week, while completing their degree. 41.7% said they worked fewer than 10 hours per week.
Meanwhile, when the results are broken down by faculty, 100% of students graduating from the Faculty of Arts reported working at some point while completing their degree, followed by 88.5% of those from Social Sciences.
The type of work is not indicated in the report, however, so it is unclear whether the students were working to simply earn money, or to further their careers through meaningful work experience.
Nearly two-thirds of graduates (59.1%) also volunteered during school, but the vast majority indicated they volunteered fewer than 10 hours per week.
These are just some of the findings published in the Dalhousie University Career Services Centre Destination Survey, Spring 2009. The survey went out for the first time to a mass number of graduates from May 14 to June 25, 2009.
Among the other results, of those graduates were employed at the time of the survey, the largest number – about half (50.4%) – found their jobs by directly applying through an employer website. This number isn’t surprising, however, since most large employers require applicants to apply for openings by completing an application and/or uploading a resumé to the company’s applicant tracking system (ATS).
Many employed graduates also used job search websites (27.8%) and networking (33.8%) to ultimately find their first job. Meanwhile, three quarters (75.8%) of 2009 graduates looking for work said they are using job search websites, like TalentEgg.ca, to help them find their first post-grad job.
A large majority are also using direct application through employer websites (71.3%) and networking with friends, family and alumni connections (67.5%) to aid in their job hunt.
