Niki Kersey, 26, of Springfield graduated from the University of Illinois Springfield in May of 2011 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. Her job search only just recently bore fruit.
“I chose business administration because it was a catch-all, and I thought I’d always be able to find a job in it,” Kersey said. “But I was wrong. It seems business administration is not specific enough for most places to work; they want something more catered and less general.”
A large contingent of fellow job seekers makes matters more difficult, and that is not a recent development, according to Melanie Trimm, employment services manager for the University of Illinois Springfield.
“We have received a large amount of applicants for the past several years, so that’s not a new thing for us,” said Trimm, “What we are seeing most recently is the number of civil service exams our applicants are requesting. That’s been increasing quite a bit.
“Quite often you’ll see an applicant interested in testing only for a position that is currently vacant, but now they may ask to take any and every exam they may qualify for,” Trimm said.
The story was reported in the Springfield Business Journal in March 2013.
Read the story online
