Companies will hire more college graduates than they did in 2007, providing more career opportunities for recent graduates, according to a recently released list of employers hiring graduates.
Collegegrad.com, a Web site that tracks employers of college graduates, posted a list of 500 top entry-level employers in the nation, which will hire 12.9 percent more employees than in 2007.
Enterprise Rent-A-Car topped the list, as it plans to hire 8,500 more graduates.
"We are hiring the most. We do a lot of recruiting on college campuses," said Ryanne Janka, a Central Texas recruiting superviser for the car rental company.
College graduates joining the compay received a bachelor's, the minimum degree requirement, in marketing or business management, but the company does not base their hiring decisions on specific majors.
The company's top entry-level position is in managemant training. From there, college graduates can become branch managers.
The Web site's list may promise greater opportunities than in years past, but some students' opportunities may be more limited, said Robert Vega, employer relations coordinator for UT's College of Liberal Arts.
"Because of the economic slow down, there may not be as much turnover of positions," Vega said. "Students then might have to keep their employment opportunities more flexible."
Liberal arts students have the advantage in that their studies can be used in a number of ways, which does not limit their job options like a career-oriented college would, he said.
Areospace engineering graduate student Jack Poulson did not take job opportunities into consideration when he chose his major.
"I did get a couple offers from NASA before graduate school," Poulson said. "But I didn't take them because they interfered with my research."
