Looking for a new job today, how many months would you expect it to take to find one?

Despite the continuing flat stock market, subprime mortgage scandals, and fears of recession, a large majority of college students and recent graduates are even more optimistic about the prospects they face in the job market than they were a month ago.

CollegeRecruiter.com, the leading job board for college students searching for internships and recent graduates hunting for entry level jobs and other career opportunities, conducts a monthly poll in which candidates are asked, If you were to start looking for a new job today, how many months would you expect it to take to find one? In November, almost 75 percent of respondents expected that it would take them only three or fewer months to find a job and fewer than 13 percent believed that it would take them longer than a year. In December, almost as many candidates expected that it would take them only three or fewer months to find a job but only five percent believed that it would take them longer than a year.

The results of the CollegeRecruiter.com Job Seeker Confidence Index for December 2007 were:

- 1 month = 36.6 percent
- 2-3 months = 35.6 percent
- 4-6 months = 18.8 percent
- 7-12 months = 4.0 percent
- More than 12 months = 5.0 percent

We were quite pleased to see that the college students and recent graduates who use CollegeRecruiter.com to find internships, entry level jobs, and other career opportunities were confident about their ability to find a new job quickly, said Steven Rothberg, President and Founder of CollegeRecruiter.com. There has been so much doom and gloom in the news recently but for every negative story, there have also been positive stories. The effect of so many contradictory economic indicators has been confusing for many. That uncertainty can lead to pessimism. We're happy that Gen Y appears to be confident as that positive attitude will help them in their search for internships, entry level jobs, and other career opportunities.
CollegeRecruiter.com will update the CollegeRecruiter.com Job Seeker Confidence Index on a monthly basis.