College graduates are having a hard time finding jobs.

According to John Haag, director of career services at the University of Denver, DU has seen a 50 percent drop in the number of recruiting employers.

“Students need to start looking sooner, working harder and be willing to take a job at a slightly lower level,” Haag said.

College campuses are preparing students for the reality of the real-world by trying to secure students with jobs after graduation.

Events such as the upcoming Winter Career Fair, on Feb. 25, are an example of such efforts.

Forty companies are scheduled to recruit DU students. The program is an annual event sponsored by the DU Career Center.

According to the Career Center, career fairs are an efficient way to connect with potential employers for jobs, internships, information and networking.

Last year’s career fair brought an array of employers, like Accenture, J.D. Edwards and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The key to enjoying and benefiting from a career fair lies in preparation.

Students are encouraged to create an effective resume, dress business casual and follow-up with phone calls and thank you letters.

Two workshops will be offered during the fair. “Careers in Education” is a panel discussion, followed by “How to get a job in the Federal Government,” which will be presented by Lynne Jones, a recruitment and training officer for the Federal Government. The workshops begin at 3:30 p.m.

Students can prepare for the fair in several ways. The career center website at www.du.edu/career has company information links, tips and downloadable handouts. Other job-finding secrets can be found on the World Wide Web. The Career Builder website (www.careerbuilder.com) and Job Web (www.jobweb) offer specific tools for the job-seeker.

According to Haag, the economy may get better after resolutions in Iraq have been settled.

“We’re not seeing growth. The confidence level is soft with employers. There are huge amounts of hesitation and employers are skittish. They are skittish because of the war and because the stock market is down,” Haag said.

Meanwhile, DU is building its list of employee recruiters by exercising all measures of communication.

“Career fair organizers are standing on their heads, calling and calling (employers), working twice as much and dedicating more staff to recruiting,” Haag said.

The Career Center is trying to attract more employers to DU with several different methods.

“We search job databases, contact much more frequently and encourage companies that aren’t hiring to purchase displays at the fair,” Haag said.

With today’s gloomy hiring forecast many students and recent graduates are encouraged to be aggressive in their job search.

According to Citicorp manager Mark Teel, creativity, inginuity and ambition during an interview are key to the hiring process.

“I look for applicants that can articulate and sell themselves. You need to set yourself apart from everyone else,” Teel said.