The Wackerle Corner:
Class of 2006 job placement rates at 100% 

By: Andrea Emery
News Editor

Since graduation last May, 2006 graduates have been reporting job placement through the Wackerle Career Center’s annual alumni survey. Survey responses were compiled at the end of January to determine rate of placement. The Wackerle Center is pleased to report a placement rate of 100 percent out of an 83 percent response rate. This is a full two percent increase from last year’s results.

The annual alumni survey conducted by the Wackerle Center is considered a self-report survey. Graduates are encouraged to respond to the survey following graduation, reporting current employment at the time of the survey. Because the survey is self-report in nature, it is up to alumni to indicate whether they are employed or unemployed. They are also given the opportunity to specify whether the employment is full-time or part-time. All reported employment is counted toward the placement rate.

At the beginning of every January, the alumni survey is compiled by the Wackerle Center staff members in order to report placement results to college officials. Although a high placement rate is always the goal, Wackerle Center career development director Michelle Shawgo is very pleased with the results.

“We (Wackerle Center staff) work very assiduously throughout first semester and January to compile the results from the survey,” Shawgo commented. “It is really rewarding to see such exciting results. It shows us that the programs we work hard to put on all year long are helping students find employment and/or graduate school soon after graduation.”

The numbers seem to be paying off, as several members of the class of 2006 shared their employment experiences since graduation

Anthony Welty, currently employed by Wahl Clippers in Sterling, Ill., said although he used the Wackerle Center for resources, the job he landed was more by chance than anything else.

“I was unaware Wahl was looking to fill positions in their marketing department when I sent my resume. It turns out, they were,” Welty added. “I began working last June as a marketing project coordinator, and my main role is ‘intra-company communication’ and running reports. I enjoy working with others and have really enjoyed the marketing experiences such as focus groups, product development and being shipped out to Las Vegas to a Wahl-sponsored music event.”

Nick Bush, a fellow member of the 2006 graduating class, finds himself working as a financial representative in Rockford, Ill.

“I work with business owners, families and young professionals to help them to achieve financial security,” Bush said. “It is a tough job, but I like what I am doing.”

Other members of the class of 2006 reported finding employment at State Farm Insurance in Bloomington, Ill., Remington International in Chicago, Ill. and CSC Consulting in Oak Brook, Ill., to name only a few.

Graduate or professional school was also included toward the results of the survey. Nearly 20 percent of the class reported enrollment at a graduate or professional school following graduation in 2006. Auburn University, Governor’s State University, Rush University and the Georgia Institute of Technology were just a few schools the survey found students attending.