The job market for college seniors has improved so much that some companies are having trouble getting students to maintain their commitments to jobs they accept, the Wall Street Journal reported. Slightly over half of graduating seniors in 2015 had a job offer, compared to 47.9 percent in 2014.
But with the improved economy for graduates comes increased competition for employers to hold on to the students they want. Some companies offer jobs to students as early as the summer before their senior year in order to lock in talent, but recruiters are increasingly complaining that those students are reneging on those commitments, taking higher paid or more prestigious jobs.
Students, who don’t have much experience in negotiation or professionalism, often end the commitments poorly, recruiters told the Journal. Some students e-mail their would-be employers to let them down, and others simply stop responding to messages.
If a student has to renege, experts told the Journal that the best course is to call the employer to officially break the commitment, and to be candid about the reason why.