JOB SEEKING A TOUGH TEST FOR NEW GRADS.

Byline: Greg Hernandez Staff Writer

NORTHRIDGE - When Eli Adry began studying computer science studies at California State University, Northridge, in the late 1990s, he was confident that once he graduated, companies would be lining up to secure his services in the booming field.

``I thought that when I got out of school, I'd be interviewing them, they wouldn't be interviewing me,'' said Adry, a computer science major busily preparing to graduate. ``That has changed.''

Adry is among the thousands of college students, only weeks away from graduation, who are now facing a sobering reality: It's very tough to find a job. That's a bitter pill to swallow for students, most of whom were still in grade school when the country endured its previous recession and had inflated expectations because of the past decade's economic boom, especially in the high-tech area.

As a result of the tough economic times, there are now fewer offers, often for less-prestigious jobs, at lower pay and with greatly reduced incentives.

Adry has landed only one job interview but wasn't called back. He admits that his heavy class load has prevented him from sending out many resumes but he did make the rounds at a campus job fair last month.

``A lot of the companies said that they are going to wait until the summer to see what's going on,'' Adry said Thursday afternoon as he stood with friends outside a snack bar at CSUN.

``Right now, most places aren't recruiting because they are waiting to see if they are going to get new contracts as the economy is starting to build again,'' he lamented. ``With so many people laid off, now we really have to compete for each job.''

And the entry-level jobs they land won't be as lucrative as they have been in the past. More than 140 schools surveyed by the National Association of Colleges and Employers report salaries offered to many of their graduates are down this year. Most business administration majors are taking positions as trainees instead of consultants, with an average salary of $35,200, down 7.1 percent from last year.

Students majoring in logistics and materials management are also settling for trainee positions, with pay averaging $39,800, down 12.3 percent.

CSUN engineering major Jose Colon, 24, has already gotten a sobering look at the tough job market for his field.

``I've sent out more than 250 resumes and I've had no interviews at all,'' he said. ``I've been to an interview workshop and a resume workshop and I got nothing.''

Colon has applied for CSUN's master's degree program as something to fall back on.

``Most of the students are going for their master's until things improve,'' he said as he waited for a study partner outside the library. ``But I need some money and I want to work now.''

There are some exceptions to this gloom and doom. Accounting graduates, nearly always in short supply, are averaging $40,300 salaries, up 3.2 percent from last year, according to NACE.

``There's always a demand in accounting,'' said CSUN accounting senior Cindy Adelman. ``But what kind of salaries they are offering may fluctuate due to the economy.''

Graduates from the nation's pharmacy schools are also in demand, fielding multiple offers from fast-expanding drug store chains - jobs that pay $70,000 a year or more, career counselors say.

Thursday afternoon, two dozen students sat pensively behind desks during a resume workshop held at CSUN's Career Center. The instructor told them to list special projects they've been involved in and to highlight their grade point average if it's high.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.