Starting Salaries Trending Upward

If you are graduating this May chances are your starting salary will be better than ever. I remember my first job out of college in 1992 paid $20k. It's almost double that now according to this survey I found.

CHICAGO, April 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Job prospects and starting salaries for recent college graduates are trending upward, according to CareerBuilder.com's annual survey. Seventy-nine percent of hiring managers say they plan to hire recent college graduates this year, up from 70 percent in 2006. Nearly one-in-four hiring managers (24 percent) expect to hire more recent college graduates in 2007 compared to last year and 42 percent plan to increase starting salaries.

"As the skilled labor force shrinks, the demand for educated workers will continue to increase, and you'll see more hiring managers at college campuses recruiting and developing relationships early," said Brent Rasmussen, chief operating officer of CareerBuilder.com.

Forty-two percent of hiring managers anticipate increasing starting salaries for recent college graduates in 2007 and only four percent plan to decrease them. Thirty-six percent of hiring managers expect to offer between $30,000 and $40,000 compared to 28 percent in 2006. An additional 16 percent will offer between $40,000 and $50,000 and 12 percent will offer more than $50,000.

When asked about minimum GPA requirements, one-third of the hiring managers surveyed said they require a 3.0 and above and one-in-ten requires a 3.5 and above. However, if you didn't quite make the grade, opportunities are still available if you know how to sell yourself.