1. Future Plans Survey: Research design & May 2017 results
Office of Institutional Research and Planning
August, 2017

2. Survey Administration Methods
What is the Future Plans Survey and how do we do it?

3. What is the Future Plans Survey (FPS)?
5 minute survey to collect detailed information from graduating seniors on
Future employment
Company, location, job title, salary, helpful resources, when began job search
Graduate/Professional school
Institution, program, degree, awards/scholarships
Work-experiences at NC State
Participation in and helpfulness of, use of career services and fairs
Link to instrument

4. Who is eligible to participate?
All undergraduates who have completed the “Application for Degree” process to graduate in May are invited to participate
Students graduating in the Fall are invited to participate in the December Future Plans Survey

5. When and how is the survey administered?
The survey goes live on about the first day of final exams (May 2, 2017)
The survey stays in the field for about 4 weeks (May 26, 2017)
How
Online (Qualtrics)
Accessible via handheld mobile device
Confidential (but not anonymous)

6. How are senior encouraged to participate?
invitations and follow-up reminders
Incentives
Amazon.com gift cards
8 * $25 for early responders
1 * $100 for all responders
Departments are encouraged to contact their graduating seniors
Electronic Bulletin Boards
Flyers
Sent to academic departments & posted around campus
Announcements at (some) commencement ceremonies

7. How many graduating seniors actually do the survey? Over the years . . .

8. How many graduating seniors did the survey in May 2017?
 College/School
May Graduating Class
Percent of Population
Survey Respondents
Percent of Survey Respondents
Response Rate
College of Agriculture & Life Sciences
373
10.9%
183
9.1%
49.1%
College of Design 94
2.8% 77
3.8%
81.9%
College of Education
104
3.0% 72
3.6%
69.2%
College of Engineering
854
25.0%
542
26.9%
63.5%
College of Natural Resources
200
5.9%
108
5.4%
54.0%
College of Humanities & Social Sciences
673
19.7%
378
18.7%
56.2%
College of Sciences
388
11.4%
232
11.5%
59.8%
College of Textiles
202
129
6.4%
63.9%
Poole College of Management
524
15.4%
296
14.7%
56.5%
Total
3,412
100.0%
2,017
59.1%

9. How are the results used?
Students/parents thinking about majors
Employers when making salary offers
Students engaged in salary negotiations
Employers assessing the new graduate employment pool
Career Centers matching job seekers with employers
Identifying employers for career fairs
Institutional rankings reported by organizations/magazines
Assessment activities
Career Centers programs and services
Academic programs’ evaluation of career-readiness of graduates
Outcomes (job placement, post-graduate enrollment, etc.)
NC State Strategic Planning metrics 

10. Future Plans of Seniors…

11. How do graduating seniors feel about their future?
The majority of students feel both confident…
… and prepared for the future

12. What are seniors’ plans for after graduation?
Employment
49%
Have accepted position that will begin after graduation
36%
Will continue working in job I had prior to graduation 7%
Have started/will be starting my own business 1%
Will be working as an intern 3%
Military service
Volunteer activity
Seeking Employment
24%
Currently seeking employment
22%
Have not begun to seek employment, will begin within year
Graduate/Professional School
Going to grad/prof school within the year
19%
Going to grad/prof school and working 5%
Other
Taking additional undergraduate coursework
Starting/raising a family
<1%
Don't know yet

13. Details About Those Obtaining Full-Time Employment (92% of all those with a job for after graduation)
When did they start looking, what was helpful in getting a job, where will they be working, and what will they be earning?

14. How much does when you start seeking employment make a difference
How much does when you start seeking employment make a difference? (By those who found and those who had not found a full-time position)
Students who got a full-time job were much more likely than those who did not to start looking for one well in advance of graduation
 Employment Status at Graduation
How many months prior to graduation started looking for work
12 or more
months
9-11 months
6-8 months
3-5 months
1-2 months
Less than 1 month
Found Employment (n=886)
21%
24%
29%
19% 5% 1%
Seeking Employment (n=435) 3% 7%
18%
33%
26%
14%

15. How much does when you start seeking employment make a difference
How much does when you start seeking employment make a difference? (By when the senior started seeking employment)
94% of those who started looking for a job at least 12 months before graduation got one, compared to only 16% of those who started looking less than a month before graduation
When started looking for work…
Have Job
Still Seeking Job
All
12 or more months before graduation (n=199)
94% 6%
15%
9-11 months before graduation (n=239)
88%
12%
18%
6-8 months before graduation (n=336)
77%
23%
25%
3-5 months before graduation (n=315)
55%
45%
24%
1-2 months before graduation (n=159)
30%
70%
Less than one month before graduation (n=73)
16%
84%

16. What resources did seniors say were helpful in securing their job?
Students obtaining full-time employment found a variety of resources helpful in securing their position.
(Remember, these are for all seniors, so, e.g., while not many people overall said a ‘student teaching experience’ was helpful, this includes lots of students who did not have such an experience, so they would not have said it was helpful….)
Internship/externship
41%
Career fair at NC State
32%
Applied for job via ePACK
24%
Campus or college career center
23%
Personal connection(s) within the company
21%
Family/friends/classmates/co-workers
20%
On-campus interviewing
18%
Internet: LinkedIn
15%
Faculty member or found job listing in an NC State dept 9%
Internet (excluding LinkedIn)
Employer information session on campus
Co-op experience 8%
Professional society 6%
Consultation with Career Counselor/Coach at NC State
Employer found resume via ePACK 5%
Student teaching experience 4%
Career fair off-campus 2%
Staffing agency
Other

17. How many positions did they interview for
How many positions did they interview for? (Differences between those who found and those who had not found a full-time position)
More than half of those securing a full-time job had interviewed for three or more different positions
While 71% of those without a job had gone on at least one interview, less than one-third had interviewed for three or more positions
 Employment Status at Graduation
How many positions interviewed for
None
One
Two
Three
Four
Five or more
Found Employment (n=886) 7%
21%
18%
19%
11%
24%
Seeking Employment (n=435)
29%
23%
16%
13%

18. How many job offers did those accepting a full-time job get?
Half of those finding full-time employment had more than one offer from which to choose, with about one-fourth having three or more offers to choose from

19. Did those not yet securing employment receive any job offers?
One-fourth of those who had gone on an interview for at least one position had received one or more job offers
Two-thirds of those who had gone on interviews for three or more positions said they had not received any offers
Interviewed for:

20. Is job satisfaction related to how closely the job matches what seniors were majoring in?
Most graduates are getting jobs “directly related” to their academic major. Those in such jobs are most likely to be “very satisfied.”

21. Where will those with a full-time job be working?
About 70% of May 2017 grads with full-time employment will be working in NC, with 47% in the Triangle

22. How are the full-time employees getting paid?
Three-fourths will be paid by salary…
… But just over half will be getting only a salary
Salary only
58%
Hourly only
17%
Salary plus perf. bonuses
11%
Salary plus commission 3%
Salary plus hourly 2%
Salary plus comm plus perf bonus
Hourly plus perf. bonuses 1%
Commission only
Performance bonuses only
<1%
Hourly plus tips
Hourly plus comm plus perf bonus
Hourly plus commission
Other comp. only
Other combinations

23. And what will they be earning?
Over one-third of full-time employed graduates estimate their starting salary to be $60,000 or more, with an average salary of $51,781

24. What about a signing bonus?
23% of all those obtaining full-time employment received a signing bonus; over 30% of students from the College of Engineering and Poole College of Management got a signing bonus

25. And what about a relocation package?
One-fifth of all those obtaining full-time employment were offered a relocation package; over half of those finding work outside NC were offered a relocation package

26. Details about Those Continuing their Education
Where are they going and what are they going to study?

27. Who is going to graduate/professional School?
About one-fourth of respondents said they are planning on going to graduate or professional school in the coming year

28. Why do they want to continue their formal education?
Those going to grad/prof school are most likely to say that their “chosen career requires an advanced degree” and to “enhance my knowledge in a particular subject area”

29. How many seniors have already been accepted to a graduate/professional school?
Three-fourths of the May grads planning on going to grad/prof school have been accepted and know where they will be attending

30. What institutions will they be attending
What institutions will they be attending? (among those accepted and enrolling)
Just over 100 different institutions around the nation and the world
About two-thirds will be staying in North Carolina
Over 40% will be enrolled at NC State

31. What degrees are they currently seeking?
A majority of those going on to grad/prof school will be enrolled in a Master’s program. Those seeking a professional degree are most likely to be pursuing a JD.

32. Work-Related Experiences at NC State
What did seniors do to prepare for the future?

33. What did they participate in, and how helpful was the experience?
Participated in:
How helpful the experience was in getting a job:

34. Who uses the various career offices?
While 44% of the seniors said they went to the NC State Career Development Center, usage varies by college
Students in colleges with their own career centers are likely to use them, with a high degree of variation by college

35. Do those who use the career offices think they are any good?
Ratings were largely positive, with career services offices most often rated as “excellent” or ”good”

36. What about other activities to help in the job search?
Two-thirds of students utilized ePACK and attended at least one career fair
Participation was high for both by those going to work or grad/professional school
NCSU (n=1,988)
ePACK
70.8%
Attended career fair
67.3%
Presentations on resume writing, interviewing skills, etc
37.2%
Joined professional society at NCSU related to career field
33.0%
Visited NC State Career Development Center website
32.1%
Attended employer info sessions
31.0%
On-campus interviewing
30.3%
Spoke w/ Career Counselor/Coach
22.2%
Mock interviews w/ Career Counselor/Coach
10.6%

37. Which career fairs did seniors attend?
NC State seniors attended a variety of career fairs
… With large majorities of students attending the career fair for their college
Engineering Career Fair
44%
Poole COM Career & Internship Fair
23%
CALS Career Expo 9%
Textiles Job Forum
CHASS Career Fair 7%
Sciences, Sustainability, & Environmental Career Fair 6%
Health Career Expo 5%
College of Design Networking Fair 4%
Law School Fair 2%
Grad School Career Fair at NC State
Other fair at NC State
11%
Other career fair
COE -> Engineering Career Fair
99%
PCOM -> PCOM Career & Internship Fair
98%
COT -> Textiles Job Forum
Design -> College of Design Networking Fair
CALS> CALS Career Expo
74%
CHASS -> CHASS Career Fair
54%
CNR -> Sciences, Sustainability, & Environmental Career Fair
51%
COS -> Health Career Expo
37%
CED -> Other career fair
59%
CHASS -> Law School Fair
10%

38. Are seniors satisfied with the career guidance they got from their academic department?
While majorities of graduating seniors are satisfied with the career guidance they received in their academic department, they are more likely to be “satisfied” than “very satisfied”

39. For More Information…

40. There is LOTS more information online!
surveys/future-plans-survey-and-survey-of-recent-graduates/
Methods & response rate information
Detailed tables of results for all respondents overall, with text summaries
Detailed tables of results for most questions by college
College summaries
Table w/ results by department
Response rate
N w/ full-time job
N going to grad/prof school
Salary (25th percentile, median, 75th percentile, average)
Tables with employment information
Company, location, job title, helpful resources
Tables with grad/prof school information
Institution, location, degree, program
Average salaries & graduate/professional school attendance by college, department, academic program
(Point and click interface [

41. Want still more information, or have a suggestion?
Contact
Nancy Whelchel, Director for Survey Research
Office of Institutional Research and Planning
Suzanne Crockett, Assistant Director for Survey Research