What Are YSU Students Looking for in an Employer?

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio — Advancement opportunities, mutual respect, health benefits and prioritizing mission over profits – these are just some of the traits students at Youngstown State University want to see in their future employers.

As part of The Business Journal’s Brain Gain coverage, we tasked students from the Journalism Workshop class at YSU to interview students on campus from a number of majors and disciplines about their future plans. Topics ranged from what their ideal jobs would be, what they feel they bring to the table and what concerns them about transitioning from college to the workforce.

In this first video in the series, reporters learn what’s important to their peers when it comes to who hires them. Interviews were conducted by YSU journalism students Mia Albaugh, Austin Caroline, Kayla Duley, Kyle Wills, Cara Kalouris, Aaron Frantz, Jillian McIntosh and Betty Coss.

“I really want the opportunity to advance in my career,” says Kenny Durbin, nursing major. “So, if I work in the [intensive care unit] for two years, I’m hoping that employer will pay for me to go back to school.”

Sierra Moran, a middle childhood education major, wants to work for a school district that values “placing the students before the test,” she says. 

For Karina Rowan, “benefits would be amazing,” she says. “As a dental hygienist, a lot of the times it’s hard to work full time just because it is pretty demanding.”

Brandon Miller, an information technology major, says the company’s goal is one of the biggest priorities for him in a job search.

“I want to know where they’re heading in the future,” Miller says. “What’s their goal in the end? Where do they want to head? All depending on that, if it’s in a positive direction, that’s where I’d want to be.”

Hear more from these and other students in the video posted above.

The Business Journal will publish these compilation videos every other week over the next few months. We are working with students in the Journalism Workshop class to develop feature articles for publication.

Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.