Connecting you with your ideal career

A community initiative proposal to improve life for young

professionals

Submitted to the Fargo-Moorhead Community Association

November 21, 2016

1234 Main Avenue Fargo, North Dakota 58102

Phone: (701) 174- 8734
The Fargo-Moorhead area is rapidly growing in population and infrastructure. With a growing number of
people, the community needs to consider ways to improve life for young professionals in the FM area.
We do not only want to convince young professionals to stay in the FM area, but we want them to love
it. Assisting young professionals in finding jobs they are qualified for and will be satisfied with will boost

the job market and encourage young professionals to stay in the area. As seen in Figure 1, a majority of
college graduates are able to find a job either upon graduating or within one to six months. The main
issue is not the length of time it takes to find a job but rather finding a job that is related to the
graduates career field. According to a November 2013 study by website CareerBuilder, nearly half 47
percent of college educated workers said their first job was outside their field (as cited in Phillips,
2014). This proposal offers a community initiative that will assist young professionals in the job search
process. Specifically, Career Connections will provide resources for recent college graduates from the
local colleges to find jobs related to their major in the FM area. Providing resources in the job search
process will help professionals find the right job for their needs and increase their fulfillment with the
job.

Figure 1: 2016 U.S. college graduate employment study

In this proposal, we will begin by analyzing the current situation that the FM area faces with young
professionals leaving the area, and we will relate our interpretation of the situation to market research.
We will explain our proposal plan including the objectives and specific steps to achieve them. A
discussion of our companys qualifications will show why we are the best business to implement the
initiative. The proposal will conclude with a discussion of the cost and benefits of our proposed
community initiative.
Encouraging College Graduates to Stay in the Area
When considering a community initiative to improve life for young professionals in the FM area, our
team began by considering factors that could be causing recent college graduates to leave the FM area
after graduation. At Career Connections, we believe recent college graduates are the primary
demographic of young professionals who are leaving the area. Through market research of thirteen
survey respondents, we found three main reasons graduates are leaving the FM area after completing
school.
First, college graduates are not receiving a job related to his/her career field. In our market research,
seven participants stated they would not be likely at all to stay in the FM area if they do not get exactly

their desired job. Only one participant stated he/she would be very likely to stay (see appendix A for
survey questions used to collect this data). These results show getting a job matched to the graduates
qualifications is a main influence for college graduates to stay in the FM area.
Second, job opportunities or better job offers elsewhere are causing young professionals to leave the
FM area. In our market research, six survey respondents confirmed that job opportunities or better job
offers in other locations is a primary reason for college graduates leaving the FM area (see appendix A
for survey questions used to collect this data). The definition of better job offers included salary prices,
more experienced job market, and benefits. One focus group respondent states, I do think that more
people would stay in the area if they were aware of all the great possibilities in the area. Sometimes the
best jobs are hard to find.
Lastly, current college students are not aware of resources available to help with their job search.
Based off survey data, ten respondents (77%) are not aware of job placement programs in the FM area
(see appendix A for survey questions used to collect this data). College students could be more
successful in finding job opportunities related to their qualifications with the assistance of professionals.
When asked how likely respondents would be to use a job placement program if the NDSU career center
offered it, twelve respondents answered with a three or four on a scale of one to five, five being the
most likely. This data concludes there would be interest in a job placement program for this population.
Young professionals, specifically recent college graduates, are more likely to leave the area in search of
jobs if they are not aware of local job opportunities. The job search process can become long and
frustrating, so providing assistance to graduates and showing them career opportunities in the FM area
would encourage them to stay. According to Susan Svriuga, reporter for The Washington Post,
...because a large majority of candidates dont know which jobs fit their skills, their job searches are
unfocused and not strategic. As a consequence, the results are poor and we are left with a very
inefficient market qualified job seekers and hiring companies that cant find each other (2016). Local
businesses and the job market in the FM area will decline if young professionals arent staying here to
work, potentially causing other young professionals to leave in search of a better job market.
Our Project Plan: An Accessible Job Placement Program
The solution Career Connections is proposing includes implementing a job placement program geared
specifically towards recent graduates from the local colleges to provide assistance in locating jobs in the
FM area. The main goal is to create an accessible program structured off the needs of college graduates.
Our teams objectives for the proposal are as follows:
Determine interest of college students in using a job placement program after graduation and
likelihood that it would encourage them to stay in the FM area.
Design a program geared specifically towards new graduates.
Partner with the local colleges career centers.
Develop a marketing plan that will increase awareness of the program.
Phase One: Conducting Market Research on the Need for a Job Placement Program
The first step of the project is to conduct further market research on a larger number of college students
to determine the need for a job placement program for college graduates. Conducting this research
through survey questions will help determine interest in a job placement program and the likelihood

that it would encourage graduates to stay in the area. We will also post focus group questions to get
more information on what graduates would look for in a job placement program. This information will
help our team design a program that is accessible to our target population.
Phase Two: Designing a Job Placement Program for College Graduates
After taking our market research data into consideration, Career Connections will develop a job
placement program geared specifically toward the needs of recent college graduates and will locate jobs
in the FM area. Our program will build connections with local businesses in all career fields to provide
job options for a variety of local college graduates. The job placement program will be designed for
maximum accessibility to college students. To make the program more accessible, we will partner with
the local colleges career centers. Our team believes students close to graduation will be more likely to
use this resource if it is available on campus. The program will include internship opportunities as well as
career opportunities. Internships can greatly benefit college students marketability and also lead to job
opportunities after completion of the internship.
Phase Three: Marketing the Job Placement Program
To increase awareness of our job placement program and encourage graduates to use this resource,
Career Connections will create an effective marketing plan. Effective marketing can greatly increase the
success of our proposed program. The program will be marketed through student email accounts in the
various local colleges. This is an effective way to communicate to a mass population, and most young
professionals communicate through technology. We will also use marketing strategies such as flyers and
posters, which will be hung up around college campuses and other popular businesses in the FM area.
Through marketing, we will also address the strengths of staying in the FM area to attract young
professionals; these strengths include shorter commute times and a lower cost of living. According to
Forbes Media, the cost of living in the Fargo area is 0.6% below national average, and the average
commute time is 17 minutes (2016). These different factors can greatly increase interest in working in
the FM area.

Qualifications of Career Connections

At Career Connections we strive to get individuals, especially college students, jobs within the
community of Fargo-Moorhead. We will use our previous job placement success to provide local college
students a comprehensive system to find jobs in the FM area. Our company is qualified to complete this
project because we have a diverse skilled staff, many years of experience, and we are already involved
within the community.
Management and Labor
With over 25 years of combined service, our team offers the most up to date knowledge and
understanding of the job market in the Fargo-Moorhead community.
Alex Anderson, Manager
Alex grew up in Fargo, North Dakota and completed both his Bachelors degree and Masters degree
from North Dakota State University in Business Management. With 15 years of managerial experience in

the job placement industry, it was a perfect fit for Alex to take over as manager of the new job
placement company Career Connections. His job will be to oversee all operations and provide support
wherever needed in the company to keep operations moving smoothly. He will be responsible for
managing all phases of the project.
Kelsey Sorensen, Marketing Representative
Kelsey grew up in Moorhead, Minnesota and attended college at North Dakota State University. She
earned a Bachelor's degree in marketing from the college of business. Kelsey will use her experience and
education in marketing to execute phase 3 of our project. Her role in the project will be developing
resources to market to college graduates, and she will distribute them for advertisement.
Jakob, Customer Service Representative
Jakob Hurt grew up in the Fargo-Moorhead area and completed his Bachelors degree in Strategic
Communication at NDSU. Along with answering questions and concerns from clients, Jakobs role will be
to visit colleges in the FM area in order to promote the job placement program. He will also be active in
the community in order to promote job placement among young professionals. Jakobs skills suit his
position in the company well because he is a great source for networking. He will be a great resource for
implementing phase 2 of the project by building connections with clients and businesses.
Taylor Thunstedt, Customer Service Representative
Taylor grew up in Moorhead, Minnesota and completed a Bachelors degree in Business Management
at North Dakota State University. Her role is to educate graduates on a job placement program to help
seek their dream job. Taylor has great experience in communication and problem solving which will
make her a great asset of the Career Connections. She will use her skills for implementing phase 2 of the
project by assessing graduates needs in a program.
Company History
Since opening our doors in 2012, Career Connections has become the most successful and
comprehensive job placement program in the Fargo-Moorhead community. Our focus has always had
emphasis on keeping young professionals in the area. Dan Wells started the company after realizing his
children had trouble finding jobs within the FM community. He developed a team of professionals who
were already in the job placement field to not only have a successful business, but to help the
community grow in the process.
Experience
Career Connections has worked with many different businesses in the FM area. A few of the largest
corporations include Microsoft, Bobcat, and Sanford Healthcare. We have created connections with
these businesses and provided great employees to add to their workforce. With our experience and
background in helping recent college graduates in their job search, we believe our company could be an
even bigger asset to the community if we expand our staff to each local college campus. Our success has
come from hard work, adapting to the ever changing job market, and a knowledgeable staff from
different educational backgrounds.

Projected Costs and Benefits

It is important to build a cost-effective budget to maximize our companys services and benefits. The
main costs our company will budget for include rent for a small office, the salaries of our four
employees, and the costs for marketing the job placement program. These costs are very low compared
to the benefits our company will bring to people in the community.
The purpose of our company is to provide resources for job opportunities to young professionals in the
FM area, so this is the first benefit of our proposal. We will provide job opportunities to many people
attending college or who have recently graduated. Bringing job opportunities to a large audience in the
FM area will encourage them to stay and also provide an overall boost to the job market and economy
in the FM area. The economy of the area will benefit in many different ways from more people joining
the local job market. More apartments and houses will be occupied and many businesses in the area
will receive more customers because of the increased population. The last benefit our company will
bring to the Fargo-Moorhead area is helping young professionals network with the local businesses.
Networking is really important in the business world because it helps people find jobs with a company
that is right for them. This will help businesses and young professionals develop interpersonal
relationships with one another resulting in potential employment or other job connections.
Career Connections job placement program will benefit both local businesses and future employees in
the Fargo-Moorhead area in many different ways. Our proposal provides resources to young
professionals to maximize the job search experience and encourage them to stay in the area. Thank for
you for taking the time to hear our proposal for your community initiative to keep young professionals
in the FM area. If you have any questions about the details of Career Connections job placement
proposal, please contact the manager, Alex Anderson, at (701) 174- 8734 or
CareerConnections@gmail.com.

Resources
CNBC. (2016). [chart illustration of job search process for college graduates]. Accenture strategy 2016

U.S. College graduate employment study. Retrieved from http://www.cnbc.com/2016/05/

16/college-grads-enjoy-the-best-job-market-in-years.html
Dickler, J. (2016, May 17). College grads enjoy the best job market in years. CNBC. Retrieved from
http://www.cnbc.com/2016/05/16/college-grads-enjoy-the-best-job-market-in-years.html
Forbes Media. (2016). Fargo, ND: Fargo, ND-MN metropolitan statistical area. Forbes. Retrieved from
http://www.forbes.com/places/nd/fargo/
Phillips, C. (2014, November 16). A matter of degree: Many college grads never work in their major.
Times Free Press. Retrieved from http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/life/entertainment/
story/2014/nov/16/matter-degree-many-college-grads-never-work-/273665/
Svriuga, S. (2016, January 30). More than 4 out of 5 students graduate without a job. How could
colleges change that?. Washington Post. Retrieved from
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/grade-point/wp/2015/01/30/more-than-4-out-of-5students-graduate-without-a-job-how-could-colleges-change-that/

Appendix A
Demographics

What is your major?

What is your hometown?
How long have you lived in the FM area?
Less than 1 year

1-3 years

4-6 years

7+ years

Survey
1. Do you have job plans for after college graduation?
Yes
No
2. After college graduation, how long on average would you say it takes graduates to find a job in their
career field? (please circle one)
0-6 months
years

6 months- 1 year

1-2 years

More than 2

3. Are you aware of any job placement programs in the Fargo/Moorhead area?
Yes
No
4. If you responded yes to question number 4, what job placement programs in the Fargo/Moorhead
area are you aware of?

5. On a scale of 1-5, 1 being not at all and 5 being very likely, how likely would you to use a job
placement program if the NDSU career center offered one?
6. What would you say hinders college graduates from staying in the Fargo/Moorhead area?

7. On a scale of 1-5, 1 being not at all and 5 being very likely, how likely are you to stay in Fargo after
college graduation if there is a job opportunity available?
8. On a scale of 1-5,1 being not at all and 5 being very likely, how likely are you to stay in Fargo if you do
not get exactly your desired job?
9. What would be the primary reason you would wish to stay in the FM area after graduation?
Job

Stay close to family/friends

Appendix B
Focus Group Questions

Community amenities

Other__________

1. What would you say hinders college graduates from staying in the Fargo/Moorhead Area?

2. Do you think college graduates would be more likely to stay in the Fargo/Moorhead area if there
were job opportunities available in their career? Why or why not?

3. Would you utilize a job placement program if the NDSU career center offered one? What do you
think would be beneficial of this program and what do you think would be unbeneficial of this
program?

4. What are the primary reasons you would stay in the Fargo/Moorhead area after college
graduation?

5. What are the primary reasons you would choose to leave the Fargo/Moorhead area after
college graduation?