Suffolk University’s third annual Senior Career Summit will officially kick off the “jobs campaign” for graduating students from 1-4 p.m. Friday, March 2, in Sargent Hall, Room 295.

The Career Summit, first held in 2010, when the Massachusetts unemployment rate spiked to more than 9 percent, has become a staple of the spring recruiting season for students about to step into the professional workplace.

Strategies and action

“It’s our goal that each student will leave the event a more knowledgeable and savvier job seeker,” said Director of Career Services and Cooperative Education Paul Tanklefsky. “In this job market, you need to be informed about the essential job-hunting strategies and empowered to action.”

The job market is showing signs of improvement which should be a boost for graduating seniors, according to Tanklefsky.

Preliminary survey results from the Class of 2011 indicate that, of those graduates employed, more than 70 percent were in positions related to their career goals, and that 58 percent completed a coop or internship while at Suffolk University.

When it came to finding work, the last year’s graduates used a variety of resources to connect with their current employers:

• Networking, 35 percent
• Internet listing, 29 percent
• Career services/co-op related services, 13 percent
• Placement agency, 10 percent
• Initiating contact with employer, 9 percent

The Careers Summit event is timed for seniors seeking to be employed by July 1, given that it can take three to six months to land a job.

“The job search is similar to running a marathon, said Tanklefsky. “You have to be prepared, positive, persistent, and persuasive.”

This year’s Summit highlights include:

• A briefing on the job market for 2012 graduates by Jim Klocke, executive vice president, Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce
• A personal/career branding presentation by alumnus Andrew Graff, CEO of Allen & Gerritsen
• A panel of human resource representatives addressing what employers want in candidates.

The afternoon will conclude with individual resume reviews and a question-and-answer session with Career Services staff.

Participants will receive a packet of useful career materials including the “Job Search Handbook,” “Industry Reports – Top Employers in Massachusetts,” and “Job Choices 2012.”

40 employers expected at upcoming job fair

As a follow-up to the Career Summit, the Career Connections 2012 Full-Time Job Fair will take place from 4-6 p.m. Wednesday, March 7, at the Holiday Inn Beacon Hill, 5 Blossom St., Boston. More than 40 employers are expected to attend.