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HOUGHTON -- They've spent years attending classes, writing papers and studying for finals, but for more than 400 Michigan Tech students, the end has come.

Mid-year Commencement was this past weekend and now many of the graduates will enter an uncertain job market.

For some, hard work and preparation won’t necessarily be enough to land a desirable position in the current job market.

Just over 50 percent of Tech's spring graduates have found full-time employment, and according to Career Services Director Jim Turnquist, December isn't always the best time to look for a job.

"The job market for December grads is still going to be tight,” said Turnquist.  “A lot of employers are waiting to see how their fiscal year ended and what's going to happen next year.  But we are seeing signs of companies starting to hire."

Turnquist said that the recent students who have found full-time employment in the area they want to live have a few things in common.

They all started the process early and had valuable work experience from internships.

Fifth year senior Jake Edick won't be graduating until spring, but he's already using the Career Center for help.

"I haven't had much success as of right now, but I’m not too worried,” said Edick.  “I think things are going to come back.  I know they'll come back eventually, so I’m just being optimistic about it."

The Career Center helps students like Jake anyway they can, staging mock interviews and providing tips to polish their resume.

"A lot of companies use software to evaluate a resume based on key words--they'll give points for keywords,” Turnquist said.  “Then they total it up and if you have x amount of points, the resumes will move on to actual human beings to be reviewed."

So for December graduates who have yet to find a job, Turnquist said it's important to be persistent and keep a positive attitude.  And for those who have a few more months, there's hope that the market may continue to improve.