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8ECTIONI - PAGE f - PLAINDEALER - FRIDAY, JUNE IS, ltS4 Business Competition will be tough; but Opportunities open for homes more opportunities for graduates The improved economy has brightened the job outlook for college graduates this year but companies will be selective and graduates will find competition tough for the better openings, said Andrew Sherwood, management consultant. According to a recent study by the Goodrich and Sherwood Co. , employment has rebounded with most firms hiring in executive and m middle-management ranks. While the hiring of college grads is expected to be 15 percent to 20 percent above 1983, 80 percent of the com­ panies polled stated they will not return to pre-recession hiring levels for grads. Companies are not yet ready to assume the high cost of training recent graduates with little or no immediate return on their investment, he said. Since 20 percent of the com­ panies do plan to hire college graduates, target focus is essential for success. Sherwood offered the following tips: -Plan your job search carefully and early for brat results. -Research to find those companies actually hiring and target your efforts there, rather than wasting time on those not hiring. -Prepare your resume and key interview questions in a way to demonstrate you are one of the top people the companies should consider. Stress achievements and ac­ complishments. \ -Follow up your interviews with letters expressing con­ tinued interest and appreciation for the interview. Companies generally hire those people who are considerate, polite and likeable. Sherwood said the hottest fields for employment this spring will be accounting and math, computer science, engineering, marketing, financial services, consulting and automation. Hie liberal arts graduates will have the toughest sledding since government and academic hiring is sluggish, he said. Approximately 6.2 million new professional jobs will be created in the next 10 years, but close to 12 million young people will receive college degrees, the report indicated. By Yvonne Beer, executive vice president, McHenry County Board of Realtors. If you're currently renting an apartment but would like to own a home, there are more op­ portunities open to you than you may think. Perhaps the most important thing to realize is that most first- time buyers do not start out in the home of their dreams. Trying to save money for a downpayment is difficult while paying rent and even combined incomes sometimes are not enough to buy a dream house. „ Getting the dream house takes time, but with careful planning you'll get there. The best way is to start small with a con­ dominium, town house or "starter" home and build some equity to help you move up to a larger or more ideally situated home. Frequently, homeowners build enough equity as their home increases in value to move 19 to another home in three to five years. Consider buying a con­ dominium of comparable size and value to the apartment you are renting. While your initial monthly costs may be higher than your rent, rents ealtors ECORD exceed the cost of "net" mon­ thly mortgage payments (ad­ justed for tax advantages) within a few years. In the meantime, the value of the condominium rises as you build equity. If you continued to rent over the same period, you would have nothing to show but rent receipts. There are many alternatives Father's Day Gift Sale. Terrific gift ideas for Dad on his special day. ̂ 1 A I Botany "500" dress shirts. 13.99 Orlg. $16. Short steeve oxford cloth button-down sMrt hi assorted stripes and solids. While they last Sale 14.99 Orlg. $18. Botany "500" long sleeve dress shirt While they last Sale 18.99 Reg. $24. Our action-ready sport slack of woven Dacron* polyester with 2-way stretch. Men's sizes Sale 11.99 Reg. $15. Young men's Plain Pockets' leans in Denim Extra* boot cut or straight leg soft cottons Meet your favorite sports personalities! JIM MCMAHON Quarterback. Chicago Bears Saturday, June 16th 10:30 AM to NOON Lakehurst Mall DIGGER PHELPS Head Coach Notre Dame Basketball Saturday, June 16th 2 PM to 4 PM Lincoln Mall REGGIE THEUS Guard, Kansas City Kings Basketball team Saturday, June 16th. Noon to 1:30 PM The Brickyard Sale 11.99 Sale 3.60 Reg. $15. Rich leather reversible belt with silver/gold tone metal buckle. 1 Vj" wide. Men's sizes. Reg. 4.50 pr. Snappy Argyle socks in pure cotton. Men's sizes (£4 m-' -* •! • "IWeiiH J'l • XT! Save 25% All Seiko*, Pulsar*, and Caravelle* watches for men and women. Save 50% to 66%. on famous name luggage. Save on American Tourister*. Samsonite', Verdi* and more. Durable hardside cases, many with handy wheels and pull straps, plus softsides that really let you pack it in. While they last Selection will vary from store and intermediate markdowns may have been taken. Styles, colors, and sizes will vary from store to store. Sale s349 Orlg. 449.95. 19" (meas. diag.) color TV with 3 function remote control. *2075. While they last Your choice: Sale 999.95 Reg. 1,299.95. Portable stereo VCR with Dolby* NR system. 2 week/6 show programming, wirele8s remote *5042 •Registered trademark Dolby Laboratories Licenaing Corp Reg. 1,199.95. Stereo color video camera with auto focus 6:1 power zoom, title generator. *5315 2 pack Scotch T-120 2/4/6 hour, blank video tape. *4816 Separately, 21.98. Special twin pack. 17.98 Less mfr's $2 mail-in rebate. Your final cost 15.9S JCFenney Some items at larger JC Penney stores only. _ Sale prices effective thru Saturday, June 16th unless otherwise noted ^ Brickyard, Ford City, Fox Valley Center, Gary Village. Goff Mill. Joliet Mall, Lakehurst Lincoln Mall, Marquette Mall North Riverside Park, Orland Square. Southlake Malt Spring Hill Mall. Winston Plaza. Woodfield, Yorktown Beloit Mall, 365-8801 (Catalog shopping, 365-5591) Colonial Village, 398-5440 (Catalog shopping, 398-5370) Lincoln Mall. 235-3131 (Catalog shopping, 235-6181) Macfteaney Park Mall, 654-9090 (Catalog shopping, 654-9200) to buying a condominium. Other properties, with lower price tags, include townhouaes, small "starter" homes, manufactured housing-including mobile homes and older, inner-city homes. If you are willing to put some "sweat-equity" into restoring an older home, there are bargains to be found. Many young people starting out in the housing market may be able to afford the monthly mortgage payments on the house of their choice, but may have problems in coming up with a downpayment. FHA and VA loans offer both competitive mortgage rates and low downpayments. In fact, some of these programs offer down- payments in the range of what you might put down on a new car. Often, sellers are willing to help with the financing. If you have questions about your abilities to buy your first home, or the kinds of properties available to you, contact a realtor, a real estate professional who is a member of the McHenry County Board of Realtors. CUB pamphlets mailed in next utility bills The Illinois Citizens Utility Board recently released a controversial brochure which it plans to distribute to more than four million telephone customers throughout the state in July. The brochure, which contains membership information about the newly-formed CUB, is one of three that will be contained in the telephone bills of residential and small business phone users. Under law, CUB is the only organization of its kind granted the authority to insert its pro- consumer literature in the bills of the state's gas, electric, telephone and water utility Tfl^oiciosures, which were approved for distribution by the Illinois Commerce Commission on May 30, aroused the ire of several of the state's major utility companies. One, Central Illinois Public Service, asked the ICC to deny CUB permission to mail the literature. Illinois Bell Telephone and Union Electric also filed comments with the agency which were critical of the CUB materials. The ICC swept aside the utilities' objections in a 7-0 decision. "We've really sweated to get these first brochures into the hands of Illinois consumers," said Larry Kamer, CUB cam­ paign director. "Not only were we working on an impossibly tight schedule, but we had to contend with the roadblocks thrown down by some powerful utility companies. But we'll be in the mail on July 2." Illinois Bell ends Selective Calling Service Illinois Bell recently filed a plan with the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC), to discon­ tinue Selective Calling Service, effective Oct. 25. Customers will be able to replace Selective Calling Ser­ vice with Pick-A-Point service, which offers discounts on direct- dialed calls to nearby com­ munities. Pick-A-Point service is available only to customers in communities outside the Chicago metropolitan area. "Most customers can save more money with Pick-A-Point service than with Selective Calling Service," said Frank Piorkowski, Illinois Bell district manager of Tariff and Costs. Illinois Bell limited Selective Calling Service to existing customers in 1980, when it began offering Pick-A-Point service. Hie ICC agreed in April to allow Illinois Bell to discontinue Selective Calling Service by Oct. 25. Pick-A-Point service gives customers a 30 percent discount on direct-dialed calls to selected points within a 28-mile radius. Calls must be within the customer's market service area. I *