Sarah Armand, middle, with roommate Elizabeth Zbylut, cheers on a fellow graduate during an Eller College of Management reception at the University of Arizona. Armand already has a job lined up with Turner Entertainment now that she's completed her undergraduate work.

A.E. Araiza / Arizona Daily Star

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Today's graduation caps quite a week for UA senior Sarah Armand, who just Monday accepted a job as a sales assistant after an interview with Turner Entertainment in Los Angeles.

The dream entry job in the entertainment industry didn't just fall into Armand's lap. Her marketing degree was just one piece of a plan that included developing connections last summer as a Discovery Channel intern and being active in student groups at the business school.

"If you really want a good job you have to put yourself out there and do a thorough job search," Armand said.

As more than 6,100 students graduate from the University of Arizona, they're looking at the hottest job market since the technology boom — and a particularly strong one in Tucson and Arizona.

This year's National Association of Colleges and Employers survey finds employers plan to hire 13.8 percent more new graduates than they did last year, with 60 percent of employers overall expecting to increase hiring over last year.

More hiring is expected to create competition for new graduates, which is translating into higher salaries, according to another report from the National Association of Colleges and Employers.

Graduates from various business disciplines, engineering fields and even liberal-arts programs can expect to see starting salaries generally in the range of 2 percent to 4 percent higher than last year.

"This is probably the best job market that a graduate could be positioned in, in recent years," said Laura Shaw, vice president of investor relations and marketing for Tucson Regional Economic Opportunities Inc., or TREO "We continue to see Tucson really outpace the national economy, and we're growing younger in population in recent years."

Between UA graduates and population growth in the area, Tucson's younger work force is starting to reach critical mass, with employers taking advantage, Shaw said.

"Whenever a younger population starts to contribute to the work force, that is a great sign for economic development to come," she said.

Michael Sterling, Tucson branch manager for Robert Half International, a professional staffing and consulting firm, said UA graduates are sought-after in Tucson businesses.

"A few years ago I would have said maybe there's not enough opportunities in Tucson, but I wouldn't say that today," he said. "Companies are being very aggressive in their recruitment of U of A graduates."

With Tucson's population growth, professional-service sectors such as banking, finance and insurance have seen a big upswing, Sterling said.

"The number of people in the boomer generation moving out of the work force in accounting and finance has created a tremendous demand," he said. "It's almost a perfect storm for kids coming out of the Eller school of business."

Yet, not all new graduates are leaping into the market. Many are considering graduate school or taking time off, while new types of careers are capturing the interest of many.

"Some of the students are holding back in terms of starting their job search," said Bill Ruggirello assistant director of Career Services at the UA. "The interest is there, but not as much as one would think at this point."

While mainstream industries have strong appeal, more students and graduates are looking for careers in innovative fields or jobs where they feel they can make a difference, Ruggirello said. Nonprofits and government agencies are attracting a lot of student interest.

Graduating entrepreneurship seniors Stephen Tanenbaum, Greg Rosborough and Alex Farkas — all 23 — are launching their own business, taking the award-winning business model they developed over the past year into the market.

"You don't have to move up through some company's hierarchy. You can go as high as you want because it's your own," Farkas said. "It's not as desirable any more to work for a large corporation. You don't have the security any more, and you don't have the flexibility."

The company, Original Theory, will sell the work of collegiate artists through a Web site, tapping into a new market of art collectors who buy far below gallery prices in hopes young artists develop.

This generation of students also has a different set of career goals, preferring a greater balance between their personal and professional lives, and it more willing to contribute to society, according to another survey of 37,000 students at 207 U.S. colleges and universities.

The survey by Universum Communications, a consulting firm, found that so-called Millennials, unlike their predecessors in Generation X, are more interested in a company's ethical standards and social values than the financial strength of the company.

Health care ranked among the top industries students would prefer, followed closely by government/public service. Companies seen by students as innovative rank highly, with Walt Disney and Google the top desired employers. Rounding out the top five are the U.S. State Department, the FBI and the CIA.

Google made a big impact on the UA campus this year with an information session that drew more than a hundred students and forced Career Services to find a larger room, Ruggirello said.

About 130 employers recruited on the UA campus through Career Services this year, about 25 more than last year.

"The job market has definitely rebounded," Ruggirello said. "They're saying 'We have to start looking for the talent before they're gone.' "

At that same time, Ruggirello warns grads not to take anything for granted.

"The message on our end of it has been the same: Look at all your options, identify when you want to start your job search and do it. You've got to seek the information."