When LSA senior Philip Austin began his job search, he started looking for a position in Michigan. But much to his dismay, it was difficult to find a paying job in the state — a challenge many graduating seniors looking to secure employment in Michigan are facing.

“As my job search has progressed, it has become much more likely that I'm going to end up working somewhere out-of-state,” Austin said.

To counter this problem, many in the state are developing websites that aim to connect graduates of Michigan colleges with employers here.

Lynne Sebille-White, senior assistant director of the University’s Career Center, said Austin isn’t alone in his difficulty with finding a job in the state. She said she sees both Michigan natives and out-of-state students who want to stay in Michigan post-graduation but, despite their interest in staying in-state, many find jobs elsewhere.

To find a job in Michigan, Sebille-White said it takes “networking” and “dedication.” She described how many students are forced to look for jobs outside the state, which contributes to the much-discussed “brain drain” phenomenon.

“It depends upon field and area of expertise and where you want to live,” she said. “Certainly every state is suffering (from the economy), but Michigan, obviously, is suffering more.”

University alum James Wahls, who is president of DetroitIntern.com, LLC, wrote in an e-mail interview that his website is “a response to the young professional brain drain that is affecting Metro Detroit,” and added that the website provides access to internships, job opportunities and career resources.

Wahls founded DetroitIntern.com in 2006, which has since grown to include 10 major cities, including New York City, Chicago and Atlanta. Each city has its own internship and job-posting site operating under the DetroitIntern network.

Wahls said expanding DetroitIntern to other cities has provided economic opportunities for Michigan because it helps “to virtually link Detroit’s businesses and workforce with other major metropolitan areas.”

Wahls and his business partner Tarik Green, also a University alum, are working with Idealist.org to further expand the number of job listings on DetroitIntern into the thousands.

More than 3,000 students and professionals are currently registered with DetroitIntern, most of whom reside in Michigan and the Midwest. Nearly 40 Michigan colleges and universities direct students to the site via their career services websites, according to Wahls.

InternInMichigan.com is a state-wide initiative that is a partnership of government entities and other organizations that aim to attract college graduates to the state.

Jennifer Goodin, spokeswoman for Intern In Michigan, wrote in an e-mail interview that the goal of the site is “to connect current college students and recent graduates seeking internships with Michigan-based employers looking to hire them.”

More than 10,000 students are registered with Intern In Michigan — about 1,250 of which attend the University of Michigan, according to Goodin.

Another resource, available exclusively to University students, is the Career Center Connector — a job posting site linked on the center’s website. Many of the postings include jobs in Michigan and users are able to search for jobs by location.

University alum Vinal Desai utilized job posting websites like the Career Center Connector in her pursuit for a job last year. Desai wrote in an e-mail interview that she recently found a job at Google’s headquarters in Ann Arbor.

While Desai wrote that she might leave the state for graduate school in the future, she said she knew she wanted to stay in Michigan for a while after completing her undergraduate degree.

“Michigan is my home,” she wrote. “Having grown up here, I have a strong support system of family and friends.