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What You Will Find at the Career Center
What You Will Find at the Career Center
Resources at the Career Center
The Career Center is an excellent place to begin your career planning and to initiate your job search. In addition to the assistance of the professional staff, you will have access to probably the most complete library of job information and employer information available on campus. The following are some of the resources which may be available to you in the Career Center:
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Books—on specific careers and industries, as well as a variety of job search books (if College Grad Job Hunter is not on their shelves, suggest that they buy a copy).
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Subscriptions—magazines specific to supporting the needs of college grad careers and job search.
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Occupational Listings—information about a variety of different occupations, including economic outlook and forecast for future demand and growth. May also include salary surveys.
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Directories—listings of employers actively hiring at the entry level, often categorized by job type, industry, and geography.
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Graduate School Information—information on various graduate schools, including college admissions catalogs, degree requirements, and associate application forms, plus additional information on any necessary entrance exams and/or testing.
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Employer Information—information on employers who are recruiting on campus in the coming semester, as well as those who have an interest in students from your school but are not coming to your campus. This information may be in the form of physical employer folders (where information provided by current year and previous years' on-campus employers is stored), hard-copy research, or digital research tools, or access to subscription-based Internet sites.
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Job Postings—specific jobs may be posted in the office, either in advance of on-campus interviews or for employers who are unable to come to campus. They are called job postings because in the past they were typically posted on an actual bulletin board—the "job board." While some job postings may still be posted on a physical bulletin board, online job databases are where you will typically find job openings at employers specifically recruiting at your school. Not finding what you are looking for? The job postings are typically updated on a continuous basis, so be sure to check back often. Or set up job agents for electronic notification of new positions being posted.
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Career Center Website—this varies greatly by school but often includes free access to the jobs database and other subscription-based websites, events calendar, appointment scheduling, digital copies of key handouts, and links to external career and job resources. (If your career center doesn't already link to CollegeGrad.com, please let them know about the free resources we offer and ask them to link to us.)
In short, the Career Center gives you access to a wealth of information which can be found nowhere else on campus, as well as real human beings with your best interests in mind to guide you and support you in the job search process. Make sure you take advantage of this valuable service.
Services of the Career Center
It is worth your while to request a listing of all the services provided by the Career Center, since all of the services offered are not always readily apparent from a simple visit to the office. In addition to personal career counseling, the Career Center typically coordinates the following activities:
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Career Fair—often held early in the Fall semester as a way to introduce students to employers and potential careers.
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Job Fair—the more focused "yes we are hiring" job fair can take place in the Fall or Spring semesters. Some smaller colleges combine to form consortium job fairs, which draw a greater number of employers than any one college could attract on its own.
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Career Assessments—personality, interests, skills, aptitudes, values and more can be measured through standardized assessments in combination with career counseling.
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Career Seminars—specific programs may be offered on career planning, career exploration, and other job search topics. Note that material from this website (or the College Grad Job Hunter book) is often used as the reference guides for many of the job search seminars being provided, so you already have a head start. Yet you can always learn more.
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Mock Interviewing/Interview Coaching—if you have not yet completed a mock interview, do the necessary preparation to get ready for it, then do it. Don't worry if you mess up the first time. There is always the opportunity to try again. Besides, it's much better to mess up a practice run on video (where you can humbly watch it later and then make adjustments) than in front of the recruiter for your dream employer.
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On-Campus Interviewing—the Career Center typically handles all of the scheduling and logistics for on-campus interviewing. Make sure that you have all your signup and resume information on file in advance, then work with the Career Center to make sure that you get the interviews you want. Then provide the feedback to the Career Center on any next steps taken beyond the on-campus interview.
The Career Center offers a wealth of resources and services. It's your job to find the job so take advantage of the free services available to you. It's up to you to reach out and put their resources and experience to work for you!
