|
Career Center offers job advice to rising seniors |
|
|
|
Tuesday, 24 July 2007 |
by JON LAFONTAINE
Associate Editor for Production Operations
The world of occupational questing is long and tedious, not to mention scary. There are hundreds of Web sites that offer résumé postings, portfolio postings, employer listings and thousands of company contact links.
For some rising seniors becoming overwhelmed appears to be the first step in finding the job that’s right, or is it?
“I
really encourage students to not wait until the last minute,” Lynette
Orbovich, Assistant Director and Career Counselor for the College of
Fine & Applied Arts and School of Music, said. “Embrace the process
rather than fear it. There are a lot of alums that are happy to hire an
Appalachian graduate.”
Before going into the working world and starting a career, students must receive their university diplomas.
 Active Image | Derek DeSha | The Appalachian
Located on the third floor of John E. Thomas Hall, the Career Development Center provides students and graduates alike with valuable counseling and resources for job searching and career choices.
|
In order to graduate from Appalachian State University, a senior must
have 122 credit hours (some majors may require more), a 2.0 grade point
average (GPA, some majors require a higher GPA) and 30 semester hours
in residence (30 hours attended at ASU) said, administrative assistant
to the registrar, Jayne Greene.
After a senior audit, students receive a graduation application, which
must be turned in if the student wants to be listed as graduating,
Greene said.
Following the registrar’s review of the application, the dean checks to
make sure that all required designators and general requirements are
met.
If a student is not accepted to graduate, the dean informs him/her about the requirements not met.
After knowing your graduation plans it is important to create a solid résumé.
“It is generally said that a one-page résumé is best,” Orbovich said.
“It’s all about keeping them reading. It’s all about targeting the
résumé to the job you are going for.”
Don’t wait until two days before you graduate to come to the career center, Orbovich said.
There are more options to students than just throwing your résumé on
the Web. The first career fair of the 2007 fall semester is Sept. 25 in
the Broyhill Inn, which will provide students with a chance to meet
over 80 employers and approximately 200 recruiters.
When approaching an employer, you have to know what you are offering them, Orbovich said.
“If it’s in person, you need to say more than ‘I am a communication
major,’” Orbovich said. “You have to ask ‘What are you offering them,
not what are they offering you.’ You are in a competition together.”
The companies are looking for an investment in the students and pay $150 to come to the fair, Orbovich said.
One thing that students do not realize is that they are expected not
only to make good grades, but to also hold internships and to apply
real life situations outside the classrooms, which also helps in
building networks.
“To me, networking is about building relationships,” according to Job Choices magazine.
The networking tools are at the students’ disposal especially with the creation of CareerGear.
CareerGear is a system that allows students to post résumés, portfolios and have access to companies that are seeking new hires.
“[CareerGear] was crafted specifically for us so we could get exactly what our students needed and wanted,” Orbovich said.
Other résumé posting sites may help, but most sites like Monster
include jobs with a high turnover rate and are generally highly
specialized jobs. One of the most interactive and informative resources
Appalachian students have is CareerGear.
“Take advantage of your time [at Appalachian] and the resources,” Orbovich said.
Finding a job that is right for the student can be a very daunting
task. With the right resources at Appalachian though, this task is one
that students will not dread.
“[Students] need to do what they love, not take a job just for the
money,” Greene said. “[Students need] to make sure they enjoy it.”
Trackback(0)
 |
TrackBack URI for this entry
Show/Hide comments