Working to Help Students Find a Career

Alex Gutierrez, Associate Director of the Career Center, talks resumes with Health Science major Lizbeth Jauregui.(David Wuerth/The Arbiter)

Jobs.

Students either have one (or two), need one, or will need one in the near future. With the current statistics on unemployment painting a bleak picture, students should be doing everything possible to make themselves appear to be the most attractive candidate for employers.

In the job market, appearing to be an attractive candidate (hopefully) has little to do with physical appearance and more to do with what’s in a student’s personal arsenal as far as qualifications, skills and networking are concerned.

For arsenals lacking an awe- inspiring stockpile of goods, there is still time to create more inventory. The one-stop shopping center, otherwise known as the Career Center has their own cache of tools to help students succeed.

Students may think the Career Center is geared toward graduating seniors or students seeking work on campus, however, the Career Center has something to offer to all students, regardless of class standing.

It’s a resource available to all students, and it’s especially beneficial for individuals with no clue what they want to major in, or what kind of work they would like associated with a specific major.

This is a part of career planning the Career Center specializes in.

Debbie Kaylor, director of the Career Center, said students come in and say, “I don’t have a clue what I want to do.”

“If students would spend more time on the front end, then you wouldn’t need us as much on the back end with the job search,” she said.

Eric Lindsay, a second-year business major, used the Career Center to obtain a second opinion on his resumé and prepare for an interview.

“It was a good experience,” Lindsay said. “I found it helpful.”

Kaylor stressed the importance of taking advantage of internships which can help build a network and skills needed on the job.

“If you know the direction you want to go and can start targeting those opportunities and experiences you will be that much more marketable,” Kaylor said.

This is precisely how career-planning can help students get on track to be job-ready after graduation.

For students who are venturing out into the job market, there are a variety of programs that can help, from a 15-minute resumé test to practice interviews and the Bronco Jobs website to browse job listings.

During the 15-minute resumé test, students can expect to be provided with information and tips on what employers are looking for.

For the first time ever, students are allowed to walk in without an appointment for a 15-minute resumé test only.

If students are looking for more than just a quick look over their resumé and are more interested in honing their interview skills, mock interviews are available by appointment, which tend to run about an hour and a half.

The option to be videotaped is available for a comprehensive critique.

Students can come in with a particular job in mind or a particular job field or major.

The goal is to target specific questions while arming students with knowledge of how to handle illegal questions posed by interviewers.

When seeking a job, students can take advantage of Bronco Jobs for work on and off campus, full-time or part-time positions and internships.

The extended search feature is also helpful for finding jobs in a variety of locations, fields and disciplines.

Additionally, there is a feature available to search  for federal or state government jobs.

But Kaylor cautions there are two markets for jobs.

The job market and the hidden job market.

“The far majority of jobs are not even posted anymore. Employers don’t want to have to sift through 500 resumés. The job search now is all about your ability to network,” she said.

Kaylor said students can come in for help developing a LinkedIn profile or learning how to use Twitter to build a personal brand.

For more information on the numerous services the Career Center offers, career.boisestate.edu or call 426-1747 to schedule an appointment.

Coming up:

Spring Career Fair

Feb. 29, 2012

Jordan Ballroom

9:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.

Watch a video about the BSU Job Fair HERE.

Short URL: http://arbiteronline.com/?p=81254

Posted by amymerrill on Feb 16 2012. Filed under Main Feature, News, News Main Feature. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.