Welcome to our annual BACK TO CAMPUS issue,
which is especially dedicated to college students
and college career counselors. And if you don't
fall into either of these groups, you might just be
surprised at how much information and assistance you
can gain from the resources directed at students
and counselors.
We hope you find useful information in QuintZine all
year 'round, but this "Back to Campus" issue is especially
for YOU!
We encourage you to establish links from your
career center's Web site to any
of our career-services-related articles
in this issue. We also have a very liberal
reprint policy and invite you to reprint
any of these articles, as long as you follow
our reprint guidelines.
Feature Article: Visiting Your College Career Office
It’s Never Too Early -- or Too Late -- to Visit Your College Career Office
Deciding on a major . . . Locating an internship . . .
Writing resumes and cover letters . . . Preparing for interviews . . .
Applying to graduate schools . . . Researching companies
and employers . . . Networking with professionals . .
Planning your future ...
Is it possible that you could find just one place
where trained professionals would assist you with
all of the above-for free?? The
answer is yes.
These are all services offered -- sometimes to non-students, too --
by the career office at your college or university.
Read more about the value of the college career-services office in
this comprehensive article
by Mary Keen Krikorian, internship coordinator at Hartwick College.
Seven Not-So-Obvious Reasons to Take Advantage of Your Campus Career Center
While Mary Krikorian covers the more widely known reasons
college students should visit their college career centers,
Peter Vogt explores career-center advantages you may not have thought
about.
Peter is "The MonsterTRAK Coach" for MonsterTRAK.com,
the college division of Monster.com, as well as founder
and producer of The Career Services Kiva (which happens to be our
Quintessential Site of this issue), a comprehensive news
and information web site for college and university
career-services professionals.
The primary (but certainly not the only) purpose of The Kiva,
according to founder and producer Peter Vogt, "is to help college
and university career services professionals learn about
what their colleagues on other campuses are doing,
particularly in the way of programming. Wouldn't it be
nice to learn about innovative programs that have worked
elsewhere -- programs you can then adapt to your own needs
and implement on your own campus?"
In each monthly edition, The Kiva features two Innovative
Career Services Programs -- complete with details on how
they were developed and implemented.
The Kiva also features:
-Research Briefs -- Brief summaries of research on career
development, particularly relating to college students, often
from sources you might not normally include in your professional reading.
-In the News -- News items related specifically to college
students and new grads, careers, trends, and the world of work.
-Book Reviews -- Reviews of books that are especially
useful to career services professionals and/or the students they work with.
-For Your Students -- Direct links to other sites Peter Vogt
works on that are targeted at students.
-Professional Development -- Links to Web sites about pertinent
conferences, professional organizations, and the like.
-Career Services Jobs -- A section with links to sites that can
help you find a job in career services.
-Pete's Column -- Peter Vogt shares his musings and thoughts
about college students, career development issues, and the
career-services field.
The CollegeBound Network
-- an interactive guide to college life for aspiring college-bound students that offers teens
insight and access to real people who can guide them through their college and career choices. Includes
the College Bound Magazine, as well as a host of other Websites, including CollegeSurfing.com,
StudentRewards.com, Go-Girl.com, and TheFledgling.com. Free.
CollegeJobBoard.com
-- designed for students and alumni of high school, vocational school, and college. Resources include
job (internship, full-time, part-time, and temporary positions) search, resume posting, scholarship searches, and
job search tips. Free to job-seekers.
Teachers-Teachers.com
-- a great recruitment site for teachers, where you can build your online resume, choose your preferences for email
notifications of matching job openings, browse current job openings, create and save an online version of your
cover letter, and even participate in a structured interview that prospective employers can view. Free to job-seekers.
WorkinJapan.com
-- a great site for job-seekers looking for employment in Japan. You can search for jobs by location and
job type, as well as Japanese and English language skills -- or browse job listings by company. Job-seekers
need to register and post resume to apply for jobs. Also includes a great resources section for working and
living in Japan. Free to job-seekers.
Find even more career and job site additions to Quintessential Careers by visiting our
Latest
Additions section.
Patricia writes: "I am a college student about to enter my
junior year, though I am a double major so I will need to
go a fifth year (I have three years left). My problem is
simply that both my majors are fields that require master's
degrees. I will not be able to afford graduate school right
away, so my question is whether there is a good job out there
that utilizes one or both of my degrees until I can afford
graduate school, get a master's, and really enter into one
of the fields. My majors are 1) psychology and
2) speech/language pathology and audiology. These are both
fields that I am highly interested in. Is there something
I can do with a bachelor's degree in each field? Something
that can support me through graduate school? I would appreciate any
suggestions you can give me. I'm just scared that I will
graduate with two degrees and have gone through five years
of school, and yet have no 'career.'"
R.J. writes: "I am considering podiatry as a possible
alternative if I am not admitted to medical school.
I understand they work a regular 40-hour week yet make
upwards of $100,000 per year.
On the other hand, I've
searched job listings for podiatrists by way of the
Internet and have come up with zero openings. Should
I even consider podiatry school, or is the market such
that an individual would be better off in some other
area like physical therapy or D.O. school? Please help me
to get sound advice before making a life-long career decision.
Patricia writes: "My daughter is interested in a career
in environmental science or studies. What careers are available
in the private sector and government?"
Judith writes: "My son is looking for a job as a bartender
on a cruise boat, somewhere... We don't really know where
to look. I would appreciate very much if you could give some
clue how to find that kind of job."
Q TIPS: Quick and Quintessential Career & Job Tips
Tim Nourse, employment consultant for Epilepsy Toronto has
this important advice for differently-abled students entering
college: "I have worked for many years with persons with
disabilities interested in obtaining a post-secondary
education. I can't stress enough the importance of linking
up with the Special Needs/Office for Persons with
Disabilities folks at the college or university,
once a letter of admission has been granted.
This is a good idea whether the student feels they
will need support or accommodation or not."
College students, it won't be long after you're back on campus
that you'll want to start thinking about checking out career
fairs. Attending a career fair is just one of many steps in the career
exploration and job-search process. Employers participate in these
events to meet job seekers and recruit employees. They can provide general
information about career options, as well as specific information
about current openings. Job seekers can attend career fairs to look
for a job, gather career information, and/or develop a network of career contacts.
MonsterTRAK.com provides a set of Top 10 tips for attending
a career fair.
If you're headed back to campus and graduating this academic
year, keep your chin up. Despite the economic downturn,
a new salary report from the National Association of
Colleges and Employers (NACE) shows that many
new college graduates were able to command top dollar for their skills.
"Yes, the graduating class of 2001 has had to work harder than its recent
predecessors to get jobs, but employers continue to look
to this market to help meet their work force needs,"
says Marilyn Mackes, NACE executive director.
"As a result, we continue to see many new grads
getting substantial starting salary offers."
The Summer 2001 issue of NACE's Salary Survey shows
that starting salary offers to many new college graduates
increased over last year. For example, the average salary
offer to economics/finance grads was $40,577, up 8.2 percent
since July 2000. Read NACE's full press release with salary
information about specific professions.
Job Boards: A Question for Our Readers
For a future article, we'd like to know:
What has been your experience with major
job boards, such as Monster.com?
Whether posting your resume on these boards or
responding to ads posted on them...
... have you had a good response? Did you
get interviews?
OR
... have you had very little response?
We'll quote you only anonymously or with your permission.
WATCH FOR feature articles on these topics in upcoming
issues of QuintZine:
* Case-based interviews
* How to conduct a long-distance job search
* The importance of company culture
* Letters of recommendation and references
* Career portfolios
* How to handle a request for a salary history
* How to land an internship
* Should you get an MBA?
* Leverage your accomplishments
* Older workers and age discrimination
* The value of a college education
* Networking timetable for college students
* The biggest myths in job-hunting
* Using key marketing tools to positions yourself in the job market
* Quintessential Career Profiles of YOU, our readers
* Q&As with well-known career experts
* Book reviews
. . . and much, much more!
Don't ever want to miss another issue of QuintZine? Get a free subscription to
the email version of QuintZine by completing our
subscription form.
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