By Mallory Bowman
For University of Louisville seniors, graduation in May is just a little more than two months away. That fact may have seniors scrambling to secure job interviews and perfect their resumes.
U of L Career Counselor James Brown said that if seniors haven’t already prepared their resumes, started networking with potential employers or thought about where they want to work, then they are very behind.
”It’s really late to be starting the job hunt,” Brown said.
Brown said it’s not unusual for students to wait until the last minute to search for jobs, and for some, graduation does not guarantee readiness to enter a career field.
“We actually hear a lot from students who have graduated and still don’t know what they want to do,” he said.
Brown said there are several steps that students should be taking to help secure their future career and to overcome the pressures associated with graduation. “Before you can get to the part where you get your cover letter and resume ready, you have to know what direction you are headed,” he said. “Students really need to be thinking about this as freshmen.”
Brown said freshmen need to think about what careers they could envision themselves doing, and try to select courses that fit those interests. One of the resources available at U of L for freshmen and sophomores is the strong interest inventory, a computer-based assessment tool that helps students select majors and careers. In order to take the strong interest inventory, a student would need to contact Brown.
Another resource available online 24 hours a day to any student is the Discover Web site. Discover allows students to look up individual careers, read short summaries about the career and get an earnings estimation and outlook for that career.
Students interested in using Discover must stop by U of L Counseling Services, located beside the Student Activities Center, to acquire a user identification.
Debra Mayberry, assistant director in the office of Campus Life, works with U of L career services, and said freshmen, sophomores and juniors also need to be seeking out co-ops and internships.
“The internship is critical,” Mayberry said. “Increasingly employers seek students who have that experience, and often that experience will lead to a full-time opportunity with that organization.”
Mayberry said a resource that helps connect students with part-time job opportunities, internships, co-ops and full-time positions is E-recruiting.
E-recruiting can be accessed by current students by visiting http://louisville.erecruiting.com/er/security/login.jsp. Mayberry said there are between 1,100 and 3,000 national, regional and local jobs posted directly to E-recruiting at any one time. Mayberry also said E-recruiting is a good resource for all students, but especially for those who are looking for jobs upon graduation.
Another source for upcoming graduates is the spring career fair, scheduled for Apr. 6, 12:30-4 p.m. Mayberry said U of L typically attracts 50 to 60 local, regional and national companies.
“They are recruiting candidates for internships, co-ops and full-time positions,” Mayberry said.
However, she said she would not encourage freshman and sophomores to attend the career fair, because it is geared toward graduating seniors.
Although Brown and Mayberry encourage students to get started early on selecting a career, they both agree there is still hope for those juniors and seniors who aren’t quite sure where their future is headed.
“If you don’t have time to get the part-time job or the internships you need, then try to get some type of experience in the field you think you want to pursue,” Brown said. “Students could try to do job shadowing or doing volunteer work to gain experience.”
However, according to a report released by the National Association of Colleges and Employers, 2006 graduates will be heading into one of the best job markets in four years.
According the report, employers expect to hire 14.5 percent more new college graduates from the 2005-2006 class than they did from the 2004-2005 class.
And for those who may be struggling to perfect resumes and cover letters, or for students preparing to graduate who haven’t selected a career, they can seek help by making a one-on-one appointment with Brown by calling 852-6585.
“Students graduating in May need to get their resumes out ASAP and start marketing themselves,” Brown said.
”Professionals had to start somewhere to obtain their jobs, and so do students.”
