By : Ginny Frizzi
Those looking for jobs in the current economy should leave no source untapped when it comes to developing leads or contacts that could lead to new positions. Yet, there is one resource overlooked by a surprising number of people: their alma maters’ career services offices.
They go by various names, including career services and career development, and their assistance is available to alumni of most colleges and universities. Services traditionally include resume assistance, mock interviews and access to career databases.
New technologies have increased the ways in which you can be in contact with your alma mater. According to Nancy Westfield, assistant director of career services at Ohio Wesleyan University, alumni can utilize their college career services offices via phone appointments, instant-message appointments, in-person appointments, joining the schools’ LinkedIn communities, attending campus job fairs and networking events, and submitting emails containing resumes, cover letters and personal statements, which are reviewed and returned with comments and suggestions.
Alumni Associations May Help
In addition to the schools themselves, some alumni associations – often run independently of the institutions – offer career services. Julie Hays Bartimus, vice president of the Alumni Career Center for the University of Illinois Alumni Association, points out that the depth and range of career services available to alumni vary by institution. "To orient themselves with what their alma maters offer, candidates should connect with the campuses’ alumni associations or career services offices." Her organization offers online services to 700,000 UI alumni at no charge, and advising services are available for a nominal fee. Bartimus says the online services include a job board, the Virtual Career Center for advice and resources, and regularly held webinars.
Career services traditionally have been free for alumni at numerous institutions, but some now charge minimal fees, often for special workshops or events, because of a combination of their own budget constraints and the fact that more alumni are requesting assistance.
Messiah College in Pennsylvania has seen a large increase in such requests. "Last month, we had 19 alumni requests for career services, when we usually receive fewer than a half dozen," reports Dwayne Keiffer, assistant director of career development at Messiah. "All of the alumni have referred to the economy as the catalyst for their visits, with the majority recently having lost their jobs."
This comes at a time when Messiah College itself has had to trim staff. "We still service those alumni who seek our help," Keiffer says. "However, we are also launching the Alumni Career Network. This network will allow alumni to seek out other alumni who may be working in fields of interest."
Current Students Get Priority
Jobseekers should recognize that their alma mater’s career services may be limited because the school is focused on working with graduating students, according to Kristen Fischer, author of Ramen Noodles, Rent and Resumes: An After-College Guide to Life.
"When returning as an alumnus for help, be sure to evaluate the career center and ensure that their standards, including resume writing, are up to date," she cautions. If they help mostly students and you already have some professional experience, you want to make sure they can best convey that in your resume.
They also have valuable contacts, so definitely explore it, but don’t rely on the college career center. They may have a good network, but the best network for what you need is always created by you, because you can expand beyond the university."
Consultant Nick Vita of Vita Partners provides more suggestions for people looking to utilize their alma maters’ career services offices. "I actually consult college career services and development centers for a living," Vita says. "The reason my job exists is many of these offices could implement small changes that would benefit the community greatly. I’ve found that many of the career services officers come from a higher-education background and, as such, have little true exposure to careers, industries or skills outside of that arena."
The best thing to do is contact the career center directly, according to Vita, who wrote the book Career Diem. "Try to get an understanding of what they really are capable of and whether they are proactively seeking to build their alumni network."
"In this market, some alumni will post job listings with the career services department, but many won’t," he says. "It’s a buyer’s market. So my answer would be this: Yes, use your career services department. Use every resource they have – mock interviews, job listings, resume writings – because it won’t hurt. But remember that if you really would like to become part of the community, you must be willing to give and help as well, or otherwise the network collapses."
But the search doesn’t end at the campus steps, Vita emphasizes. "In fact, this should be a minimal portion of a candidate’s efforts," he says. "Trying to connect with alumni who work in your desired or current industry is your best bet – LinkedIn, Facebook, etc. Most alumni will be willing to help."
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Those looking for jobs in the current economy should leave no source untapped when it comes to developing leads or contacts that could lead to new positions. Yet, there is one resource overlooked by a surprising number of people: their alma maters’ career services offices.
They go by various names, including career services and career development, and their assistance is available to alumni of most colleges and universities. Services traditionally include resume assistance, mock interviews and access to career databases.
New technologies have increased the ways in which you can be in contact with your alma mater. According to Nancy Westfield, assistant director of career services at Ohio Wesleyan University, alumni can utilize their college career services offices via phone appointments, instant-message appointments, in-person appointments, joining the schools’ LinkedIn communities, attending campus job fairs and networking events, and submitting emails containing resumes, cover letters and personal statements, which are reviewed and returned with comments and suggestions.
Alumni Associations May Help
In addition to the schools themselves, some alumni associations – often run independently of the institutions – offer career services. Julie Hays Bartimus, vice president of the Alumni Career Center for the University of Illinois Alumni Association, points out that the depth and range of career services available to alumni vary by institution. "To orient themselves with what their alma maters offer, candidates should connect with the campuses’ alumni associations or career services offices." Her organization offers online services to 700,000 UI alumni at no charge, and advising services are available for a nominal fee. Bartimus says the online services include a job board, the Virtual Career Center for advice and resources, and regularly held webinars.
Career services traditionally have been free for alumni at numerous institutions, but some now charge minimal fees, often for special workshops or events, because of a combination of their own budget constraints and the fact that more alumni are requesting assistance.
Messiah College in Pennsylvania has seen a large increase in such requests. "Last month, we had 19 alumni requests for career services, when we usually receive fewer than a half dozen," reports Dwayne Keiffer, assistant director of career development at Messiah. "All of the alumni have referred to the economy as the catalyst for their visits, with the majority recently having lost their jobs."
This comes at a time when Messiah College itself has had to trim staff. "We still service those alumni who seek our help," Keiffer says. "However, we are also launching the Alumni Career Network. This network will allow alumni to seek out other alumni who may be working in fields of interest."
Current Students Get Priority
Jobseekers should recognize that their alma mater’s career services may be limited because the school is focused on working with graduating students, according to Kristen Fischer, author of Ramen Noodles, Rent and Resumes: An After-College Guide to Life.
"When returning as an alumnus for help, be sure to evaluate the career center and ensure that their standards, including resume writing, are up to date," she cautions. If they help mostly students and you already have some professional experience, you want to make sure they can best convey that in your resume.
They also have valuable contacts, so definitely explore it, but don’t rely on the college career center. They may have a good network, but the best network for what you need is always created by you, because you can expand beyond the university."
Consultant Nick Vita of Vita Partners provides more suggestions for people looking to utilize their alma maters’ career services offices. "I actually consult college career services and development centers for a living," Vita says. "The reason my job exists is many of these offices could implement small changes that would benefit the community greatly. I’ve found that many of the career services officers come from a higher-education background and, as such, have little true exposure to careers, industries or skills outside of that arena."
The best thing to do is contact the career center directly, according to Vita, who wrote the book Career Diem. "Try to get an understanding of what they really are capable of and whether they are proactively seeking to build their alumni network."
"In this market, some alumni will post job listings with the career services department, but many won’t," he says. "It’s a buyer’s market. So my answer would be this: Yes, use your career services department. Use every resource they have – mock interviews, job listings, resume writings – because it won’t hurt. But remember that if you really would like to become part of the community, you must be willing to give and help as well, or otherwise the network collapses."
But the search doesn’t end at the campus steps, Vita emphasizes. "In fact, this should be a minimal portion of a candidate’s efforts," he says. "Trying to connect with alumni who work in your desired or current industry is your best bet – LinkedIn, Facebook, etc. Most alumni will be willing to help."
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