CAREER SERVICES DEANS HAVE PULSE ON REAL WORLD
JILL FERRALL ’94, MAT ’96 BUSINESS
ANNALISA ZINN ARTS AND SCIENCES
JENNIFER BOBROW BURNS COMMUNICATIONS
CINDY CHRISTIE HEALTH SCIENCES
Job outlook As a career services professional, I’m optimistic. If students start early and do their due diligence, they will be well aligned to be successful. Plus, companies have a much easier time paying entry-level salaries.
Myth busting A common misconception is that arts and sciences majors face limited career options. The opposite is true. The versatile majors we offer open up many doors. For example, 98 percent of the Class of 2009 was employed or in graduate school six months after graduation.
2011 job market The outlook for the Class of 2010 was remarkably better than 2009, and this year I anticipate it being even better. Since students have been concerned about the job market, I think they are putting themselves in a better situation than ever through starting early and networking.
Hottest jobs The top three I get the most calls for are physician assistants or nurse practitioners, physical therapists and nurses. A week does not go by that I don’t hear from at least one health care employer facing a dire shortage of physical therapists.
Interview prep Make certain all your marketing materials are perfect, your interview skills are in great shape and you’re effectively networking and following up. Above all, recognize an opportunity when it presents itself. The first job out of college is a stepping stone—not the be-all, end-all. Popular fields Accounting, IT, and management tend to be high job-yield areas. I often have accounting students come to me with what I call a “high-class problem”— having to decide between job options. That’s an awesome place to be! I tend to not have enough IT/ISM students to assist IT companies.
W I N T E R
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Tailor resume Market yourself on your resume. Emphasize transferable skills. Use action verbs. Provide thorough, yet concise, explanations of what you’ve done. Most of all, connect with the job description. A tailored resume goes a long way. Work on writing National employer surveys cite written and verbal communication skills as the No. 1 skill most lacking in new college graduates. Employers are particularly concerned about poor writing skills, which some attribute to the abbreviated form of writing prevalent in text-messaging and emails.
Q U I N N I P I A C
Make the connection Start networking and connect with alumni; ours are superenthusiastic. They have great jobs and they are excited to share information with current students. Take advantage of events on campus, but also develop a LinkedIn profile and use that to contact alumni. ‘Face’ facts We say Google yourself. See what comes up. Examine your Facebook profile and know that the feedback we get from employers is they do searches. Make sure nothing visible online that you wouldn’t want an employer to see because chances are they will see it.
M A G A Z I N E
Patience pays Students need to be patient with the process. They need to follow up with employers, cast a wide net and not be too specific. They should keep in mind where they would like to live and what type of setting they’d like. Baby Boomer effect With the economic downturn, some health-related employers did cut back on hiring or freeze positions temporarily, but this has begun to lift over the past few months. With the Baby Boomers aging and beginning to leave the work force, health care professionals are in high demand.
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