Career services increase future employment

Seniors graduating this weekend will soon face the job market, and the classes they took to get the degree will soon be a distant memory.

Career services in each school are designated to help prepare students for careers in their respective majors, and statistics show the services makes a real difference.

Students of the Kelley School of Business began utilizing career services as soon as their freshmen year, or while taking a class called Compass, said Kelley School of Business Senior Associate Director Thao Nelson.

The School of Infomatics and Computing requires students to take the Job Search Strategies course, and the School of Public Health offers a career services program with five workshops.

The Career Kickstart program consists of a series of five workshops on key career topics that culminates into a networking event where students interact with professionals working in their field, said School of Public Health Director of Career Services Susan Simmons.

“While we don’t specifically focus on the transition from senior year to the working world, the concepts of how to prepare to be a working adult or how to continue job searching after graduation do come up in advising appointments,” said Frances Adjorlolo, School of Infomatics and Computing assistant director of career services.
Schools have seen their students succeed after they graduate because they utilized career services while they were still in school.

In 2013, 90 percent of graduates in the School of Infomatics and Computing secured employment or acceptance to graduate school.

In 2012-2013, more than 840 employers recruited Kelley School of Business students for full-time or internship positions, according to their career services spotlight report.
Students are also assisted with getting their resumes, cover letters and other material ready for the job market.

“We provide a multitude of services to students. Common topics of conversation include: career exploration, resume and cover letter preparation, interview techniques, job search strategies, networking, personal branding and negotiating job offers,” Simmons said.

Getting assistance from career services also helps when schools offer career fairs, which is where many companies hire students.

“We host two career fairs each academic year,” Adjorlolo said.
Kelley School of Business throws multiple career fairs throughout the year, where they bring in recruiters from some of the country’s largest companies.

In 2012-2013, more than 10,000 Kelley students were interviewed on campus, according to the school’s career spotlight report.

The earlier students visit career services the more it could help them, Adjorlolo said..
“Students should begin using career services during their first year in college,” she said. “Anecdotally, most students being utilizing career services during their sophomore and junior years, as they begin looking for internships.”

Students can secure an advantage by checking the social media outlets their school uses for career exploration, Nelson said.
“We want students to be able to compete with anyone in the field,” she said.