As fourth-years get closer and closer to D-Day — or Final Exercises, whichever you prefer — figuring out what you’re going after May 20 becomes increasingly daunting. Luckily, the University offers resources for those looking for post-graduate employment.
University Career Services, or UCS, helps match students with prospective employers. While the Engineering, Curry, Batten and McIntire schools all have their own internal offices devoted to helping students find employment, UCS offers support to all students.
“UCS is here to support students at whatever stage they are in in their own career development,” said Sarah Isham, director of Career Services for the College at UCS.
Students can go for 15-minute work sessions to discuss their résumés and cover letters during walk-in hours in the UCS Bryant Hall or drop-in hours in the Monroe Hall offices. The Monroe office also offers extra drop-in hours for students considering legal or medical careers. Students can also take part in mock interviews, attend UCS information sessions and speak with potential employers or graduate schools through the UCS office, Isham said.
Through UCS’s website and CavLink, students can search online job listings. At first glance, CavLink is not the most user-friendly experience, but it does offer YouTube tutorials which explain how to navigate the site, including how to register for on-Grounds interviews with potential employers.
But not all College students are satisfied with the options presented by the University, especially when they compare the UCS listings to the more specific career offerings for students in the Engineering and Batten Schools. Fourth-year College Student Lauren Hargarten, who is majoring in American Studies, finds the interdisciplinary nature of her field of study particularly challenging when going through traditional career services. “I’ve been going on my own to things like the Career Fair, but there wasn’t a whole lot I was interested in, so I’ve mostly been going to individual companies websites instead of through CavLink,” she said.
For those frustrated by the University’s offerings, Isham says students must be proactive in their own career searches. “CavLink and On Grounds Interviewing are wonderful tools, but they are not the only tools,” Isham said. “Just because you don’t see an employer that resonates with you doesn’t mean that they aren’t out there.”