With May just a little more than three months away, graduating seniors are beginning to get anxious about the next step in their career path.
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Eric Anderson, student adviser at the University of Idaho Career Center, assists a UI student with internship advice Tuesday on the fourth floor of the Idaho Commons. The UI Career Center is available to all students for help with resumes and getting on track for post-graduation.
Eric Anderson, University of Idaho Career Center manager of student advising and development, said one of the biggest anxieties seniors have is wondering what they are going to do with their major once they graduate.
“Students worry that their degree may not have as much value in the work place, and that is a very big misconception,” he said. “Every degree has value and can be used in a lot of different ways.”
The career center focuses on highlighting students’ transferable skills, which are skills students learn from their major that they can use with employers, he said.
“Every major is going to require skills that employers are looking for,” Anderson said. “Teamwork, communication, collaboration, leadership, interpersonal skills — a lot of skills students tend to overlook.”
Anderson said the number one goal is for students to walk out of the career center knowing what they want to do and be able to find a great job to apply for, or at least have a plan and a direction for their career path.
“We are never going to tell a student what is the right major for them and what job they should do, but we are going to be there every step of the way to help them figure that out,” Anderson said. “So when they do make that decision it is going to have more impact for them because they took the time to really think it through, plan and do the research. It will be more meaningful for them.”
The career advisers not only help students look at their personal values, interests and skills, but they work on career assessments, résumés, cover letters and help with interviews, he said.
“One of the bigger things we do here is sit down and do a mock interview,” Anderson said. “We’ll pretend to be an employer, and student’s come in dressed up just like it was the real thing.”
He said the career center also focuses on encouraging students to network.
Each semester, UI hosts a job and internship fair for all undergrad and grad students to meet hiring employers and recruiters from various companies in the U.S.
The 2013 spring semester job and internship fair is from 2 to 6 p.m. Feb. 6 in the Student Union Building Ballroom.
“We do the job and internship fair because the employers and schools that are coming, they are hiring right now; they are looking for students,” Anderson said. “They have positions to offer, and they are looking for students in their program.”
He said the career fair is also a good experience to get in front of employers and recruiters to practice selling oneself to a potential employer like it is an informal interview, and it allows students to develop good networks and contacts.
“A lot of these employers that come to the job fairs are not only hiring, but they hold information sessions to learn more about their company or organization,” he said. “Some of them are actually going to be doing on-campus interviews.”
For any students graduating, senior or not, the career center has events and workshops available to help students prepare for the career fair, Anderson said. On Feb. 5 there will be an employer panel in the SUB Ballroom where employers give their expectations on what they think is a good résumé and what they are looking for in candidates.
The career center is committed to helping students plan for the future and pursue career success, and there are career advisers available for student and alumni consultation during the week.
“Even if students wait until after graduation they can still call us and come in to meet with us,” Anderson said. “Just because students graduate in May or December does not mean their services stop here. They still have access to the career center as alumni.”
UI also has Vandal CareerConnection, which is an online internship and job board for UI students and alumni.
Students can contact the career center at 208-885-6121, [email protected] or they can visit the career center on the third floor of the Idaho Commons near the ASUI offices.
“We are here to help,” Anderson said. “Everyone at the career center loves to help students, and you do not have to wait till you are a senior.”
Emily Vaartstra can be reached at [email protected]