The Career Center here at CC may be one of the most beneficial resources for students during their time on campus. With the help of a recent increase in funding, the center continues to expand and improve.
They can help students at virtually any stage of the career search process from determining a major to searching for internships and seeking out contacts in the business world.
Numerous seniors graduating this May are thankful for the assistance they have received during their four years.
Senior Rafael Arenas scored his internship with La Secretaria de Relaciones Exteriores de Mexico (SRE), Mexico’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, during the summer of 2011. He worked as an Analyst Intern for the Unit of Economic Relations at the SRE’s headquarters.
Although he found the internship on his own, he attributed part of his success in earning the position to the Career Center for offering personal assistance in reviewing his resume, cover letter, and emails.
“I learned much about my working style and fit to the professional world,” Arenas said. “I decided to pursue a career in the private sector after college, although I would like to go back to SRE and the diplomatic world at some point in my life.”
More specifically, his personal responsibilities included translating documents, summarizing large bodies of data, editing speeches for the Minister and ambassadors, and participating in meetings to craft the G20 Mexico Summit.
Senior Kai Ory will be working at Amazon.com after graduating, and appreciates the help he received from the Career Center earlier in the year to investigate the job opening.
He described the Career Center as “immensely helpful” with finding job openings, preparing for interviews, and revising his cover letters and resumes.
“For me, however, just being able to talk to them about the job search process, and the advice they have given, has been the most helpful,” Ory said.
Seniors Ari Glantz and Reggie Anderson have both been placed in schools for Teach for America (TFA). The Career Center reaffirmed Glantz’s decision to work with TFA, and helped Reggie Anderson stay prepared and informed.
“The Career Center has been a resource for me throughout my time at CC. I constantly go in there for a resume check-up, to work on interviewing skills, ask for advice from the all-wise Gretchen Wardell, and, if nothing else, then to get a piece of candy,” Glantz said.
“The Career Center does a great job of circulating printed and electronic information for CC students, and has apparently made considerable improvements recently due to budget increases,” Anderson said. “I just wish that I would have been able to attend some of their personal financial planning sessions or other information sessions for graduating seniors this year. I missed a number of them simply from scheduling conflicts that were unavoidable.”
With an increase in funding for the upcoming year, the seniors outlined their ideal improvements. The general consensus was to see an expansion in staffing to increase efficiency even further.
“We have a huge alumni network that we could use and if we had a little bit more manpower, it could be harnessed into something amazing,” Glantz said.
Ory proposed a more concentrated expansion. “I think the Career Center has made significant improvements in the past few years. In the future, I would love to see more resources for students hoping to go into the public or nonprofit sector.”
The resources and events of the Career Center circulate the listserv and are also explained in greater detail on their website. And these resources are not only for upperclassmen. President Tiefenthaler has established 250 positions through an internship and job campaign to facilitate the transition from a liberal arts education to the working-world.
“I encourage all freshman I know to make an appointment and get their resume looked at,” Glantz said. “As college-aged students, it is expected by all employers, including those on campus, that we have a professional and up-to-date resume.”
One of the greatest benefits of the Career Center is the networking and connections. Senior Dan Ward will be working as a proprietary trader at T3 in New York City, and he found out about the job on the Career Center’s SUCCESS page. He will be working on Wall Street doing intraday stock trading.
“The interview practice provided by the Career Center is an underused resource that I found extremely helpful,” Ward said. “My interview is the reason I got my job, and I was prepared for my interview thanks to the Career Center.”
In his opinion, the most constructive form of improvement would be in recruiting lunches. “I think the Career Center does a great job setting up recruiting lunches to create opportunities for students at high-quality companies and any expansion of this would be great.”
“Maybe the Career Center should increase emphasis if possible on these recruiting lunches as opposed to the Career Fair,” Ward said. “I personally did not find it that useful as it seemed top-notch companies did not come to the Career Fair and were more inclined to come for a recruiting lunch.”
Regardless of year, major, or interests, the Career Center can aid students in a myriad of ways, but especially by gaining experience through internships. “It was a great opportunity to define my career,” Arenas said. “When you start your job search, you will find that having an internship in your resume gives potential employees an idea of what you are capable of, and it provides you with a great conversation starter.”
Megan Masuret
Staff Writer