Career advisers from the Arts and Sciences Office of Career Services said that even after graduation, seniors can find a job with their help.
“It’s not too late to definitely take advantage of the resources,” said career adviser Brandy Williams. “We’re available to provide support and guidance so they are not alone in the process.”
Students from Arts and Sciences can speak with a career or internship adviser for up to a year after graduation, Williams said.
Out of more than 42,000 undergraduate students on OSU’s campus, only about 6,000 use the career service office annually, said April Calkovsky, an internship adviser in the College of Arts and Sciences. She said students rely heavily on online tools to find work instead.
Erin Mischler, who graduated June 10 with a degree in international studies and Italian, said she began her job search last quarter. She used career services to review her application, then went online to use databases like usajobs.gov and Monster.com.
“I’ve looked into using the online systems, but it seems geared towards Fisher (College of Business) students and no one else,” Mischler said in regards to FutureLink, an online database Arts and Sciences provides.
Many students in other colleges have access to similar job search databases, including EHECareers, Engineering Career Services, FisherConnect and Hireabuckeye. These databases, in addition to FutureLink, are part of one campus-wide network, Buckeye Careers Network. Students whose colleges belong to the network can access all career postings on the network.
The access granted to alumni varies for each college. Graduates in the Fisher College of Business, the College of Education and Human Ecology and the College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences have lifetime access to job postings on the network. Engineering students, like students in Arts and Sciences, have access for a year after graduation, according to the Buckeye Careers Network website.
Yet Williams encourages students to look beyond online tools, and said 70 percent of landing a job comes down to networking. She advises students to attend career fairs and workshops, but said the attendance there is often low.
“Also, I encourage them not to get too frustrated or overwhelmed with the process,” Williams said. “Avoid spending hours all day long looking for jobs online.”
Aside from attending career fairs and workshops, students can schedule mock interviews and resume reviews and receive feedback before meeting with potential employers. The Career Services Office has other resources on its website, with tips specific to finding entry-level jobs.
Mischler has not been able to secure a job and will continue her search.
“I think I’d do really well if I could get an interview, but you just don’t qualify a lot of the times,” Mischler said.
Williams said some students do not realize that it often takes time to find a job, and that resources offered through career services at OSU can help in what can be a lengthy process.
“I’ve noticed that a lot of students don’t necessarily know all the time that goes into looking for a job,” Williams said. “They’re often surprised by the amount of work that’s required and the different resources that are out there and available to them as well.”
