WC Career Journal
October 2005, Vol. 3 Issue. 2
Published by the Office of Career Services and Cooperative Education
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By Eric Newsom
Career Services Graduate Assistant
Students who plan to jump headfirst
into a career after graduation should start
their efforts Wednesday, Oct. 26, at the
Corporate Career Expo sponsored by the
Office of Career Services and Cooperative
Education.
The Expo will feature a number of
companies seeking to recruit new employees as well as provide opportunities for
cooperative education and internships. The
companies, which range from BB&T to
Sherwin Williams (for an in-depth listing,
see page 3). represent a number of fields,
including business, marketing, management, computer programming, engineering,
engineering technology and finance.
Pre-registration is not required. Interviews are available with some attending
organizations, and students are encouraged
Corporate Career Expo —
11AM-2PM in the UC Grandroom
to sign up in advance for these interviews
through JobCat, found at the Career Services website (http://careers.wcu.edu) by
October 19.
Some open interview schedules may
be available and open for sign up until October 24. Please check in JobCat for upcoming on-campus interviews for October
26 and 27.
For those who are not in the market for
a job, but are thinking about what to do
after graduation, employers can also provide timely information on careers, occupational trends, hiring qualifications and adSee EXPO, page 3.
Students get tips on punching up their resumes at a
recent Extreme Resume Makeover session.
"!
Let Us Help You — Page 2
...Take a look at the available
opportunities for WCU students
through Career Services.
Employers List — Page 3
...See which employers are attending our Corporate Career Expo to
seek students for their companies.
Win a free iPod! — Page 4
...Enter to win at any Career Services event in the fall semester.
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By Mike Blackmon
Career Services Intern
A WCU student learns about the Climactic Data Center
at the Public Service, Government and Criminal Justice
Career Day. Employers at the event were looking for
students with a variety of skills.
Are you a student who has strong
skills in the liberal arts, research design,
data analysis, computer application skills,
or general skills in business?
If so, according to Dr. Gibbs Knotts
of the Political Science and Public Affairs
department, these are the skills that will
be most sought in our “new economy.”
Someone with these skills can apply them
to almost any job field, regardless of their
undergraduate major.
When someone is informed of career
fairs on campus, they typically assume
that only students whose majors are in
those fields are marketable in the job
selection process. This is not the case.
At the Public Service, Government,
and Criminal Justice Career Fair held on
October 11, employers were on-campus
-1-
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to recruit competitive candidates to become members of their staffs.
Contrary to popular belief, one is not
required to be a political science or criminal justice major to be of interest to employers in government, non-profit or law
enforcement. A number of employers
attended the career fair to recruit top students from all majors and fields of study
because all collegiate departments have
marketable aspects.
For example, under the liberal arts
curriculum, students take courses in written and oral communication. Every job
requires students to be proficient writers
and speakers. No matter the occupation
one chooses to pursue, one will always be
expected to communicate well both orally
and through writing.
Remember those countless hours of
See SKILLS, page 3.
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√
JobCat and MonsterTRAK are internet - √
based recruiting systems on our website that
include jobs as well as opportunities to post a
resume and sign up for interviews
Student Employment - Need some cash?
The student employment office can help you
find a part-time job. We offer listings for oncampus as well as off-campus employment.
See them at http://careers.wcu.edu
culty making a decision about a major or a
√
career, we offer career testing and interpretation
Career Library - Our Career Library offers
books, directories, and videos to aid in your
career decision, including DISCOVER, a
computer-aided guidance program. Also
available at http://careers.wcu.edu
Career Counseling - If you have a career
√
Career Testing - If you are having diffi-
√
your resume (cover letter too!) and it will be
ready (suggestions and all) in 48 hours.
√
√
√
Resume Critiquing Service - Drop off
concern that you would like to discuss, call
for an appointment with a career counselor
Cooperative Education - Co-op is a program that allows you to work in your career /
√
major field and receive directly related experience and credit WHILE you are still in
school
Interviewing Skills Assistance - You can
participate in a mock interview and improve
your interview skills.
Career Days and Recruitment Events - Career Services offers 10-12 recruitment events
every year including Career and Graduate School Expo, Allied Health and Nurses’ Career Day,
Spring Job Fest, Summer Job Fair, Creative Professions Career Day, Education Recruitment Day
and multiple etiquette development events
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Telephone: 828-227-7133
Website: http://careers.wcu.edu/
•Ashe, Mardy - Director and Career Counselor
E-mail: mashe@wcu.edu
•Despeaux, Michael - Coordinator / Career Counselor
E-mail: mdespeaux@wcu.edu
•Ferrara, Donna - Secretary and Office Manager
E-mail: ferrara@wcu.edu
•Newsom, Eric - Graduate Assistant
E-mail: enewsom@wcu.edu
•Wilson, Steven, Career Resource Specialist / On-Campus Employment
E-mail: wilsons@wcu.edu
•Woodruff, Jill, Special Events Coordinator
E-mail: jwoodruff@wcu.edu
The Career Journal is a publication of the Office of Career Services and Cooperative Education at Western Carolina University.
Publisher: Michael Despeaux
Editor: Eric Newsom
-2-
Want to get on the career path?
Use JobCat.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Log into JobCat at careers.wcu.edu
Complete a personal profile
Upload a resume
Submit your online application by the
deadline.
JobCat is updated with new jobs
almost every day, so check for
updates regularly!
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Continued from page 1
Continued from page 1
working on research papers? This skill, if
properly communicated on a resume and
through the course of an interview, is a
highly coveted skill by all employers. This
skill, when communicated as data collection, hypothesis development, and questionnaire construction, is an area in strong
demand according to Dr. Knotts.
Courses taken in mathematical statistics or courses that require the use of statistical software also help students appeal to
potential employers. Though these courses
may seem to have fewer practical applications when taken, many jobs involve statistical packages that must be learned to be
successful in the job market.
When it comes to the Public Service,
Government, and Criminal Justice career
fair, were you a student that marketed their
skills to obtain employment? Or, were you
a student that thought your skills were not
applicable? In either instance, there will be
another opportunity to sell your skills to the
public sector next semester.
This semester provided the opportunity to meet with representatives from the
federal, state, county, and municiple governments. Many of these representatives
and others will return to the spring career
fair to recruit more Western students for
their positions.
You might ask, “What can I do to
improve my chances of employment between now and next semester?” The answer
is simple. The Office of Career Services
can help students better market their skills
for career fairs to come by helping to tailor
resumes to fit each job opportunity.
Moreover, one can practice communicating their skills through scheduling an
appointment to use Perfect Interview. This
program will allow students to practice
their skills before they have to showcase
their merit in a live interview.
Students that wish to better represent
their skills for any occupation should
schedule an appointment with a career
counselor. Or, they should visit Career
Services on the 2nd floor of Killian Annex.
vice on job openings.
Business casual to professional attire is required. Students and alumni
are encouraged to bring several copies of their latest resume. We also suggest that all event attendees upload a resume into JobCat.
If you need assistance with developing a resume, please visit the Career Resource Center (2nd floor of Killian Annex) or schedule an appointment with a career counselor – 227-7133.
The Corporate Career Expo takes place on Wednesday, Oct. 26 from
11a.m. to 2 p.m. in the University Center Grandroom.
Information used in this article was
taken from the article “Rethinking Liberal
Arts Skills in the New Economy,” by Dr.
Gibbs Knotts of the Department of Political
Science and Public Affairs in the Career
Journal volume 1, issue 2.
Attending Employers
See our website at careers.wcu.edu for a daily update.
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CALENDAR OF EVENTS — FALL 2 0 0 5
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Corporate Career Expo
11:00AM - 2:00PM in the UC Grandroom
š`›“œož
Employers represented will mainly be in the business,
marketing, management, accounting, computer programming, engineering, engineering technology & finance fields.
Please join us at this career fair to meet with experts in these
fields to receive timely information on careers, occupational
trends, hiring qualifications and advice on job openings. You do
not have to pre-register to attend the Expo. Interviews may be
available with some attending organizations and students can
sign up in advance through JobCat. Deadline to be pre-selected
for interviews is Wednesday, October 19. Please check in JobCat for upcoming on-campus interviews for October 26 & 27. *
Ÿ —£ Allied Health & Nurses'
Career Day
Construction Management
Career Day
Ÿ —2 š ›6¡q¢
9:00AM - 12:00PM in the Ramsey Center Aux. Gym
Please join us at the Construction Management Career Day
to meet with experts in multiple segments of the construction
and construction related industry and receive timely information on careers, occupational trends, hiring qualifications and
advice on job openings. You do not have to pre-register to
attend the career fair portion of the event. Interviews may be
available with some attending organizations from 1pm – 5pm
following the career fair. To sign up for an interview you must
go through JobCat. Deadline to be pre-selected for interviews
is Thursday, October 27. Please check in JobCat for interview opportunities dated November 2. *
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4:00PM - 6:00PM in the Ramsey Center Concourse
The 27th annual Allied Health & Nurses' Career Day is a great
opportunity for juniors, seniors and alumni in Clinical Laboratory
Science, Emergency Medical Care, Health Information Management, Nursing, Nutrition and Dietetics, Social Work and Recreational Therapy and graduate students in Physical Therapy and
Communication Disorders/Speech Pathology to find out about
full-time jobs after graduation. *
Business casual to professional attire is required.
Students and alumni are encouraged to bring several
copies of your latest resume. We also suggest uploading a resume into JobCat. If you need assistance with
developing a resume, please visit the Career Resource
Center (2nd floor of Killian Annex) or schedule an
appointment with a career counselor – 227-7133.
Lists of attending organizations will be available on
http://careers.wcu.edu and on JobCat. Lists will be
updated as registrations are received.
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By Eric Newsom
Career Services Graduate Assistant
Students can enter to win a free iPod nano at any Career
Services event this fall.
What could be better than
finding the perfect job? How about
finding the perfect job and winning a free iPod nano?
At each of the events that the
Office of Career Services and
Cooperative Education sponsors
this fall, students are invited to
drop their name in for a chance to
win the thin MP3 player put out by
Apple Computer.
Students can enter multiple
entries by attending multiple
events, improving their chances to
win in the drawing to be held at
the end of the semester. Entries are
available at the registration desk at
-4-
all career fairs and expos as well
as at other Career Services events.
The iPod holds multiple gigabytes of music files and is highly
portable at 0.27 inches thin
(thinner than a pencil) and weighing only 1.5 ounces. The nano
features options to sort and browse
songs by artist, composer, album,
song, genre or playlist and features
a shuffle feature when the listener
wants to mix up his music.
Hundreds of entries are in for
the iPod nano already. Don’t miss
this opportunity to improve your
career outlook and win an iPod
nano at the same time!