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Published by the office of Career Services and Cooperation Education
Edition: 1 October 1, 2003
Welcome to Western Carolina University
and the first edition of the Career Journal
Written by: Michael Despeaux
If you are a constituent of this office, that is, if you are a student or one of
our alumni, an allied member of our faculty
or staff, or an employer of our graduates or
co-op students, then hopefully this newsletter will serve your needs as a compliment to
our other services and a source of new information. We will publish The Career
Journal twice each semester in an effort to
provide career and co-op information, announce events and other opportunities, and
highlight success stories about our students.
Appropriate for this first edition,
you should know about our mission statement. It identifies you, our constituents, as
the focus for our work. The benefits you
derive from our programs and services constitute the best measure of our success.
Every member of our office takes this mission very seriously and strives to provide
opportunities for students to participate in a
variety of developmental activities, to facilitate employer contact with students, and to
encourage faculty support for our events and
services.
First of all, we contribute to students’ career
development in a number of ways. You
may have utilized our resume critiquing
service, or you may have uploaded your
resume onto JobCat and used that technology to search for a job in your area or field
of study. You may have attended a program
or class in which a counselor from our office discussed choosing a major, realistic
career choices, opportunities for graduates
with your major, resume writing or other
job search skills, or interview skills. We
spend significant time meeting individually
with students at all stages to advise them
regarding these… issues and others, and we
provide career testing and counseling that promote life skills planning and development of a
sense of purpose.
Welcome continued on page 3
Co-op of a lifetime
Written By: Jessica Elwell
Recently, I was fortunate enough to
interview the winner of our 2003 Co-op Student of the Year award, Christopher L. Gaunt.
A local employer of many Western graduates,
Crisp Hughes Evans, llp, sponsors this award
each year.
Gaunt, presently a graduate student
here at Western, was an undergraduate studying business management when he was
awarded this distinction. He co-oped for John
Schiffli Real Estate in Highlands, North Carolina, about an hour from WCU's campus.
Shortly after Gaunt finished his co-op,
the director of career services and cooperative
education, Mardy Ashe, notified him that he had
been nominated for the 2003 Co-op of the Year
award. Twenty-one students were nominated,
and eleven students made it to the final round of
judging. When the final tally was in, Gaunt was
chosen by a panel of five judges to receive the
award. Surprised, Gaunt said it felt "great" to
receive this recognition.
Gaunt was responsible for a variety
of tasks while working for John Schiffli Real
Estate, serving as administrative assistant to all
of the brokers, filing documents, and ordering
office supplies, as well as conducting research.
Additionally, he developed and
implemented new advertising methods; one
included the marketing of rentals. John Schiffli
Real Estate does not deal in rentals. However,
Gaunt researched and compiled data that
yielded a list of rental agencies in the area.
The resulting marketing strategies helped promote the agency, bringing two new customers
to John Schiffli Real Estate.
One of the more important tasks…
Gaunt assumed charge of was the
purchase of a new
central networking computer for the agency.
After doing much research and getting permission from the owners, Gaunt placed an
order for the new system. Not only was Gaunt
Co-op continued on page 3
Welcome…"Every member
of our office takes this mission very seriously and
strives to provide opportunities for students to participate in a variety of developmental activities, to facilitate
employer contact with students, and to encourage faculty support for our events
and services."
Co-op… Gaunt learned
how to communicate and
become more efficient in
identifying and meeting the
needs of employees and
customers.
Located on the first floor of the
Graham Building.
Hours of operation:
8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday - Friday.
Phone: 828-227-7133
Fax: 828-227-7344.
For information check out the
website at:
Http://Careers.wcu.edu
Page 1
See what Career Services can do for you!
We invite you to take advantage of the many services available from
CAREER SERVICES throughout your college career and even after you graduate.
JOBCAT & MonsterTRAK
RESUME CRITIQUING SERVICE
JobCat is an Internet-based recruiting system that gives you, a WCU student
or alumnus:
♦ the ability to display resumes and cover letters online
♦
If you have to turn in a resume for a class or an employer has requested a
resume for perusal, and you desire a second opinion on its contents, please
take advantage of our Resume Critiquing Service. Drop off your resume and
it will be ready (suggestions and all!) in 24 hours. We critique cover letters,
too!
♦ register with the Career SerCAREER DAYS / RECRUITMENT EVENTS
vices Office for summer, part-time
or temporary jobs, internships,
and/or full-time employment
♦ have your resume distributed Career Services offer several recruitment events that you won't want to miss.
to interested employers
Recruitment of graduating students begins in the Fall at the annual Career and
♦ schedule interviews with
Graduate School Day and Fall
companies recruiting on-campus
Interview Day in October.
The Allied Health and Nurses'
MonsterTRAK is also Internet accessible and includes job listings. You can
Career Day is held In Decemregister and post a resume here as well.
ber. The Creative Industry
Career Fair is usually schedAccess these programs on our website http://careers.wcu.edu
uled in February and then
March rounds out the recruitment calendar with the Spring
INDIVIDUAL CONFERENCES
Job Fest, Summer Job Fair
and Education Recruitment
If you have a career concern that you would like to discuss personally with a
Day. Career Services also
staff member, make an appointment in our office for an individual conference. If
sponsors "The Business Etiyou are trying to find out what kind of jobs connect with particular majors, how
quette
Series"
which
presents
etiquette
events
Including:
a 4-course dinner,
to prepare yourself for an internship or job after college, or what is involved in
creating a resume or beginning a job search, we can assist you with these ques- mock interviewing, a resume-a-thon, and working a reception. One etiquette
event is offered each semester.
tions.
CAREER COUNSELING
JOB LISTINGS
If you are having difficulty making a decision about a major/career, you may
want to make an appoi ntment with our career counselor who can offer vocational
testing and then suggest appropriate majors/career possibilities according to your
interests, skills, and abilities. If you prefer to gather information on your own,
we also have DISCOVER (a computerized career guidance program) on-line in
the Career Library.
From the numerous jobs received in our office each week, Career Services
uses JobCat to post entry-level jobs located in the Southeast. You will also
be able to access nationally advertised jobs through MonsterTrak on the same
website. http://Careers.wcu.edu
CAREER LIBRARY
st
STUDENT EMPLOYMENT
If you need a job while you are in school, we have a centralized listing of all non
work-study jobs and many off-campus jobs. Jobs are posted on the hallway
bulletin board near the Career Library (1st floor Graham). Directions for the
process to follow are posted, and the staff in the Career Library will be happy to
assist you.
COOPERATIVE EDUCATION
Co-op is a program that allows you to work in your career field and receive academic credit while you are still in school.
♦
It gives you the chance to test your major/career choice while you still have
time to change your mind if not a good fit
♦
It helps you apply what you are learning in the classroom to a real work
situation
♦
It motivates you to complete your degree so you can get the job you want
after graduation
♦
You will gain valuable experience in your chosen field
♦
In most cases, you earn a salary.
Our Career Library (1 floor Graham) has information that will help you in
your career decisions, whether you need information on careers, employers,
or the job search. Career information includes books on specific career areas
as well as the DISCOVER computer-aided guidance program. If you need
help with your job search, we have many books that provide information on
every aspect of the process. Also, there are notebooks of job and co-op listings and employer directories available.
INTERVIEWING SKILLS ASSISTANCE
Developing your interviewing skills is crucial to preparing for a professional
interview. We have books and videotapes on interviewing in the Career Library and a member of the Career Services staff is available if you want to sit
down with them to obtain more information.
ON-CAMPUS RECRUITING
Some employers recruiting college graduates come to campus during the Fall and
Spring semesters to interview students. Interview schedules are accessed in JobCat.
Sign-up for these interviews also takes place
in JobCat. It is continually
updated, so check often.
Page 2
Welcome Continued…
Co-op Continued…
In addition, we facilitate employer contact with our students by arranging classroom presentations, planning career days and on-campus interviews, promoting part-time, co-op, and full-time jobs, and referring resumes to
on-campus recruiters. We encourage faculty support by inviting them to participate in all career day activities, presenting job search and career development
information in their classrooms, and collaborating to plan co-ops and internships.
If you wish to work on campus, learn what you can do with a major,
look for a co-op or internship, fine-tune your resume, or hunt for the right job,
please visit our office and let us achieve our mission by serving you. This newsletter and especially our website, http://careers.wcu.edu, will provide a host of
information that not only lists our services but also highlights upcoming opportunities and offers direct links to position openings, career news, and many other
resources. For our students, we hope that you make the most of your time
at Western Carolina University, and we stand by to support your efforts and
help you succeed.
successful in ordering and installing the new system, he was also responsible for getting the
ball rolling on entering time-sensitive information for all the agency's
clients.
When I asked Gaunt if he felt the experience helped him in
his future career endeavors, even though he wasn't going into real estate,
he replied that he learned how to manage people better. This experience
helped Gaunt learn how to communicate and become more efficient in
identifying and meeting the needs of employees and customers. He went
on to say that he would do it over again and that he would recommend a
co-op to any student. Gaunt concluded with saying, "I think that every
major should require a co-op."
2003-2004 Career Services Event Calendar
Career & Graduate School Day
October 29, 2003 - Ramsey Center Main Arena, 1pm - 4pm
Fall Interview Day
October 30, 2003 - Ramsey Center Main Arena, 9am - 5pm
Deadline is October 15! Apply through JobCat!
Engineering Technology & Construction Management
Career Day
November 7, 2003 - Ramsey Center Auxiliary Gym, 9am - 5pm
Creative Industry Career Day
Feb. TBA, 2004 - Ramsey Center Auxiliary Gym, 10am - 5pm
Spring Job Fest
March 3, 2004 - Ramsey Center Auxiliary Gym, 9am - 5pm
Summer Job Fair
March 17, 2004 - University Center Lawn, 11am - 2pm
(Rain location - University Center Grandroom, 3rd floor)
Education Recruitment Day
March 23, 2004 - Ramsey Center, 9am - 12pm
Allied Health & Nurses Career Day
Nov. 20, 2003 - Ramsey Center Auxiliary Gym, 4pm - 6pm
Look for more on the Career Services website! http://careers.wcu.edu
Contact Information
Ashe, Mardy
Ferrara, Donna
Despeaux, Michael
Career Services Coordinator (and career counselor)
E-mail: mdespeaux@wcu.edu
Career Resource Specialist
(and on-campus employment)
E-mail: wilsons@wcu.edu
Elwell, Jessica
Woodruff, Jill
Director of Career Services and Cooperative Education
(and career counselor)
E-mail: mashe@wcu.edu
Graduate Student/Newsletter Editor
E-mail: JAElwell2003@yahoo.com
Career Services Office Manager
E-mail: ferrara@wcu.edu
Wilson, Steven
Special Events Coordinator
E-mail: jwoodruff@wcu.edu
Page 3
For more information:
Check out the website at http://careers.wcu.edu
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To apply for these jobs, you must:
•
•
•
•
Log into JobCat at
http://careers.wcu.edu
Complete a personal profile
Upload a resume
Submit your online application
by the deadline.
JobCat Monthly View: October 2003
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This addition of The Career Journal
was updated on October 7th. Please
understand JobCat will be updated
with new jobs almost everyday,
so you should check for updates
regularly! For current and complete
information, please go to
http://careers.wcu.edu/jobcat.asp
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For more November listings go to JobCat.
Page 4