Career Services has much to offer graduating students
Finding a job can be a frustrating
experience for just about anyone. Now
factor in spending roughly the last four
years as a student in which case a "job"
just means whatever will earn enough
money to buy food and beer.
With graduation looming on the hori
zon, many students may be left wonder
ing what to do and how to get started on
the road to a career. Penn State
Harrisburg's Career Services is a good
place to start. Career Services offers a
wealth of information, yet it remains a
relatively untapped student resource.
"There is no reason why students
legitimately should not know about us,"
said Karl Martz, Career Services coor
dinator.
Martz said that he sends out more e
mails then any other office on campus.
The e-mails keep students informed
about upcoming events like job fairs
and resume writing workshops.
Martz is responsible for helping stu
dents with career planning, job search
techniques, interviewing skills and
other strategies that help students with
career development. He also works
with employers to develop ways in
which employment opportunities will
be more accessible to students.
Martz's support staff consists of assis
tant Mimi Wasilewski and Charlotte
Spector, who also shares her time as the
Student Affairs specialist.
Career Services houses the Career
Library which provides students with
information about career development,
job search information, and information
about employers and job opportunities.
There are tables available for students
to view the employment resources on
the spot and some publications can be
checked out for extended use. Students
are also encouraged to pick up a free
copy of "Job Choices," a yearly publi
cation that provides tips on resume
writing, interviewing skills, and
employment opportunities.
Sinead Deßoiste,
,pommunications,
said she is the queen of Career Services
because she is always in there talking to
the counselors and using the Career
Library.
"The counselors are available to talk
one-on-one. They are cordial and anx
ious to help you," Deßoiste said.
Deßoiste also said that she finds it
very helpful to get feedback from the
staff on ways to use words and how to
accentuate individual skills.
"They help make me more mar
ketable," she said.
Recently, Career Services hosted sev
eral workshops to help students with
resume writing, interviewing skills and
tips and techniques for job fairs. "We
try to have workshops each semester,"
Wasilewski said.
By JODI PREISLER
Copy Editor
Wasilewski also said that every fall
Career Service organizes a job and
internship fair held on campus. PSH is
also one of 16 colleges that participate
in both the Cumberland Valley
Consortium and Central Pennsylvania
Employment Consortium job and
internship fairs held every February.
The staff of Career Services is avail
able to help students prepare cover let
ters and resumes. They also provide a
48-hour resume critique in which stu
dents can get feedback from the coun
selors on the content and presentation
of completed resumes.
Career Services participates in on
campus recruiting in which they set up
interviews for students to meet with
potential employers on campus. They
also use POLYCOM, a relatively new
system for interviewing that incorpo
rates a camera that is linked to a 32 inch
TV and allows for interviews to be con
ducted without having to go to the com
pany's office. This is especially useful
for students interested in jobs at compa
nies in other states.
Erich Haag, communications, said that
he found Career Services very helpful
in fine-tuning his interviewing skills.
"They said to watch 'like' and 'urn'
[that students] keep saying over and
over," he said.
Haag recommended that Career
Services should also focus on preparing
students for board interviews, in which
a panel of supervisors interview candi
dates, since many employers seem to be
taking this approach to interviewing.
Martz recommends that students
broaden their focus on where and how
to look for jobs. He encourages stu
dents to take advantage of all the tech
nology based resources that Career
Services offers. For instance, students
can access the College Central Network
(CCN) to view a database of employ
ment opportunities and post their
resume. CCN was implemented five
years ago and now boasts nearly 1500
employers who actively post job oppor
tunities on the website.
"It is important to have your resume
on there because employers can easily
view it," Martz said.
Martz said that students often wait too
long to take advantage of the resources
Penn State provides.
"Employers operate on the same cycle
schools do," Martz said. He said that
students will have an easier time find
ing a job while they are in school and
have access to resources that will help
them develop a network of contacts.
"The downside is that most students
wait too late," Martz said.
Wasilewski recommends that students
take a proactive approach to their job
search and take advantage of the servic-
Photo by Jodi Preisler
The staff of the Student Assistance Center Back: Steve Backels, Linda
Seaman; Front (left to right): Charlotte Spector, Donna Howard, Mimi
Wasilewski, Linda Meashey, Lynne Davies, and Karl Martz
es provided by the staff of the Student
Assistance Center. "We have so much
to offer," she said.
Career Services is located in W-117
Olmsted, in the Student Assistance
Center and can be accessed online at
www.hbg.psu.edu/careers/index.html.
Students who feel that they might just
go "nuts" looking for a job can stop in
and make an appointment with Linda
Meashey, PSH's staff psychologist or
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Steve Backels, director of
Psychological Counseling Programs,
both of which have offices in the
Student Assistance Center.
The center is also home to Disability
Services, coordinated by Lynne Davies,
and Adult and international Student
Support Services, headed by Donna
Howard with Linda Seaman providing
staff assistance.
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