Is There Life after College?

It’s March. Panic is in the air as graduating seniors realize they have less than two months before being "ceremoniously" tossed headfirst into the dreaded Real World. Luckily, the Texas Tech Career Center has many resources to make job and career searches easier.

More than 500 employers use the Career Center as a one-stop shop to search for potential employees. These employers are categorized by job openings or by industry and can be found at the Experience eRecruiting Network alumni and students can search online.

“Our Web site is a great resource for students because of its in-depth information,”says David Kraus, director of the Career Center. “But it can’t compete with our staff. There are times when you just need to talk with someone. That experience isn’t Web-able.”

 

Subtleties and learning how to avoid minor blunders make a big difference. Center staff work with students so they are prepared and have the confidence they need to succeed.

“We are very student-oriented and will go above and beyond in our services to students,” Kraus says.

Say What?

For example, Kraus ran into an interviewing student who was excited about a big interview with “Shlum-burger.” Kraus told him he didn’t have an interview with “Shlum-burger,” he had an interview with Schlumberger, pronounced “Schlum-bear-jay.” The student got the job.

What Not to Wear

Jay Killough, associate director of the center, remembers one afternoon when an engineering student got a last-minute lesson in dress code. As the student walked toward the interviewing room for a big interview with a potential employer, looking fashionable and professional in a black suit, Killough spotted the bright white tennis shoes he had chosen to complete his ensemble. Fortunately, the student was able to squeeze into a spare pair used in a "Dressed to Impress" workshop. Disaster averted.

Resume Redux: Crime Really Doesn't Pay

Killough remembers critiquing the resume of a student who was a security guard at the mall. Her resume was perfect except for the first bullet under her current job, which claimed she had assisted in more than 40 thefts. The student had forgotten to add the word “preventing,” entirely changing the description of her skills.

Mapping a Career

Aside from wardrobe advice and avoiding implications of criminal behavior, the Career Center provides students with a step-by-step progression towards getting that first job after college, from picking a major to graduating with a job offer in hand.

“The Career Center can be a tremendous resource in figuring out your strengths, your skills, your interests,” Kraus says. “Then we take it one step farther. Our Web site offers information about what people really do in each profession.”

Killough says career assessments are a great way for students to pinpoint what they are interested in and what they would be good at. He particularly likes the StrengthsQuest assessment which benchmarks natural strengths. The center counselors then suggest careers that will fully utilize those strengths.

Once students choose the type of job they want to pursue, they are advised about majors, minors and extracurricular activities that will give them the skills they need. If students already have a major, the center can supply information about possible career choices relating to that major.

Help Wanted

Getting an internship can be very important to a successful job search, Kraus says. The center has a full-time intern coordinator to discuss possible intern positions and even search for additional internships for students.

Other resources include career fairs and other events, seminars on topics ranging from what to wear for an interview to negotiating a better salary, resume, application and cover letter writing tips and counseling sessions to improve job searching strategies.

Career services also include mock interviews, so first time interviewers get a taste of what kinds of questions potential employers will ask.

"What we are trying to avoid is graduates who have no alternatives for their future," Kraus says. "Our ideal goal is to help every student who graduates from Texas Tech have several different options to choose from come graduation time. Then they don't have to grab the first thing that comes along."