Campus Career Centers Key to Landing Post-Graduation Jobs

College career centers offer some of the best opportunities to help students learn how to improve their job search and land a post-graduation job. In particular, career-center sponsored job fairs allow students to touch base with dozens of employers at a time. Yet many students skip these events or waste their time because they don't know how to conduct themselves around recruiters. In his new book, Shawn Graham provides pointers to help college students perfect their job fair experience and enter the job market on the right foot.

Indianapolis, IN (PRWEB) October 9, 2007 -- Between studying for exams, tailgating at football games, and juggling extracurricular activities, it can feel almost impossible for college students to squeeze time into their schedules for a visit to their college's career center. A new survey, however, indicates career centers offer some of the most rewarding opportunities for students destined for the job market.

According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers' 2007 Graduating Student Survey, successful student applicants (those who had already secured a full-time job) relied far more heavily on job-search services offered through the career center--on-campus interviews, speaking with company representatives, and viewing employer presentations--than did unsuccessful applicants. Successful applicants were also more likely to have applied for jobs at a career fair.    

Shawn Graham, author of the newly released book Courting Your Career, says one of the most effective ways to land a good job after graduation, is for college students to make time to visit their campus career center and its events--particularly career fairs.

"Career fairs are like clubbing for job seekers," says Graham. "They offer a great way to make contact with a large number of employers in a short period of time. They also allow you to practice your job search and conversational skills."

Too often, however, job seekers squander their career fair experience, leaving them with few legitimate job leads, and only a handful of free pens and brochures to show for their attendance. According to Graham, this scenario typically applies to passive and unprepared job seekers who lack the knowledge they need to make the most of the hour or two they have to speak with recruiters. In his new book, he offers the following tips to help job seekers maximize their career fair experience:

1. Determine target organizations. Job seekers should identify and research companies they'll want to speak with at the fair. This will help them determine how many resumes to bring and brainstorm questions to ask the company representative.

2. Don't monopolize a recruiter's time. Typically, job seekers will have about two to three minutes to spend talking with recruiters. To make the most of their time, job seekers should develop a brief introduction of themselves that highlights their interest in the organization as well as their skills and experience.

3. Avoid taking a lot of free stuff. Grabbing a handful of freebies teeters on appearing unprofessional and greedy. Job seekers also do not want to be seen carting a bag of goodies from table to table as though they were trick-or-treaters.

4. Collect business cards. If a recruiter doesn't give you his or her business card, check with the career center to see whether the recruiter's contact information is already on file.

5. Follow up with contacts after the fair. Whether it's a phone call, e-mail or cover letter to the recruiter after the career fair, it's important to reference the meeting at the fair. Notes taken during the career fair can also remind job seekers of key points to address in their follow-up as well.

Courting Your Career is available at all major bookstores and from the publisher (www.jist.com or 1.800.648.JIST). To speak with the author, contact Natalie Ostrom.

JIST, America's Career Publisher, is a division of EMC/Paradigm Publishing and is the leading publisher of job search, career, occupational information, life skills and character education books, workbooks, assessments, videos and software.

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