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Q&As: Getting the Most from a Career Center

Relocation questions; summer camp job experience

By DIANE HESS, CollegeJournal.com

Question: Do campus career centers really help students find jobs? Can college career fairs help you find a job? In my experience, they were basically a "meat market," in which students were penned in en masse. -- Paul Freyer, New York, N.Y.

Paul: Many career centers can be a treasure trove. But as with college itself, what you get out of it depends on what you put into it.

The best way to maximize the potential is to get involved early. First-year students should visit to discuss possible majors, as well as career paths based on their interests. Most universities offer resume and interview workshops, in addition to alumni networks. Take advantage of them.

Bill McCarthy, associate director of the career development center at Binghamton University, says his office helps students with self-assessment as soon as they arrive on campus. "We hope that will lead them to what they want to do," he says.

Many schools offer career-planning guides with tips for each year of college. Review Binghamton's [Adobe PDF format] guide here.  Among its recommendations: "job shadow" an alumnus in a field of interest as a sophomore and gather letters of recommendation for your credentials file as a junior.

"You can't show up to the final exam and expect to get an 'A' if you didn't prepare," says Mr. McCarthy.

You'll get the most out of career fairs if you do a little before the day of the fair, says Christian Garcia, associate director for employer relations at University of Miami. Find out which employers will be there. Your campus career office usually will be able to give you a list. Come prepared with questions about job opportunities they may be offering. "That way, you might be able to tell them about a specific division that interests you," says Mr. Garcia.

Rank the firms you want to visit at the fair, and visit their booths in that order, he suggests. If you feel uneasy at first, walk around a bit. "It can be a meat market," he says. "If you strategize, it can also be a great event."

Career fairs can be a way to get your foot in the door, and learn more job opportunities, but don't expect to have a 10-minute conversation with a recruiter, Mr. Garcia says. "The career fair is a precursor to the interview," he says.

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Question: There are few job opportunities where I live, so I plan to move. Should I start by finding a place to move to or by finding a job?

Answer: This question is likely to have crossed the minds of many other college graduates.

If there's a reasonable chance of finding work, consider moving where you want to settle down and then looking for a job, says Dan Strakal, owner of Success Positioning Systems LLC, an Albuquerque, N.M., career-services firm.

Make sure the area has ample job opportunities in your field, he says. For example, if your goal is a career in the insurance industry, you might consider Hartford, Conn., the home of many large insurers. Likewise, he says, "If you want to be an actor, Alaska might not be the best choice."

RealEstateJournal.com offers a Best Places to Live tool that may help you decide where to settle, based on your preferences for variables such as climate, job growth and cost of living.

Once you've decided on a new town, see if your alma mater's career center has a reciprocal agreement with the local college or university. You may be able to access to the local job listings at another school in your new city, says Jim McBride, director of University Career Services at University of Virginia.

When you're deciding where you want to go, keep the costs in mind. Bankrate.com's cost-of-living calculator can help you compare cities.

Before you pack your bags, be sure to research the area and network with family and friends who live there or know people who do. Request a "welcome packet" from the local chamber of commerce, which typically includes a list or profiles of local employers or industries. Another way to make connections is through online organizations, such as LinkedIn.

"You don't want to move across the country and realize that you're in the same boat you were in before you left," says Mr. Strakal.

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Question: My daughter is considering a job as a camp counselor this summer. Do you think this would be a positive experience for her college application?

Answer: Provided your daughter learns from the experience, I think a camp job would be a worthy addition.

Professionals who worked at camps as young adults attribute later-in-life accomplishments to the lessons they learned as camp counselors.

"I know a number of professionals -- physicians, attorneys and teachers -- who credit their camp experiences because they had to take responsibility, speak in front of crowds, and deal with parents and children," says Ann Sheets, national president of the American Camp Association, based in Martinsville, Ind.

Read the article, "Three Ways Camp Jobs Can Benefit a Career," to get some ideas about the benefits from a counselor job, including learning leadership skills.

"From my perspective, camp counseling is a wonderful experience," says Nancy Benedict, vice president for enrollment at Beloit College in Beloit, Wis., who worked as a counselor for three years as a teenager. "It can provide those rare moments...that can be parlayed into an essay about personal growth or helping someone reach his or her potential."

Ms. Benedict says she would be more impressed by a student who found his or her summer experience enriching than one who spent his or her time making money doing something he or she found uninteresting.

That notwithstanding, given the competition to get into top colleges, it might be necessary for your daughter to diversify her experiences over her summers in high school, according to James Sumner, dean of admission and financial aid at Grinnell College in Grinnell, Iowa.

A college applicant's resumes ideally should show a range of summer work -- in retail, the food industry or a factory, for example, he says. "I believe serious summer work is the emerging credential to get into top colleges," Mr. Sumner says.

-- Ms. Hess is a free-lance writer in New York.

--December 20, 2006