By Sasha Ramazani
The Career Center will host Career Success Week, a week of
workshops to prepare students for the highly competitive job
market, Monday through Friday. Beginning Monday, every aspect of
finding the perfect job will be covered with daily activities.
Students are encouraged to ask lots of questions and take plenty
of notes.
“These workshops are being presented by employer representatives
and it’s their curriculum. Students will have the opportunity to
hear their recommendations and their perspective on what they look
for in candidates,” said Dawn Finley, job development coordinator
at the Career Center.
These companies partner all year with the Career Center as well
as recruit Cal Poly graduates. With the ever-competitive job
market, it is never too soon for students to begin thinking about
the future.
“One of the things I’ve noticed about Cal Poly students is their
tendency to think if ‘I go to school, get a great degree, I’ll get
that dream job’ and they don’t think about preparing,” said
Finley.
Events like Career Success Week help students build important
networks that can be beneficial for the future. The Career Center
offers a wide variety of services to help students determine what
path is right for them.
“I needed help deciding on a major so I made an appointment with
the Career Center,” said Sara Hester, third-year history student.
“With a counselor, I looked at all the description cards and picked
which ones I was interested in the most.”
Here is a list of events for the week:
” On Monday, Kohl’s will present the Dress for Success
Fashion Show. This workshop will discuss appropriate business
attire, what not to wear at a job and career wardrobe on a budget.
Students will model for a fashion show.
” On Tuesday, the employers of Enterprise will present Rock
the Resume, a workshop series to help students develop efficient
and appropriate resumes.
” On Wednesday, the Orange County Transportation Authority
will present Winning Job Search Strategies.
” On Thursday, Southern Wine & Spirits will present
Eliminating the Interview Fear Factor.
” On Thursday, Take the Lead: Leadership Skills will be
presented by Target.
” On Friday, a workshop will be entitled Career Cafe: Your
Questions Answered in 15 Minutes. Representatives from Disney, RBF
Consulting, Riverside County, Panda Restaurant, Fluor and Wells
Fargo Financial will offer one-on-one counseling with students for
up to 15 minutes.
More details about this event can be found at the Career Center,
located in Building 97 under the Marketplace.
Along with career counseling to help students declare a major,
the center offers assessment tests, mock interviews, peer
counseling and resume critiques. All these services are free, but
appointments are recommended.
Researching a company before you apply for a job or internship
is important to have a better understanding of the company’s
objectives and goals.
Finley said employers are looking for candidates who know how to
articulate their values and goals.
Every internship and job application process varies.
“The thing I hear repeatedly from employers is they are looking
for candidates who are enthusiastic and show genuine interest,”
said Finley.
Another aspect employers want to know about candidates is the
amount work experience students have had, whether through school
activities, internships, or volunteer work.
Regardless of expected graduation dates, all students are
strongly encouraged to think about the future job market now rather
than later.
“Practice makes improvement,” said Finley. “You can only get
better by learning more.”
