With the semester at its conclusion, seniors at The University of Alabama are preparing for their final act on the campus stage – graduation. While underclassmen turn their minds towards summer and relaxation, graduation can be one of the most stressful moments in a person’s life.
Along with the stress of trying to finish school on time, seniors are preparing for the world beyond undergraduate education, namely, the world of employment. Even armed with the education and standing that their degree signifies, finding a job, especially the right job, is a difficult task.
Where students get discouraged in their search for their future careers, the Career Center at the University steps in to give students an edge. Melinda King, the executive director of the Career Center, says the job search is all about persistence.
“Students think it’s late and all the jobs are filled, but in the business world it’s all based on what they need and when they need it,” said King.
The Career Center offers students a full workshop of tools to help make themselves more competitive and more visible to potential employers, King said. In addition to offering résumé assistance, the Career Center also offers students the opportunity to conduct mock interviews for a variety of different fields.
“The best option is to contact the career center that’s appropriate for their major,” said King. There are independent Career Centers for multiple colleges including the Culverhouse College of Commerce, Communications and Information Sciences, Engineering and others. She also said that students could contact the main office for guidance.
King also stated that some of the most potent resources can be easily accessed online through their website career.sa.ua.edu. Among these resources are videos about networking, salary negotiation and personalized job searching, all made by professionals in their individual industries.
Through the Crimson Career website portal, students can upload their résumé, and see job postings from various businesses. The Career Center is even prepared to help set up interviews between students and potential employers that take place on campus.
Additionally, students can access the Career Guide document online, which is a 62 page document with information on job searches that is updated every year to stay up to date with the best tips for job interviews, résumés, cover letters and more.
Melissa Westbrook is a business major and a graduating senior with firsthand knowledge about the Career Center’s resources.
“They really did help me out with that because I had no idea what I was doing before,” said Westbrook.
Westbrook used the Crimson Career web portal to strengthen her résumé and search and apply for jobs that she wouldn’t have found otherwise. She said the tool was a great resource for upcoming seniors to get acquainted with in the coming academic year.
“Don’t give up on the job search because it gets really hard. Keep pushing because you will find a job, even if it’s not your dream job starting out,” said Westbrook. Additionally, she made the point that seniors should try to enjoy their last year as much as possible.
“Enjoy every second because it’s going to fly by. Everyone says that but it’s true.”
