Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Career Center Serves 4,653 Students

The October on-campus interviewing rush is winding to a close for seniors, marking the end of one of the busiest times of the year for the Cawley Career Education Center.

According to Executive Director of the Career Education Center Mike Schaub, the career center has helped 4,653 Georgetown students since July — approximately 61 percent of the student body — through individual appointments, workshops, employment panels, networking events and the career fair. Of those who have taken part in career center programs, 64 percent are juniors and seniors, 14 percent are freshmen and sophomores and 22 percent are graduate students, students in the School of Continuing Studies and alumni.

This year is the first that the Career Center has been able to accurately track this data because of a new swipe technology service implemented this semester that counts the number of students who come in.

Career counseling provides guidance for students who need to evaluate their post-graduation options and goals. Employment advisers at the center help students search more effectively for opportunities in their field of interest and create proper resumes.

Andrew Moreno (COL ’13), who is pursuing a career in management consulting, has utilized a variety of the center’s services.

“As a student who was undeclared in the College and had little idea of what to do for careers, the career center’s advising services were particularly valuable for me because they helped me figure out what I wanted to do, the values that are important to me in my work and what career tracks best combine those,” he said. “Through the career fair, information sessions, panels and other events, it is much easier for students … to begin to plan long-term career goals and consider post-graduation plans.”

According to Mike Schaub, the center’s methodology has three main components: building students’ career profiles, educating students about fields that align with their interests and developing a search strategy to find appropriate jobs.

He explained that students often find internship and job opportunities both through on-campus interview opportunities and postings on Hoya Career Connection, an online career services management system. Students who find internships or jobs on their own are likely to have used the center for other resources, such as resume and cover letter assistance or mock interview preparation.

Elyssa Skeirik (SFS ’15), who attended a resume workshop co-sponsored by the Georgetown University College Democrats and the Career Education Center on Oct. 16 said the center has helped her prepare for interviews and update her resume.

“I got a lot of insider tips on how to make a resume professional while still standing out,” she said. “I plan to make an appointment with them to discuss internship opportunities in the future.”

According to Schaub, the center aims to work with students on an individual level.

“Not only do different career paths require specialized services, but each student brings a unique personality and skills profile to the table,” he said. “Our counselors and advisers do their best to customize the self-exploration and search process for each student.”

Despite the center’s resources, students see room for improvement.

“While the Career Education Center is very well connected to finance and consulting interviews, it does not offer as many opportunities for other jobs,” William Kim (SFS ’13), a senior who has used the center, said. “Government and non-profit positions tend to recruit through their own websites as opposed to having on-campus recruiting events, and therefore students may not have as much information on them or are as competitive in applying to those programs.”

Priscila Borba (COL ’13) added that the Career Education Center’s services can be less helpful for students who are starting their job search from scratch.

“I feel like they would be very helpful if you know exactly what you want,” she said. “Come in with a solid foundation to build off of … [otherwise] I feel like that is not the best place to be when you go into the career center.”

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