Everyone knows about the Career and Employment Services (CES) Department on campus. As the name suggests, CES is the office where people go to try to find a job, whether during the school year, for the summer or perhaps after graduation. What students may not realize is that the people who work there can do so much more.
CES can provide help for students building their resumes as they begin their search for jobs. Resume building is only one of the many services CES provides for students. Most students are aware of the resume help they can get at CES, but they are unaware of the other, more intense and in-depth services the experts in the CES office provide.
Sue Dahlin, a career advisor, explained just how helpful CES can be. One of the first things she pointed out was their large resource base. There is a large number of students from out-of-state who study at Puget Sound. Many of them want to find jobs that are based in their hometown or, at the very least, in a big city in the area. CES utilizes numerous national resources, such as business newspapers and job listings, in order to provide information about jobs that would be available in places other than Washington. This is especially helpful for students who may want to find jobs during the summer when they return home.
The CES website, available through Cascade, is another helpful resource for students. The website is a treasure trove of information that is underutilized by students. By perusing the website, students can easily access the numerous resources the website provides, which include blogs written by career advisors and graduate students. These services provide a wealth of information about the job market and helpful advice about what students can to effectively maneuver through the wild maze of career searching.
Students can use the website in order to directly contact career advisors and Puget Sound alumni through email. They are able to search for experts in the career of their choice and then contact those experts to find out how they were able to get the job they have now. This is a wonderful way for students to get advice from people who have been through the experience of finding the right job.
The website also offers students the opportunity to search for jobs within certain areas of the country, state or specific cities. This allows students to find out where jobs are available and whether they will have a chance of finding the career they want in the city they want. Students can also search for the most popular jobs available in a chosen city or area. This same tool can help Puget Sound students find out important details about the area itself, such as the cost of living.
Dahlin teaches a class to help students discover the ins and outs of the job search. This class provides even more knowledge about searching careers options and the ability to make a definite choice for the future. It allows students to explore career options and helps improve a student’s professional presence on paper, online and in person. This course is just one more way for students to improve their personal experience in the job market through CES tools.
CES is open all year as a resource for students looking for jobs, and the staff continues helping students throughout the summer. Students can get their resume checked out and refined, practice interview skills and hone internship and job searching talents. All the same resources that are offered during the school year are also offered online. Even students who have graduated can still use these resources as long as they are able to access Cascade.
In addition to the resources provided by advisors, CES houses an extensive library which contains books offering advice on job searches, graduate schools and resume building. Students can check out many of these books, which could aid them in learning more about jobs they are looking into for the future. The library is divided by job type and major area in order to provide students with guidance when beginning their search. Sections of the library include science, English, psychology and many more.
Career and Employment Services is a useful resource for all Puget Sound students. Their sole purpose is to help students find their way in the job world and find success in whatever they choose to do. The CES staff are experts in career development, and their knowledge should be utilized as often as possible.
Whether a student knows exactly what they want or if they are just starting their search, CES is here to help. And of course, the rule is always that the earlier a student starts researching, the better off they are. Visiting CES can help students improve their knowledge about the job market and better prepare them for the difficulties ahead.
Dahlin and the rest of the CES staff enjoy helping students as much as possible.
“Make us work!” Dahlin has often said to students in order to get them to focus on the CES resources. So students, let’s make them work so we will be able to as well.
PHOTO COURTESY / CHRIS SPALDING
