Career Services
COMPASS

 Spring 2007

Volume 4, Number 2 

Greetings!

This newsletter is a service of the office of Career and Counseling Services at West Texas A&M University. For students registered with us, we offer a résumé  database, a varied on-campus interview program  and interactive access to our jobs database. If you would like more information on what registration entails, please contact us at your convenience.

We want to ensure that you take full advantage of the many services our office provides. Read through this newsletter to get a glimpse of upcoming activities and events as well as day-to-day services available to you as a WTAMU student.

Contact our office if we can assist you in ANY way in your job search or on a career-related matter.

Good luck!

Career & Counseling Services
806-651-2345
VHAC 210
Email Career & Counseling Services

Graduate Spotlight: Donald Norman

What is your major?
Masters of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies 05/2006
Bachelor of Science in Sports & Exercise Sciences 12/2003

What is your job title?
Assistant Athletic Director for Marketing & Promotions @ Lamar University

How did you find this job?
The Career Services staff showed me many different areas to explore for job searching and how to go about applying. I actually found this job on The National Collegiate Athletic Association web site.

How is your job going so far?
I love it!! This is why I put in the long hours and many years of college to work my way to the top--to become an Athletic Director. I was a collegiate football player and I miss it badly. What better way for me to get back in to something I love -- sports. I work with all of the middle schools, high schools, and college students.

What services did you use at Career & Counseling Services?
I used many of the services that Career & Counseling offers. The online resume workshop was very helpful. In addition, the resume critiquing was so useful. We worked on several different resumes, depending on the job I was looking for. I pursued many avenues when looking for a job, and the Career Services staff was so accommodating. The Career Services staff—Barbara Zellers, Kim Muller, Denese Skinner, and Steve Sellars - was the reason I found my job and that my resume was eye catching. I went to a lot of interviews, and all the employers complimented me on my resume. Once again, thank you to all.

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What to do if you don't have a job by graduation!

by Kim R. Wells
 

It's graduation day on the yard, and everything is just as you dreamed: The speaker is dynamic, your classmates are having a blast, family and friends look on with pride, everything seems so right. Well…except one thing: When they handed you your degree, they forgot to give you your job offer! Nobody told you that landing the job of your dreams was going to be so complicated; it never worked out like that on television or in the movies. It's time to wake up and step up to make your career connection after graduation!

Understanding the "Post Graduation Job Market"

Let's be realistic. The "post graduation job market" is a much different animal than the campus-recruitment scenario and processes during the school year that was much more "student friendly." During this time between May and August, many of the competitive advantages you may have had while engaging employers on campus at job fairs and through campus recruitment interviewing are no longer in play. The new challenge is that you will compete against a much larger pool of candidates, including thousands of other graduates in your area, and other experienced job seekers also looking to make a career move during the popular summer job search season.

To accomplish your goal of connecting with a top employer, you will have to take your job-search game to a whole new level and move forward in designing and executing a job search strategy that will magnify your value and allow you to stand out in this vast post-graduation sea of candidates.

7 High-Impact Strategies to Make Your Connection This Summer

The following link contains high-impact job search strategies that will assist you if you are a serious job seeker. Warning…These strategies are not for the faint of heart, or those still trying to kick it with old friends after graduation. These strategies are only for those determined to make something happen!

http://www.blackcollegian.com/career/graduation-grad05.shtml

This article is from the Black Collegian.
You can pick up a free copy in Career & Counseling Services

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Help for Working Moms
Top family-friendly employers

In articles appearing in Working Mother, USA Today, and also on CNNMoney.com, companies that provide benefits which assist working mothers are identified as some of the most desirable places to work. Such benefits might include a compressed work week, child care for both younger and older children, job-sharing, and/or extended leave options.

Included in CNNMoney’s top 100 companies are:

Google
Worlds Largest Search Engine - Rank (1)
Google employees or Googlers enjoy many perks. Some of those that noticeably support mothers and families are on-site child care, laundry and dry cleaning facilities, hair-cuts, and doctor’s visits. These extras are all at no-cost to the employee. Also, Google will reimburse new mothers and fathers for up to $500.00 in take-out food for the first four weeks of their child’s life.

Container Store
Storage Retailer - Rank (4)
Container Store pays sales employees 50% to 100% above industry average. Its most common salaried position in store sales pays $42,630. Also, nearly one-tenth of all employees take advantage of “family friendly” shifts from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., allowing for school drop-offs and pickups.

Deloitte, Touche, Tomatsu
Audit, Tax, Financial Advising - Rank (76)
As part of Deloitte’s Personal Pursuits Program, employees can have a 5 year sabbatical to raise children. The company pays for its CPAs to keep their license current while they are gone. They found out that 62% of women that graduated from Harvard Business School leave the corporate world after their 2nd child. Deloitte discovered that traditional leave packages were not enough to retain their best employees. To address this, they came up with the Personal Pursuits program, which lets employees leave for up to 5 years, keep their skills current, and eventually come back.

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Company Spotlight:

CARGILL MEAT SOLUTIONS

Cargill Meat Solutions Corporation is a leading processor and distributor of fresh beef, pork and turkey, plus cooked and marinated meats. Representing more than a dozen major brands that are sold in both retail and foodservice channels, Cargill Meat Solutions is committed to providing great-tasting meat to our customers and consumers around the world.

For retail and foodservice customers, Cargill Meat Solutions is the meat specialist for beef, pork, turkey and value-added meats that will grow our customers' businesses and bring customers back.

Fast facts about the Friona Texas plant:

Established:  1968/69
Square Feet:  725,000 square feet
Cattle Processed Daily:  4,500 head/day
lbs. of beef produced daily:  3,375,000 lbs./day
People employed: 1,775 hourly and 165 management and clerical
Number of shifts per day? Three

Noteworthy equipment, facilities or interventions?
New box distribution center, food safety interventions, new cooker for rendering, new cattle pens under construction, loin table revision

 
Cargill Meat Solutions Friona, Texas plant is very interested in talking to WTAMU graduates about their opportunities. They attend our job fairs, support WTAMU athletics and other events and recruit on campus. Visit their website for more information and then stop in and see them on Thursday at the EXPO!

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What are YOU doing after graduation?

Article from JobWeb

Your chances of having a good job—maybe even the perfect entry-level job—are better than ever. According to Job Outlook 2007, employers plan to hire 17.4 percent more new college graduates from the class of 2007 than they did from the class of 2006.

Top 10 degrees in demand
(Bachelor’s degree level)
Accounting
Business administration/management
Computer science
Electrical engineering
Mechanical engineering
Information science and systems
Marketing/marketing management
Computer engineering
Civil engineering
Economics/finance

Top degrees in demand
(Master’s degree level)
MBA
Electrical Engineering
Computer Science
Computer Engineering
Mechanical Engineering

More employers across all sectors are planning to hire more graduates this year. Click on the link below to see the employers that are hiring particular majors and to read the full article.
http://www.jobweb.com/joboutlook/2007/

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Spring Job Fairs

EXPO is a fancy name we use to describe our job and career fairs at West Texas A&M University. These events are designed to help you in your career development and job search.

Undecided on a career? Come and ask questions - straight from the source!

Looking for experience in your field? Investigate internship possibilities!

Graduating in the next year? Begin your full time job search! Details follow - and we'll see you at the EXPO!

Spring Career EXPO 2007: Thursday, February 22, 2007. General career fair for all WTAMU (except Education) - VHAC Ballroom - 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM

Educator's EXPO 2007: Monday, April 2, 2007. Education career and job fair - First United Bank Center - 9:00 AM - 1:00 PM

New this year: Summer/Part-time Job Fair: Monday, April 16, 2007. All students looking for part time or seasonal jobs - JBK Commons - 9:00 AM - 1:00 PM

Visit our website for tips and tricks on how to succeed at a JOB FAIR!!
 

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Intern Spotlight: Kathryn Hail
in New Zealand

       Kathryn Hail, an equine science major from Canyon, got the experience of a lifetime last semester. She interned at the Oaks Stud Farm, a horse breeding facility in New Zealand.

Kathryn spent her days working with horses, learning the New Zealand approach to horse reproduction. Her job duties included helping veterinarians monitor pregnant mares, delivering their new born foals, and providing on-going care for both.

Along with technical skills, Kathryn also gained valuable soft skills: management, communication, responsibility, team work, work ethic, etc. Working with other interns, managers, and veterinarians provided the opportunity to practice and polish these skills. Employers consistently note that soft skills are critical for employees. Kathryn’s internship provided those skills, making her even more marketable to employers.

If you are interested in gaining experience like Kathryn, contact the WTAMU Experiential Education Program (VHAC 210, 806-651-2345). Internships help students make contacts in their field and develop skills employers seek.

Internship Orientations are held every Thursday at 12:30 p.m. in the Career Services office, VHAC 210. You can also learn more online at http://wtcareer.wtamu.edu/coop/students.htm.

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10 Interview BLOOPERS to Avoid

How to avoid these mistakes?

PREPARE and PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE

Learn how to prepare by reading this article in full and visiting our online interviewing workshop.

Practice by doing a MOCK INTERVIEW in our office with a real employer. Call now to schedule!

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Top Job Sites on the Internet

Our office keeps an up-to-date listing of top job search sites on the web. Check out our list at http://wtcareer.wtamu.edu/coop/olinks.htm

Internship and full-time listing are categorized to help you easily find opportunities on the web for your area of interest.

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Career Services Calendar of Events

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