Wednesday, December 8, 2010

#1: Free Career Counseling

As any college graduate can tell you, it can be quite difficult to find dependable career advice or legitimate job listings out in the "real world."  Considering that monster.com doesn't really vet it's job listings and craigslist is a hotbed for scamming, you almost have to be a detective to uncover the real listings among the many dead ends.  Career assessments can cost upwards of $100 and just an hour of professional career counseling can set you back $200 or more!
For you college students out there, the good news is that most colleges have a "career center" which provides a number of these resources to students for free, or at deep discounts.  UC Irvine's Career Center is one example, providing a comprehensive center of online and in-person resources.  Some of the center's services include an online job-listing database (Zotlink), an online library of career information (VAULT), video "web shops" on topics ranging from resumes to interview techniques, walk-in career counseling appointments, free resume reviewing, quarterly career fairs, help with grad school applications, and listings of alumni for networking opportunites. 

The UC Irvine's Career Center "Zotlink" service is an online job-listing database that is reviewed and carefully monitored to provide students with listings for on-campus jobs, local internships, and even full time positions in the "real world".  Use of this service is free as a student and allows students to upload a resume for employers to browse, just like any of your better known private job listing services, but with a bit more security.

Most college career centers list designated walk-in times when students are welcome to drop by without an appointment and see a college counselor.  These walk-in counseling sessions can be used to have your cover letter or resume reviewed, ask any career-related questions, or get a referral to take a career assessment.  Many times, career centers will offer career assessments at discounted rates to students.

Obtaining a bachelor's degree is often seen as a means to an end - a way to better your career opportunities for the future.  While a bachelor's degree can help with meeting qualifications for job positions, it is absolutely necessary for students to go beyond their classroom experiences and gain actual applicable experience in the field.  The career center on your college campus gives you the tools to progress in your career planning while working towards a degree, and is usually payed for by your tuition or fees.  Make the most of it!