For most, the primary reason for attending college is to expand their career opportunities. A dramatically underutilized resource in achieving this goal at UMass Boston is the Office of Career Services and Internships. Career Services councilors can help students pad their résumés through internship and co-op opportunities, finding the right entry-level job and honing their interview skills.
These services are available to all UMass Boston students and alumni “just graduating from high school until death,” says Assistant Director of Career Services Catherine Larson. Larson also stresses the importance of students meeting with a career councilor early in their college career in order to narrow their focus and choose a major and career path that assists in developing the skills they will need once they are ready to join the workforce.
In order to aid students in choosing their prospective careers, Career Services offers a 30-45 minute test, called Pinpoint, which provides students with a list of potential careers based on their interests. Larson recommends the test for “anyone who is having difficulty deciding what direction they want to move in.”
It is never too early to start thinking about a career. Whether you want a high paying job, great benefits or the ability to make an impact on your community, a college education opens doors to a host of new possibilities. But simply getting a degree doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll land that dream job. Employers are looking for real-world experience in your chosen industry.
“Just getting a college degree doesn’t guarantee you’ll get a job in the field that interests you,” says Christina Cutler, Director of Human Resources for a Massachusetts hospitality company. “In many cases it won’t even get you an interview.”
With the number of college students sky-high compared to previous generations, the job market among college graduates is more competitive, and internships and work experience can set you apart from the sea of applicants. That is why Career Services provides students with a list of internship and co-op opportunities-including both for-pay and for-credit options-that students can take part in while still in school.
Which is why starting early is so important. Larson recommends students begin looking for internship and co-op opportunities by their junior year-because most internships and co-ops require participants be a current student. That doesn’t mean seniors should brush off career services as a missed opportunity. “It’s never too late to meet with a career councilor,” Larson encourages. Even “if you’re in your final year you could conceivably do an internship.”
The office also offers an extensive Career Resource Library with over 1,000 books, binders and files on various career paths, graduate schools, as well as guides for everything from interviewing to résumé and cover letter writing. The library material is available for reading in the Career Services office, where students can also access computers available for conducting career-related research and job searching. In addition to all these great resources, Career Services also helps students refine their job-hunting skills through mock interviews and an annual career fair, held each March. Councilors also “talk about interviewing on a one-to-one basis.”
Career Services is located on the first floor of the Campus Center, and can be contacted by phone at (617) 287-5519 or via email at [email protected]. More information can be found by visiting the Career Services’ website, www.careers.umb.edu.