Are you thinking about the future of your own professional development? Employers across the country are searching for candidates at ETSU, and the ETSU Career Services department is in charge of facilitating these connections for students.
Whether it’s your first semester, or you’ve been working on a degree for several years and graduation is breathing down your neck, Career Services — located on the first floor of Sherrod Library — will assist you in accomplishing your goal of finding a job, or better yet, a career.
In July, Dr. Jeffrey Alston became the new director of Career Services. Despite being new, through his vital business expertise and experience as a career counselor at The College at Brockport in New York, Alston knows exactly what employers are looking for in potential candidates.
“[A student’s] major is always going to be important, but ultimately the employer wants to know if this student has the right attitude,” said Alston. “Is the student teachable? And what skills does the student have? Can they problem solve and communicate effectively?”
As we progress through the many stages of college decision making, it is presently becoming more imperative in the eyes of scouting companies and/or employers for students to reach out with resume-in-hand prior to graduation.
“Ideally, we want students to graduate with a job,” Alston said. “This hasn’t been the culture. I think the culture has been to graduate then to find a job. At that point, it’s too late. These big companies are starting to look at students now.”
Aside from having the ability of working with career counselors at ETSU, another valuable career-searching resource is available online via Career Services. The resource is called “Handshake” and it is, essentially, an integrated database that links up students, aka prospective employees, to companies all over the country.
“Every student has an account [on Handshake,]” Alston said. “They can use their ETSU log-in information … Employers can easily attach themselves to it.”
Handshake serves to expedite a student’s process of presenting a public profile, such as a resume, to various employers that are also scanning the horizon for opportunities.
Whether or not you have been looking for a job or a career, look into the resources at ETSU. There may be opportunities beyond your expectations via Career Services.
To set up an appointment, visit the online portal at www.etsu.edu/students/careers/, or give them a call at (423) 439-4450. They will also accept walk-ins, if the schedule allows.
