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Printer-Friendly ModeCareer network gets boost in use
April 4, 2011 —
More than 40 percent of SVSU students have accessed the Cardinal Career Network this academic year in hopes of employment, but how many students actually find a job?
There are many causes for students not obtaining jobs despite the pile of resumés submitted, including competition in the job market.
Last academic year, 4,305 students and alumni accessed the network and 7,710 resumés were submitted for only 2,194 job postings.
This academic year, 4,610 enrolled students have accessed the network, which has increased competition.
But this competition could be beneficial by attracting additional employers to the network.
“We need to make sure that when we recruit employers that there are people going out there and applying,” said Mike Major, director of Career Services.
Last semester, only 756 students were employed in an on-campus job. Off-campus jobs are difficult to track because employers don’t always report back to Career Services.
Another cause of low hiring numbers could be that students are choosing quantity over quality when sending out resumés and cover letters. This can be due to the simplicity of using the network.
“Bringing all of these jobs online has had an adverse effect on how students represent themselves to employers,” Major said. “Instead of quality, they go for quantity and apply for many jobs at once.”
Some students have even made the mistake of writing a cover letter and sending it to the wrong employer.
Students may be unaware of the network’s features.
One commonly overlooked feature is the Advanced Search, which allows someone to search for specific positions using keywords and options such as location, job function and career type.
An advanced search can be saved to create a search agent, which can search the database at a set frequency and notify students of job postings through email or a post on a Facebook wall.
“This is useful because most people check their email or Facebook on a daily basis,” Major said, “but not everyone checks the Cardinal Career Network as often.”
He said the search agent is useful since some jobs are only posted for a short time and recommends this option for certain degree programs.
“Education majors should especially use this tool because fulltime teaching jobs are only posted by districts for a short period of time,” Major said.
Another commonly overlooked feature is the NACElink extended job search, which allows someone to search databases and find jobs with keywords within a set distance of a city.
“It’s something that students don’t really take advantage of,” Major said. “It goes above and beyond what’s in the Cardinal Job postings.”
Cardinal Job postings are from employers that have specifically targeted SVSU students and graduates; NACElink uses databases searching for anyone who’s qualified.
The events tab is another overlooked feature. This tab allows students to view and RSVP different Career Services events such as résumé workshops, and employment and networking fairs.
Major said that he recommends students attend the Employment and Networking Fair at least once before they graduate because the more proactive students are meeting with employers, the more comfortable they will be.
The next career fair is the 2011 Spring University-Wide Employment and Networking Fair. It will take place from 12 p.m until 3 p.m. Friday, April 15, in the Ryder Center. Professional dress is required. Students are encouraged to RSVP on the Cardinal Career Network.