A Hidden Gem - Career Services

I've made a recent discovery that I want to share with you. Being three years out of college(!), I tend to forget about that old career services building we had on campus - I rarely visited since I somehow managed to get internships and campus work through connections and word of mouth references. However, this week I was suddenly inspired to see what college career services had to offer to job seekers so I hit the search engines and dug up some career services websites. (Tip - career services sections are usually under the "Student Life" part of the site).

Turns out, college career services websites are hording piles of information. The best part is that most of this info is available to everyone who happens across their site so even if you're not a student you're still in for a wealth of knowledge.

These websites commonly contain a few key items beyond the typical resume advice:

• Tips to Find a Career Path. When you're in college you have a great excuse not knowing what you want to do in life. For those of us who still don't know, it's helpful to get back to the basics. The classic Myers-Briggs test is there, along with off-the-beaten path quizzes like the Keirsey Temperament Sorter. Career services also commonly offer career advising sessions, so in this case you should turn to your alma matter and schedule an appointment. Morehouse College's "What Can I Do With This Major" section is quite extensive, and a good spot to start.
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• Career Spotlights. If your job search has been stuck in one category, sometimes it's helpful to browse through the experiences of people who work in entirely different careers. Even if you don't want to "derail" your career path, knowing what else is out there helps keep your mind open and think about unique ways that you can use your current skills.
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• Local Job Postings. There's two ways this can be a blessing. First, if you are currently in a different city than the one you want to work in, it can be tricky to find job postings. Check out colleges in your destination city and view postings that are publicly posted on their website. Some colleges have password-protected sites, so you might strike out - good thing there's lots of schools in each city! Career Services websites often list outside lists and resources for their students and alumni, so browse through the site to see if there are any local job listservs you can join. Second, Career Services job postings are beneficial if you work in a smaller town or state, where job postings are harder to come by. Stop by school sites to dig deeper. For a massive list of job listservs, check out Clark Atlanta's Career Links page.
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• Online Trainings. Have you Googled "how to write a resume" lately? You'll get over 16 million results. The key these days isn't finding information, it's finding organized information from trusted sources. Career Services websites are run by full-time professionals who are dedicated to finding the best resources for their students. Check out Brown University's Online Workshops for audio and slides walking through the job application process, or Carnegie Mellon's Career Success Guides for a nice overview of online resources.
• Job Fairs. Career Services websites will list local job fairs, and most of these are open to the general public! Most schools, like the University of Portland, list job fairs that are in addition to the ones they put on themselves. If you go to a career fair, be sure to check out my "How to Rock a Career Fair" advice.

I can assure you, once you start browsing through college Career Services websites you'll be hooked. Feel free to use the comments section below to write in the useful things you run into on these websites!